As many of you know, I like the Hoka One One Huaka a lot. Now that I just finished running in my first pair and started on my second of five pairs, I wanted to provide a full review. Here's the review that I left on the Running Warehouse site.
I have FIVE pairs of the Hoka Huaka. I got all of them at a great price (46-59 dollars) here on Running Warehouse. Now that I have started using my first pair for walking and treadmill use after 300 miles, and started on my second pair, I will give a full review of likes and dislikes.
First, the dislikes:
1. As another reviewer said, the "speed laces" are terrible. They don't stay tight, they cut into the top of the foot, and they are just an all-around pain. I immediately cut them off and put in the included regular laces. These are not bad, but they should be a couple of inches longer. You have to pull them tight, or they may come undone during a run.
2. The Huaka comes with the worst insole in the history of running shoes. It is paper-thin, and as another reviewer said, it slides backward during a run until it is hanging out the back of the heel. I've never EVER had this happen with any other running shoe. Now, you MIGHT get another pair of insoles with your Huakas, a flatter, thicker one. These are not bad at all, but inexplicably, not every pair of Huakas will come with these. I have five pair, and only two pair came with the extra insoles. For the others, I just went out and bought some thin, flat "Odor Eater" insoles in a bulk pack at the grocery store, cut them to size, and slipped them in. These work great, but still, no runner should EVER have to go out and buy an insole or laces to put in a brand new pair of running shoes.
3. The outsole of the Huakas are partly RMAT, which is the exposed midsole material, and part "durable" rubber patches. The durable rubber patches really aren't durable, and you will find that if you run on pavement the rubber patches--in your primary wear spots--will wear completely flat, or even into the midsole, at about 300-350 miles. That's not enough for any running shoe, let alone an expensive one. Also, RMAT is very slippery in rainy conditions, so once the tread wears flat on the rubber patches, you'll slide all over the place. Each pair of Hokas that has exposed RMAT or EVA as part of the outsole should come with a warning sign on the box that says "Slippery When Wet." Terrible.
5. The original price of the Hoka Huaka, $150, was outrageous. For a shoe with the above problems, you should never pay more than about 60 dollars.
Now for the good:
1. The Hoka Huaka has the PERFECT blend of cushioning and responsiveness. In 38 years of running, I've never had a running shoe that was so perfect right out of the box. The ride is amazing, and they don't lose their bounce, even when the outsoles wear out prematurely. I cannot recommend the Huaka more strongly for runners who want to feel great while running.
2. The Huaka is very lightweight, even with great cushioning. You will not feel like you're running in clown shoes, either, because the Huaka doesn't have that big, platform-shoe midsole that many of the Hoka models have. It really feels like a very well-cushioned, responsive racing flat rather than a typical daily trainer.
3. The Hoka upper material is thin, but very tightly woven. You don't get sand or dirt coming in through the mesh. They breathe well, too, and don't hold an odor like many running shoes.
4. The regular price of the Huaka, at $150, was outrageous.
So, to summarize: The Hoka Huaka is a fantastic running shoe right out of the box despite some negative qualities that Hoka should fix in its upcoming new modles. The Huaka is being discontinued in the U.S., and replaced with other similar shoes, like the Tracer. I can already foresee a likely problem with some of the new models because it appears that Hoka has made the entire outsoles on some of them out of the same RMAT midsole material. These shoes will obviously be terrible in wet conditions, and without "durable" rubber patches they will probably have lousy traction and poor durability. While you can get the Hoka Huaka on a great clearance sale, grab them. But my advice is that until Hoka proves it can produce a more durable shoe with no need to replace cheap insoles and cheap laces, NEVER pay the ridiculous full price for any of their shoes. Hoka needs to work on quality, even though, at least in the Huaka, the perfect ride, cushioning, and responsiveness that almost every runner of whatever ability is looking for.