You may feel that the C1 is superior, but others may not.

The most inevitable cycle in shoes is this: they evolve from year to year. Your preferences on fit/feel will match some product on the wall every year - it's just a matter of figuring out what shoe that is that year.

Speaking for myself and my go-to shoe each year:
2010: Saucony Kinvara
2011: Saucony Mirage
2012: Saucony Fastwitch
2013: Hoka One One Bondi B
2014: Mizuno Sayonara
2015: Hoka Conquest
2016: New Balance 1080
2017: Saucony Freedom
2018: Saucony Freedom (I haven't updated to 2 yet)

As you can also tell, my preferences have evolved a little bit over time.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Wondering the same thing. I was a 10.5 in the Clifton 3. Lately I've been really into the Pegasus Turbo. Do I need these?

Apples, oranges, bananas and pineapples in the same cart.

Directly compared, the Clifton 1 is superior. All Cliftons more or less suck in ergonomics unless you happen to have alien feet so let's take that out of the way. By far the most important aspect will be cushioning:weight ratio. The Clifton 1 wins hands down.

You keep saying that, but Hoka's sales would seem to dictate otherwise.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

The 1's are the lightest of the series. For me, they also felt the best. The only issue I had with them was the thin tongue. They fixed the tongue in later versions (or at least by #3) but the shoes became heavier because of that and other changes. I think the 5's I have now are over an ounce heavier the original 1's. FWIW, I'm liking the 5's so far..never tried the 4's based on the crappy reviews I was hearing.

When you guys say Vaporfly, are you guys talking about just the regular Vaporfly or Vaporfly 4% which is more expensive?

My main running shoes are Clifton 3, Clayton 1 & 2. I use Clayton 2 the most though.

There are not two versions of the Vaporfly. There is the shitty Zoom Fly and then there is the $250 Vaporfly that is sold out everywhere.

Got it. Zoom Fly looked same as Vaporfly, so I got confused.

Zoomfly = shitty

Zoomfly flyknit = much less shitty. Actually quite nice. Not 4% nice but nice. 1.3% nice

That's what I've heard but as I've said 3 times now... it isn't worth your time at 9.xx ounces!! Just buy the Peg Turbo. The one thing this whole Nike hype train has forgotten is that weight is most or second important to midsole sensation. With that said, I just don't understand where the Zoom Fly fits in anyones rotation.

With the place it makes a quick shoe, react foam is nice, flyknit holds the foot well. It’s a great short course shoe...just had my best run in an Olympic with them a couple weeks ago. Quick laces, just slid them on and go. But, not as cushy as the vapors, but I only have 4 pairs of those, I have to conserve!

Have you tried the Epic React? It's literally everything you just listed and 2 ounces lighter. I like my pair but can't wear them everyday.

Hates the react...too tight across the mid foot. Dead feeling. Hated the peg turbo too.

Interesting... the Epic was whatever for me. I like them but won't buy them again. When I tried the Turbo (don't own them), I thought the same, dead.

Because quantity is indicative of quality?
I stated facts, you reply with a popularity argument. Ok.

Your opinion isn't fact. Purchasing behavior would indicate success and quality of the underlying product.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Ergonomics and weight:cushioning ratio vs. sales. Forget it, you're absolutely right. I don't know what I was thinking.

Which measure of ergonomics are you using? Is the basis specific to your feet?

Are you basing this on the actual durometer of the foam or your opinion of it?

Is weight predicated solely on the cushioning material? The entirety of the shoe? Do changes in upper construction (and weight added there) factor into your assumption of quality?

And yes, considering that sales of the product are generally the measure of success in this industry, purchasing behavior is indicative of preference.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Human feet. I have enough credits in human anatomy and experience in orthopaedics to know what I'm talking about. Show me a pair of human feet even remotely close to the last Hoka uses. One is enough, but I'm sure you'll have thousands to show me. After all, Hoka sells lots of shoes.

My experience with them which aligns with Fellrnr's measurements. Check it out sometime, though it's pointless since you're right and I'm wrong so Jonathan is as well.

Weight is how much a shoe weighs. Put them on a scale. Weigh them. Do they weigh more for less cushioning? Is the added weight related to correcting a previous model fault? I'm sure our answers won't match.

And popularity is a consequence of quality. Obviously. Same thing happens in other products, such as clothing, music, films, tourism attractions. You were right and I was wrong as I previously said.

I'm more of a Bartold guy myself. I've stayed subscribed even though I've been out of the game for three years now.

At its heart, the OG Clifton is my personal favorite, but that doesn't make the newer versions somehow invalid. Simply design choices that I personally don't agree with. But considering that run doors have typically ordered more of the newer versions to keep up with demand, it would seem that those design choices were more well-received than prior editions.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Only in the magical world in which Adam Smith was entirely correct and all consumers are perfectly-informed and rational, and there are no supply or distribution changes.

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The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

Got my pair of Clifton 1s delivered today. Went for a quick 5 miler. The verdict - they felt very very similar to the 2s except that the toe box felt roomier, and the ride felt slightly less controlled. I have to say that i like them, but imo the 2s were just as good....

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Did you ever own the 1s? In my opinion, the 2s were firmer.

Never had the 1s, started with the 2s... still have 2 boxes of the 2s to go, hoarding them for the zombie apocalypse...

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

If those are size 10’s what’s your address?