please set your expectations low on this “review”. i admittedly do not know much about shoe design, but i wanted to get any sort of info out on the cloudace that i could as its a brand new shoe and im sure someone would be interested in my personal experience with them. this will be more a compare / contrast type review.
a very small bit about me…
im 38 years old and currently logging more miles a week now than i ever have (around 33 miles a week right now). ive found that my long-ago preference of a very unforgiving shoe like the early designed nike frees that i once really liked just doesnt do it for me now.
in the past few years ive been running in various different new balance shoes with more foam and support. i landed on the fresh foam models as there was more “give” and they seemed they were taking some of the beating for me versus my legs / joints. they had a more marshmallow feel to them but it was ok without any points of comparisons.
on a whim i decided to pick up a pair of hoka arahis from my local run shop… they were on clearance since the arahi 2s were coming out so i figured 100 bucks to see wasnt a big gamble / loss. its like the clouds parted and the angels began to sing once i put some miles on them. also on a whim i decided to pick up some on cloud surfers, just to see how they felt. more of a gamble / loss, but whatever. no biggie. these two will be the comparison points.
the shoes…
(https://preview.ibb.co/kFWEHJ/698_F0109_8_DDC_4_B9_B_81_D1_423_CF7302686.jpg)](https://ibb.co/gtAVrd)
(https://preview.ibb.co/bKBgxJ/0_F070_DBB_03_AC_4_D4_D_A223_73_A392_C30_BD7.jpg)](https://ibb.co/fR5Vrd)
(https://preview.ibb.co/dqEejy/121_E1_AC6_2_BA5_4182_B7_AB_D7_AF6_E6_D8_B5_B.jpg)](https://ibb.co/k2KZHJ)
ya ya… i know. should have done a side-by-side of the hokas and the ons. sorry.
the cloud surfers, to me, were like my old nike frees. there was very little support, and when i would run in them the bottoms of my feet up towards the ball would hurt / ache. i quickly decided the cloud surfers were not for me. i ran in them occasionally to make sure this was the right decision and sure enough, i need more support. the bottom of this shoe seems rather flat, so each step seems like a “CLOP CLOP CLOP” versus a smooth rolling motion through the step.
im sure i dont need to go into any detail about the arahis, seems that hoka is a favorite around here. suffice it to say the arahis cup and hold dang near every part of the bottom of my foot just right, plant my foot where it needs to be, and my feet do not hurt in any way (other than just the fatigue of running). i feel i fall within normal pronation standards while running, and of course that worsens as the mileage accumulates, and the arahis seem to help me keep my foot nice and flat. also, the “roll” to the bottom of the shoe seems perfect to me.
now the cloudace.
the cloudace seems to fall pretty much in the middle of these two shoes in every way. its like the cloud surfers and the arahis were added together and divided by two.
the overall support is MUCH better than the surfers. i could tell the first few miles i put on them. however, i was still getting the same pains in the balls of my feet the more i wore them, just like the surfers. the aces have bigger “clouds” on the sole, and the “clouds” seem to be a lot stiffer. side-to-side support seemed on par with the surfers, which is very good. the flat bottom feeling of the surfers was still there. hardly any rolling motion through the step. arch support was better than the surfers it felt, but still not what i was looking for. heel support also seemed a bit better than the surfers, but not quite as much as i wanted.
a funny thing i noticed about the aces… it didnt seem i could tighten the laces enough down towards my toes. the toe box wasnt too large for my foot, but i could never get them adjusted across the whole top of my foot properly which seemed to lead to a hot spot up close to the top of the tongue. also, the tongue wouldnt stay in place. immediately the aces tongue would roll to the outside, unlike the surfers. im not sure what that means but there it is.
up against the arahis… well… hoka (for me) wins.
the arahi overall has more “give” and support with roughly the same overall lateral stability of the aces. the arahi has much better hell “cupping”, better arch support, and for me a better “roll” of the sole.
visually it seems the on shoes may be made out of better and sturdier materials. the sides of the hokas seem a bit thin and flimsy in comparison. aesthetically to me the ons are much better looking shoes. they have nailed it in the design department.
the cloudace shoes are a whopping $200. i picked them up during the “try on” promotion. i decided to send them back as they legitimately did hurt the balls of my feet.
i know this was kinda like a shotgun going off, and not a lot of technical info. if anyone has any questions id be happy to answer them best i can.