Hoka Clifton LS review

The Hoka Clifton LS is essentially the brand's best-selling Clifton running shoe transformed into a super cozy lifestyle shoe for daily wear. Impressed with what the LS has to offer, we can heartily recommend it to:

• people in search of extra comfortable and heavily cushioned daily beaters
• folks with foot conditions that call for wide, stable, and supportive footwear
• buyers who expect a highly durable pair for such a high price

Even though the Clifton LS's jacquard mesh upper is more breathable than the typical suede and leather uppers of Hoka walking/lifestyle shoes, it is NOT the right option for really warm days. If you walk in temperatures above 70°F (20°C), we can recommend the Skechers Max Cushioning Arch Fit.

If on the other hand, you are after a dedicated work shoe, you may agree to sacrifice breathability to a more protective leather upper and slip-resistant outsole of the Hoka Bondi SR.

Hoka tends to release lifestyle versions of its running shoes in either all-leather or all-suede setups (i.e. Bondi SR). But this time around, we are happy to see a more breathable adaptation of the Clifton.

Although the Clifton LS breathes better than Hoka's previous walking shoes, it is still not that well-ventilated. In our lab test, we pumped the shoe's upper with smoke and observed how came out slower than desired.

As you can see, the LS is struggling compared to shoes with a more open mesh material. Assessing it on a 1-5 scale, we rated it with a 3. Not super airy but better than before!

You can see where the shoe's airflow is concentrated the most in our transparency check below. The jacquard mesh plays its part!

But looking at this fabric through our microscope, we could see that it is also comprised of thick and densely woven threads.

In addition, there are more layers beneath the mesh. They do amplify in-shoe comfort but detract from the Clifton's ventilation capacity.

Hoka placed suede and leather patches throughout the shoe but primarily around the heel. We've got textured suede on the inner side and pebbled leather on the outside. For the price of $175, both better be real!

Equipped with a butane torch, we set both materials on fire for a few seconds. Then we scraped the burnt areas with an awl to assess the damage.

We are happy to report that both suede and leather on the Clifton LS are real!

Sure, a mesh shoe is better at keeping the foot fresh but is it just as wear-resistant as a leather one?

We are here to test that using our in-house Dremel test. For consistency, we always apply the tool to the same spot on every shoe, at the same speed (5K RPM) and pressure (3.2N). Hoka was smart enough to protect this sensitive area with a layer of textured suede (as if they knew about our Dremel test!).

After 12 seconds of drilling, we had to look very carefully to see the damage! It was so minor that we couldn't even call it cosmetic! The shoe on the right makes it very clear how brutal the tear from this test can be.

It is no surprise that we evaluated the Hoka Clifton LS toebox durability with a maximum score of 5/5!

Considering that the same suede is placed on the other high-wear areas of the shoe, along with some pebbled leather patches, we are not worried about its long-term durability at all.

Inside the shoe, Hoka also treated us to a pretty resistant lining material. Because we often develop tears in the area where our ankle rubs against the collar, we chose it as our next Dremel target.

After 4 seconds of relentless drilling at the 5K RPM speed, we were happy to see just a minor scratch on the padding! Yet again, the Clifton LS earned itself a high durability score - 4 out of 5!

Barely ever do we get disappointed in Hoka's rubber outsoles. And by the look of the rubber on the Clifton LS, we are about to be impressed again!

We started by measuring how firm this Durabrasion Rubber is with the help of a durometer. That's because hardness is often an indicator of the rubber's wear-resistance. The tool showed a fairly high reading of 80.5 HC which is harder than the average walking shoe. Good start!

The next part of our durability challenge is of course applying the dreaded Dremel at a high speed of 10K RPM to the shoe's outsole.

We applied the tool at the same pressure of 3.2N for a long 22 seconds and the result caught us off guard. Yet again, the Hoka Clifton LS showed tremendous resistance to abrasion! Measuring the depth of the dent with a tread gauge, we got as little as 0.6 mm. That hardly counts as "damage" at all!

Hoka also made sure to pack a sufficient amount of rubber at the bottom of the shoe to prolong its life span.

Being heavy on the wallet, the Clifton LS justified its high price point with above-average durability.

Although it's built on the basis of a lightweight Hoka running shoe, the Clifton LS turns out to be 2 oz heavier than the Clifton 9 (8.8oz/250g).

We weighed the LS version in at 10.8 oz (305g) in a men's US size 9. But it is expected to be more substantial than the original shoe given the added suede and leather overlays as well as a harder and thicker rubber.

Hoka Clifton 9 (running shoe)

When it comes to cushioning, the Clifton LS falls into the category of walking shoe giants. Our caliper showed as much as 35.2 mm of stack height in the heel!

While it's not as high as the Hoka Bondi SR (39.4 mm), it is still notably taller than average. We experienced a very generous helping of foam underfoot no matter how long our walks were.

In most walking shoes, the forefoot stack tends to be lower than the heel. And even though the front portion of the shoe's midsole is indeed lower, it is still a whopping 27.0 mm thick, which is much thicker than average.

Sure thing, we weren't able to bend our feet as freely when wearing the Clifton LS. But more on flexibility later. The cushioning aspect of it is phenomenal!

According to Hoka, the heel-to-toe drop of the Clifton LS is supposed to be 5.0 mm. But this is notably lower compared to the 8.2 mm we measured.

Technically, the difference is only 3.2 mm but we think that it would be felt by the Clifton 9 wearers who are used to the flatter positioning of the foot inside the shoe.

But don't worry, the higher drop has its benefits for walking. It provides better impact protection in the heel and helps to relieve the pressure off the Achilles.

How about the foam? Is it plush in the Hoka Clifton LS?

The best way to describe it is balanced. This is according to both Hoka's description and our own measurements.

Measuring the shoe's compression molded EVA midsole with our durometer, we got 21.3 HA. Even though it is 20% softer than average, it is not among the plushest walking shoes (think Nike Motiva at 15.0 HA).

But it has an amazingly comfortable ride that is soft enough to absorb the impact but also slightly firm to provide lasting all-day support.

The Clifton LS primary cushioning wouldn't be complete without a well-padded insole. We measured the stock insole of this Hoka shoe at 4.5 mm which is within the typical range for a walking shoe.

The shoe's slightly curved edges created a moderately rockered platform. We could feel a slight push forward every time our heels touched the ground and transitioned into toe-offs.

The rocker is not as aggressive as in the Nike Motiva for sure, but we could still experience the benefits.

Even though the Hoka Clifton LS is not specifically marketed as a stability shoe, it revealed a fairly stable nature in our lateral stability test.

Shifting our ankles side-to-side, we couldn't possibly imagine them rolling over the edge of this Hoka. And it is notably more stable than the Clifton 9!

Let's look deeper into what makes the Clifton LS so planted.

First of all, we are dealing with an incredibly stiff platform!

The shoe refused to bend to our will so easily, putting up a real fight in our manual test. Evaluating its stiffness on a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the stiffest, we gave it a high score of 4.

On foot, such torsional rigidity means that the sole will not suddenly squish and let your ankle twist sideways. This shoe remains steady at all times.

You can also expect a pretty secure heel hold from the Clifton LS.

On a 1-5 scale, it earned the average 3. It felt solid yet non-restricting in both our manual squeeze test and around our ankle.

Last but not least, the Hoka Clifton LS manages to feel so stable courtesy of its wider-than-average platform.

According to our caliper, the distance between the widest points of its forefoot measures a whopping 122.8 mm! Out of all the walking shoes that we've lab-tested so far, only one exceeds the width of the Clifton LS. And it's a fellow Hoka shoe named Bondi SR (124.1 mm).

The Clifton also beats records in the widest part of the heel. Measuring this area, we got 95.5 mm which is significantly wider than the average. But also second to the Bondi SR at 102.2 mm. That one is a real monster.

As you can tell by now, the Hoka Clifton LS's exceptionally broad landing area made us feel immensely surefooted at all times.

You can feel that this Hoka shoe is stiff even before putting it on. Its substantial forefoot cushioning and rigidity did not allow our feet to bend as easily as they do in other walking shoes.

But we can't complain either. The slightly rockered shape of the Clifton LS worked well to create really smooth heel-to-toe transitions.

To put its stiffness in context, we measured how much force it would take to bend the shoe to a 90-degree angle. According to our force gauge, the Clifton LS requires as much as 35.8N. That means it's 80% stiffer than the average walking shoe!

We have nothing but praise for the grip that this Hoka shoe demonstrated on tile, marble, concrete, and other indoor and outdoor surfaces.

But if you are considering the Clifton LS as your dedicated work shoe, you might as well check out the Hoka Bondi SR. This shoe has certified slip resistance (SR) and it is irreplaceable on wet and oily floors.

Even though the shoe's platform is considerably wider than average, its toebox space stays within the medium range.

Checking the widest part of the forefoot with a caliper, we got 100.2 mm which is right about the same as most walking shoes.

We also repeat the caliper measurement at the narrower part of the toebox (where the big toe usually ends) to see if it has a tapered shape. Getting 75.9 mm on the caliper also confirmed that the Clifton LS has a medium toebox fit.

The tongue of this Hoka shoe is partially attached to the sides with elastic gussets. This is great news for those tired of the tongue shifting sideways. Not to mention that this setup creates a much more secure foothold.

But we anticipate that people with wide feet and high arches may find it a bit restricting, especially when putting the shoe on.

The biggest portion of padding is concentrated in the shoe's tongue and collar. The rest of the upper remains relatively thin in favor of breathability.

Using a caliper, we measured the thickness of tongue padding at 6.8 mm which is a little bit more than average. But it brings with it nothing but pure comfort.

There is no pull tab on the Hoka Clifton LS but we made use of the shoe's "elf ear" heel collar shape.

If you want even more underfoot comfort, the shoe's insole can be easily replaced with an orthotic of your choice.