HOKA Skyflow Review: Better Than the Clifton?

I first laid my pretty little eyes upon the HOKA Skyflow at The Running Event 2023. It was described to me by the HOKA rep as a cross between HOKA’s two flagship trainers: the Clifton and Bondi. I’ve never run in the Bondi, so I can’t confirm the accuracy of that statement, but one thing I do know: through 80 miles, the Skyflow is my favorite HOKA shoe yet. (So much for building suspense.) Discover why, in this HOKA Skyflow review.

I should mention I’ve only run in three other HOKA shoes—the Clifton 9, Skyward X, and the Speedgoat 6 trail shoe. So, I suppose it’d be like me saying my favorite season is Spring. There are only four seasons—there’s a 25 percent chance I’d pick one of them. Well, there’s no way in hell I’d pick Winter—much like Anna Nalick croons in her nauseating ballad Breathe (2 AM), “Winter just wasn’t my season.” So that leaves three seasons; I guess it’s more like a 33.33333 percent chance.

And yet, unlike the four seasons—screw you, winter— all four HOKA shoes I’ve run in are excellent. The Clifton is an above average daily trainer, the Skyward X is an extremely fun and innovative carbon fiber plated super trainer, and the Speedgoat 6 is a trail lover’s delight.

HOKA Skyflow Review

Weight: 10 oz/280 g (US M10) and 8.6 oz/244 g (US W9)
Stack height: M: 40/35 mm | W: 38/33 mm
Price: $160

Recently, HOKA shoes like the Clifton and Bondi have transcended the running space to become popular lifestyle shoes. But it’s clear HOKA is positioning the Skyflow as a pair for runners. It’s described by HOKA as a shoe designed to “elevate your daily running practice, and a shoe that “redefines the idea of daily driver.” If that wasn’t enough evidence, HOKA’s product line manager describes it as a “run-specialty specific model you can only get at run specialty stores.” You hear that, walkers?! Find another shoe to stroll in, lazy sloths!

Ride

The Skyflow is a shoe that works well for a variety of distances and paces. While not designed for speed work, I found it rather effortless to pick up the pace and sustain it.

I used the shoe as a daily trainer, as it’s intended, but it’s also an excellent option for long runs. Unlike an anxious, uptight high school senior with overbearing parents reluctantly drinking alcohol for the first time at her first ever house party, the HOKA Skyflow is a shoe that can go the distance.

Similar to the male genitalia, some running shoes are growers and others are show-ers. My first run with the pair was 7 miles and I could tell instantly this pair was a show-er, not a grower. In other less creepy words, the pair wouldn’t have to grow on me because I could instantly tell I liked it. The 7-miler would end up being the shortest distance I ran in it.

I’ve done a whopping seven double-digit runs with the pair (thanks, marathon training), with the longest being a couple 14-milers. And I felt like I could’ve kept going strong in the pair past the baker’s dozen plus 1-mile distance.

By the way, what’s the deal with a baker’s dozen? Clearly bakers are not superstitious, or even a little-stitious like Michael Scott. Everyone knows 13 is an unlucky number—it’s why skyscrapers and hotels don’t have a 13th floor. I’ve always wondered how architects can skip a whole floor in the construction of a building. The craziest part? The structure looks normal from the outside, but inside, there’s a whole floor missing between the 12 and 14th floors!

It’s also why I’ve never ended a run at 13 miles. Not even for a half marathon. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve run several half marathons, but I always make sure to stop at the 12.9-mile marker and walk off the course to the sidelines and call it a day.

For my aforementioned 14-mile runs, I broke it into two runs. That’s right, once I got to 12.9 miles, I ended the run on my watch, and proceeded to start a new run immediately after to finish the remaining 1.1 miles, for a grand total of 14 miles. Father Time may be undefeated, but Father Mileage took a huge L! Perhaps I should just use that trick to complete my half marathons instead of calling it quits with two-tenths of a mile left.

Midsole

The Skyflow uses the same super-critical EVA foam found in HOKA’s Mach 6—a shoe that’s dead to me because it’s not made in size 15. HOKA describes the Mach as “fine-tuned for extra energy return, implementing speed focused design details throughout.” This foam is much more responsive than the compression molded EVA foam midsole found in the Clifton 9. I’ve found it has a slightly softer feel underfoot than the Clifton. These are two big reasons why I far prefer the Skyflow over the Clifton.

On a scale of responsive to plush, HOKA labels the Skyflow in the middle of the spectrum with “balanced” cushioning. However, with the aforementioned stack height of 40 mm in the heel and 35 in the forefoot—make no mistake, this is a plush, max cushioned shoe. However, I never would have guessed it’d be a whopping 40 mm in the heel—it doesn’t feel that tall of a stack height—in a good way! For reference, the Clifton has a stack height of 38/33 mm and the Bondi sits at 41/36 mm.

The Skyflow has an early stage meta rocker, a Skyward X-inspired rocker profile, providing smooth transitions. The aforementioned Skyward X has a gigantic stack height of 48/43 mm and a super critical EVA rocker frame that supports the MetaRocker.

Upper

Up top, there’s a creel jacquard mesh upper with a dual-gusseted tongue that does a great job of holding my feet in place. HOKA has a history of normal width shoes running narrow, but the Skyflow in a normal width provides ample space for my feet to breathe. I’m actually surprised by how roomy this upper is. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wouldn’t mind a more snug fit. It’s a more comfortable, wider, and better-fitting upper than the Clifton 9. HOKA’s Active Foot Frame™ cradles the foot securely in the heel.

Outsole

For the most inconsequential part of a shoe, there’s a podular high-abrasion outsole for added durability. I’ll be upfront about this: I have no idea what podular means. And I’m not the only one. Microsoft Word doesn’t recognize podular as a word. I’m assuming it’s referring to the pod-shaped grooves on the outsole. Regardless, I can tell it’s a robust outsole with enough rubber coverage and only the teeniest amount of exposed foam. There’s no wear and tear after more than 80 miles.

Weight

10 ounces for a men’s size 10—yes, size 10, not the standard size 9—that’s a fabulous weight. It wouldn’t even be a bad weight for size 9! You can’t ask for much more than that in a max cushioned daily trainer. No complaints.

Price

No surprise here: $160 is the going rate for max stack daily trainers. Would it be better if it was $150? Of course. But, this is a well-made, versatile shoe you can get your money’s worth out of. I have no durability concerns with this pair and expect to get somewhere between 300-500 miles.

Conclusion

Merriam Webster defines “flow” as—I know, I know, very cliche; as I was saying: Merriam Webster defines “flow” as “to proceed smoothly and readily” and “to have a smooth continuity.” If that doesn’t perfectly sum up the feel of running in the Skyflow, than I don’t know what does. Ok, fine, there are plenty of other terms that accurately describe the shoe. Just forget it.

The Skyflow is a reliable pair I find myself reaching for again and again during marathon training, especially for long runs. It’s not just my favorite HOKA shoe, it’s one of my favorite shoes in the rotation.

The HOKA Skyflow is available for purchase on HOKA’s site, or wherever you prefer to empty your wallet on shoes.

HOKA graciously provided this shoe to me for wear testing. I was not compensated for this HOKA Skyflow review and HOKA did not get an opportunity to see this HOKA Skyflow review before I published. Did I mention this is a HOKA Skyflow review?