The idea of a coaching shoe with no outsole won’t make a lot sense to you however as soon as you’re taking a run within the Mach 5, it’ll make much more sense.

What units the Mach aside is that it doesn’t have a standard sole setup of rubber hooked up to its midsole, it makes use of a firmer EVA foam as an outsole as a substitute. This makes landings really feel extremely padded, clean and really participating.

No different working shoe collection has had an even bigger turnaround than the Mach collection. Final yr, the Mach went from a comparatively unknown shoe, to one of the vital well-liked Hoka trainers.

The recipe for the Mach 4 was easy: gentle, cushioned and comfy. It makes you marvel why different manufacturers don’t follow this successful template.

The Mach 4 has been one among my favorite trainers prior to now yr. Its distinctive, vigorous journey and featherlight weight have been a pleasure to run in. My solely qualm has been that I’ve actually floor the outsole down from my heel putting. It appears prefer it has been melted down on a sizzling pan.

The Mach Supersonic was launched about 6 months in the past and this was a bizarre transfer by Hoka as a result of it was an idea shoe: a shoe designed to indicate off the brand new midsole and higher of the Mach which might be coming quickly in future iterations. Half a yr later and we now have the Mach 5.

In contrast to the Mach Supersonic which was designed for uptempo runs, the Mach 5 was designed for on a regular basis runs. The Mach 5 has an up to date higher and a tweaked model of the ProFly+ midsole foam which was launched within the Mach Supersonic.

My pair, which is a US9 weighs 7.7 oz (218 g). I’m unsure why on Hoka’s web site it’s listed as 8.2 oz (232 g) however at 7.7 oz, the Mach 5 is lighter than each the Supersonic and the Mach 4. It nonetheless has a 29 mm heel and 24 mm forefoot which is similar because the earlier 2 variations.

Hoka Mach 5 First Impressions

The primary time I attempted the Mach 5 within the retailer, it was the vast model: the shop solely launched the vast model attributable to cargo delays.

The toe forefoot felt manner too roomy and there was a variety of materials puckering within the forefoot. I needed to anticipate the conventional width model. When it did lastly arrive, the conventional width was rather more comfy and it match my foot like a glove.

Strolling round within the shoe, it felt extra versatile than the Mach Supersonic which felt blocky due to the firmer midsole foam. The cushioning additionally felt loads softer than the Mach Supersonic and barely softer than the Mach 4.

My first run was a 20-kilometre-long weekend run and the Mach 5 carried out outstandingly effectively. It was clean, well-cushioned and had an excellent degree of vitality return. The journey undoubtedly felt softer and extra vigorous than the Mach 4/Mach Supersonic whereas the higher was extraordinarily comfy. I didn’t want to regulate the laces as soon as.

On the finish of the run, my legs nonetheless felt contemporary and I may have run additional had it not been for the fiery solar beating down within the late morning sky.

Hoka Mach 5 Sole Unit

The Mach 5 midsole setup is an easy one however it works so successfully: gentle, vigorous ProFly+ as the highest layer to offer vitality return and pep, with peculiar, firmer rubberised EVA foam as the underside layer for stability and sturdiness.

The brand new formulation of ProFly+ is superb. It feels loads squishier than the ProFly+ that was within the Mach Supersonic and it gives much more bounce throughout toe-offs.

ProFly+ would possibly simply be my new favorite midsole foam. It feels much more forgiving than different supercritical EVA foams like Skechers’ Hyper Burst and Brooks’ DNA Flash whereas it feels extra energetic than New Steadiness’s FuelCell which might really feel mushy at occasions, particularly if there’s no carbon plate. It doesn’t have the intense bounce of ZoomX however it’s much more sturdy, it doesn’t chip or scrape simply.

The Mach 5 has a very dynamic, fashionable journey which is rather more enjoyable than traditional-riding trainers just like the Pegasus, Ghost and Wave Rider. The midsole foam doesn’t really feel as dense, the shoe isn’t backside heavy and general, it feels extra nimble, extra agile. The Mach 5 has a 5 mm drop which makes it simpler to midfoot and forefoot strike.

The Mach 5 is an all-rounder. It feels forgiving at restoration/straightforward paces due to how gentle the brand new ProFly+ layer is. It additionally has the flexibility to select up the tempo and do regular or uptempo paces due to the excessive vitality return from the midsole.

Even interval exercises (beneath 4 minutes per km tempo) are enjoyable when you choose plateless trainers for exercises. I benefit from the Mach 5 most on steady-paced runs between 5 minutes and 5:30 per kilometre though slower or sooner runs are additionally actually pleasurable.

The Mach 5’s largest weak point is the absence of a standard outsole. Having no outsole makes touchdown feels smoother and extra padded than each different coach however sturdiness is extraordinarily low, one of many lowest of all of the trainers at present in the marketplace.

After 80 km of testing, I’ve worn down the outer heel areas considerably. There’s additionally put on displaying on the forefoot underneath the ball of the foot. When you’re not arduous on outsoles, you can get about solely 400 kilometers max out of the Mach 5.

There’s a big cavity underneath the heel of the shoe which exposes the layer of Profly+. This will increase cushioning softness within the heel. The cushioning from the midsole seems to be long-lasting and may simply outlast the outsole.

Grip is just not nice as a result of there aren’t any lugs on the outsole. Within the rain, particularly on clean surfaces, it feels slippery so I’d keep away from carrying the Mach 5 in moist circumstances.

Hoka Mach 5 Higher Unit

The Mach 5 has a brand new creel jacquard engineered mesh which is thinner and extra breathable than earlier Mach uppers. Those that discovered the higher of the Supersonic too slim will likely be glad to know that the Mach 5 has a wider, extra spacious match.

The match is true to dimension however runs barely longer and narrower than the common working shoe. It has a traditional midfoot with a just-right forefoot and toe field.

The tongue is extra much like the Mach 4’s tongue than the thicker Supersonic’s tongue: it’s skinny and asymmetrical. It’s additionally gusseted so there’s no tongue motion throughout runs.

The laces are very lengthy so I’ve to make use of the final eyelets despite the fact that lockdown is already excellent. General, the Mach 5 higher is comfy, breathable, has nice lockdown and disappears on my toes.

Hoka Mach 5 Conclusion

The Mach 5 jogs my memory of a luxurious sports activities automotive that you simply solely take out on weekends since you don’t need to put an excessive amount of mileage onto it. I disagree with Hoka’s classification that it’s an on a regular basis coach. When you wore it every single day, it might final you solely a month throughout marathon coaching as a result of its outsole wears down so rapidly.

Hoka calls the Mach 5 the lovechild of the Mach 4 and the Mach Supersonic. I don’t agree with this description as a result of the Mach 5 is a refinement of the Mach 4. It doesn’t have a lot in widespread with the Supersonic. The Supersonic had a firmer midsole and a extra padded higher.

The Mach 5 is definitely a giant enchancment over the Supersonic and a slight enchancment over the Mach 4: it’s extra energetic, extra breathable and it has higher long-distance consolation.

$140 seems like an excellent value however the Mach 5 will solely final half so long as the common day by day coach attributable to its lack of outsole rubber. When you ask me, the value must be round $120. The large query nonetheless stays, can Hoka make the Mach collection extra sturdy with out altering its journey? If they’ll, it might be the right shoe.

As editorial coverage, we don't settle for free samples from firms.
We bought this pair of Hoka Mach 5 at Working Warehouse with our personal cash.