With the launch of the new ProFly line by Hoka One One, a drastic change came to the name of a popular shoe within Hoka One One circles. The Hoka One One Clayton has been renamed to the Mach with the latest iteration of the shoe to be released.

Within the Profly line the Mach is the middle of the road shoe as it is not as light and fast as the Cavu, but it is lighter and less cushioned than the Evelon.

Hoka One One Mach General Info

One very important detail of the Clayton has not changed and that is the amazing weight to cushioning ratio of this shoe. Finding this much cushioning for such a light weight is incredible and makes the Mach an exciting shoe.

Hoka One One Mach – Toe

The biggest updates from the Clayton days come in the form of the Profly midsole, softer in the heel than in the forefoot, a lightweight breathable mesh upper, and a full RMAT outsole.

The Mach sits of a large frame sole; in other words this shoe looks like a boat. It is huge but still maintains a very light weight and the oversized sole allows for better traction under the foot.

The light feeling was evident immediately out of the box and in the first run it seemed that this shoe would make an excellent marathon option for runners who enjoy the feeling of the meta-rocker that Hoka One One employs.

Hoka One One Mach Sole Unit

Hoka One One Mach – Sole

The sole of the Hoka One One Mach contains the ProFly midsole to promote comfort with every footstrike and push the foot forward with a frimer forefoot.

The wishbone design of the outsole promotes flexibility and the RMat outsole keeps the shoe light while increasing the responsiveness of the shoe. The RMat material is very soft, especially to the touch, but durable enough to last hundreds of miles.

Hoka One One Mach Upper Info

Hoka One One Mach – Medial Slide

The upper of the Mach is comprised of a lightweight mesh that is supposed to be comfortable and breathable. It seemed thick and durable, especially in the arch and heel areas. The last eyelets that are used for a lace-lock technique were not cut large enough and it was a struggle to get the lace through the hole.

Hoka One One Mach Conclusions

To give a fair assessment of the Hoka One One Mach I need to be upfront about my experience with this shoe.

The thick mesh upper is stiff, and my foot did not seem to have the exact same flex point as the Mach, thus this shoe in the course of my first 6 mile run created blisters on the top of my foot and subsequently opened those blisters.

If I wasn’t using the Mach for purposes of a review, I would have returned them. Attempting loosening the lacing in different parts of the shoe did eventually help but this did take a few weeks worth of runs to figure out.

The blister issue aside, the Hoka One One is a great shoe, the sole and rocker are comfortable and hold up well for long run after long run.

I persoanlly would not grab the Mach for a shorter race or faster training run but having shoes that fufill their roles and do them well is all a runner could ask for.

Fans of the Clayton line should enjoy the switch over as long as the upper material does not cause discomfort or any issues. I am not sure sizing up would fix any discomfort with the upper because of how thick the material is.

The Mach is a good solid shoe and is worth at least a test run with a reciept just in case that upper does not fit your foot just right.

Hoka One One does not exaggerate when they advertise the Mach as having an incredible weight to cushioning ratio. Fans of the Clayton, or of the Hoka One One rocker feeling would generally enjoy this shoe.

Hoka One One Mach – Heel

We purchased a pair of Hoka One One Mach from runningwarehouse using our own money. This did not influence the outcome of this review, written after running more than 50 miles in them.