Customer Reviews Hoka Mafate Speed 4

My 45 year old body has wear and tear from decades of adventure sports. Concussions, torn rotator cuffs, worn meniscus you name it. I thought running was done after a micro fractured femur from snow skiing left me limping for almost 2 years. I used to run 20 - 25 miles per week, I could hardly walk up stairs without pain. Finally, a sports med doc set me straight, "let's try PRP, some PT and have you heard of Hokas?" I did PT and worked my way up to 10 miles per week. I go through 3 pair of Mafate Speeds per year to help protect my knees and hips. The long distance ship has sailed for me but these shoes ensure running for the long term.

Everything you'd want for grip and technical performance in a trail shoe.

Super soft cushioning while still feeling responsive mile after mile. Much more comfortable tongue than the Speedgoat 5

I love this shoe. Overall performance is amazing. The upper stretches and leaves room in the toe bock. The midsole is responsive. The lugs provide everything you need to not worry about your footing.

Very comfortable shoes

I get 3 breaks a day, 2 30 minute, and a 15 minute. I can get in a handfull of miles the first 2 30 minute breaks, and a short one the last 15 minute break. I feel feet fatigue after my second run around 12:30. I love the durability and the firm build from these shoes, but they are not meant for a full workday with running included. They seem built like they will last awhile. I recently had to retire a pair of Bondi that helped me through my honeymoon 150 miles and additional runs. I expect these to last longer then my Bondi because they feel built like a light tank.

They are beautiful and fit perfectly, thanks

I only use it to ride my bicycle

I have really liked these shoes to the king they are replacing my speedgoats as Ku favorite trail shoes. More responsive and seem to have ample amount of cushioning on these. The rocker shape really makes you want to go fast.

The new Maf Speed 4 is a great shoe, comfortable, grippy, and not too narrow in the toe-box (though I wish there was a LIL more room). Great tread, compound in the midsole, everything is solid. Do I think it's a little overpriced for what it is? Yes. Not sure what those extra $30 over the Speedgoat 5 are "for" exactly - it's not a superfoam and there's no plate. So... otherwise, great shoe!

I run 70~80 miles per week and close to half of those miles are on various trails around my neighborhood. I'm fortunate to live in an area with all types of trails: flat and hard-packed with mild hills, woody areas with twisting trails, and very steep hills with rocky trails and abrupt twists and turns. I love running the roads but the trails is where my heart is at. I already have the Tecton X and Speedgoat 5 but I did not feel too comfortable with them on the really technical trails where I need maximum traction. I feel Tecton X is capable of doing technical stuff but I don't think it was made specifically for that. It's better for moderately technical and smooth trails and going fast. Speedgoat 5 is great but I like it for long-distance running on smooth gravely trails. I have a few other really good shoes from other brands that are great for technical trails but, when I saw the Mafate Speed 4, I knew I had to get it. First off, the traction is great for the steep rocky trails. Second, the cushioning protects your feet while providing comfort. Third, it's fast and also very maneuverable for having a decent amount of midsole height. It's soft but I can still get a good ground feel, which was unexpected. I can turn on a dime with control and not having to worry about slipping or turning my ankles. The upper is a bit flimsy around the ankle area, IMO, but I don't find it to be an issue. The Mafate Speed 4 is lighter and faster than two other-brand shoes that I got specifically for technical trails. It isn't quite as robust as those but they were made for ultra running and are heavier while the MS4 is more for shorter jaunts. I'm very happy with the Mafate Speed 4 and it complements the Tecton X and the Speedgoat 5 very nicely. Depending on what type of trail I run, I rotate them on a regular basis and I always enjoy the runs. Big Hoka fan now. I'll be quite happy with this trio of Hoka trail-running shoes for some time to come.

These are the best athletic shoes as they are like walking on air. Firm ankle control with great shock absorbing soles

The original shoes were too tight so I exchanged them and received the wrong color and size and exchanged them again. All is happy now...I like the grid on the bottom and the color of the Mafates

Really like these shoes. Just burned through 6 pairs of Evo Mafate 2's and di not like the MS3 and SG5. fit on these is great. forefoot fit like EM2 Tongue just padded enough. great Sole is great and has improved downhill grip even on loose Colorado pea gravel.Ttoe push off slips a little due to angled lugs but tradeoff between downhill grip and uphill push off I will take. 1mm less drop is noticeable when standing but running actually felt better. Heel stability is much improved. feel great on side hills and tech terrain. Also liked decoupling of forefoot and heel so it can twist a little Laces perfect.

Spend a lot of time trail running. Was time for a new pair of shoes. Thought I give it a try. Seemed a bit pricey but what heck. I just didn't tell my wife how much they were. So I'm a 9-1/2 shoe and always buy a 1/2 size up. The 10's came and I took them out today for a 4 mile trail run. Right out of the box. They have a snug fit but the 10 gave me the toe room for those down hills. Did not lace them tight. Comfortable and a nice cushy spring. See how they hold up over time but first blush I do like them. See how my piggy bank is I may look into a running/race shoe when the ones I have wear out.

This is an early review. This is a good but not great shoe for my purposes: running/hiking/scrambling in the Wasatch over ~6-12 mile distances. The design, materials, and assembly are great. The Mafate fits my foot very well. It looks rad, too. The Hoka policy permitting/encouraging 30-60 days of use is fantastic, enabling a true assessment. I dislike the Mafate footbed. It feels subtly concave under foot. Presumably, this will resolve as my foot pounds down the foam. But it's definitely a subtle annoyance. Comparatively, the Speedgoats feels flat under foot, which I prefer. Additionally, I don't notice a benefit from the Mafate's two layers of foam versus the Speedgoats one layer. Maybe I would notice if I did ultra distances. But that's not my jam. I see why people love this shoe. And it's really good, but maybe not the best for my purposes. Time will tell.

This is a great shoe overall and versatile across all distances and terrain, but I just think the elf heel is not the best for trails! I get a lot of small pebbles and debris in that area where the heel counter flares out. Hoping the next iteration gets rid of it and goes with a more traditional heel counter with a pull tab.

This pair of 11.5 Mafate Speed 4 seem just a bit wider in the toe and better fitting in the heel than my other pair, which only has about 110km so far. The laces on this pair are substantially shorter than my other pair as well. That said, they fit great and overall feel better than my previous pair.

Love how they feel on my feet.

I may come back and change my vote here. So far the shoes are good though I only have about 70 trail miles on them so far with Smartwool socks. They feel like they might be a little narrow. It would be nice if there were a 13 wide. Though no blisters on the pinky toe so far. In one 40mile loop over a couple of days I did end up with some, I guess blisters on my heel. They looked like blisters but did not hurt at all. And healed oddly quickly. But the Altra's these replaced did not do that (though I am in danger of losing my index toenail on my right foot from the Altras and the Mafate are letting that heal). So the Hoka13 feels like the right length for me where the Altra 13s were short (though a wide toe box). Though all 14s just feel sloppy. Getting a good fit for my feet may take some time and I'm pretty sure these are not my last stop. These are my second pair of trail runner. I just switched this summer. They do appear to be holding up better than the Altras. My Timps were pretty shot after about 300 miles (soles and side of the toe region). One of the bigger selling features of the mafate for me was the soles. The lugs look beefier and the traction is better. They grip the trail great. They also look like they will be fairly durable. And fairly comfy. Somehow they do not magically make my feet feel like I have not been on them for ten miles when I have been on them for ten miles. But aside from that they are great on the foot comfort. But they are holding up OK. Hoka keeps emailing me to review even though I am not done with them yet so full story is hard to say. The rubber around the lip on my right foot toe (where the rubber over old light,y covers the fabric web) has all delaminated so there is a weird flap of rubber there (about an 1/8" lip). I don't think it will affect anything functionally. So so far so good, and four stars for now. I am a backpacker not a runner. 10-15 mi days. 6'2" 200lbs + ~25lbs pack

Ran about 15 miles, had them 2 weeks. So far so good. Seems well made and very comfortable.

Long time hobby-runner, recently getting back on the wheel so I needed something good, but also dual purpose. I am a field surveyor so I walk anywhere from 8-14 miles a day at least 6/7 days a week. I also jog 2 miles on the treadmill and walk 10+ mins at an incline. All in all I am these new Mafates are getting out to work. Opted for the deeper lugs in trail runners so maybe the tread would last longer, I am here just shy of 2 months of having the shoes and the tread is completely obliterated on the outsides. I don't know what the mileage of these are expected but to be fair I have been working them like crazy. This is my first responsive shoe from Hoka I started with the Arahis, which the tread didn't even last a month . But mainly a cushion heavy shoe. Went to a challenger 7, tread lasted longer but still a cushion shoe, and now I decided to try the Mafates. Coming from cushion to this was a significant change in muscle demand from the run, so if you're looking to go from cushion to responsive, be weary it will take time for your body to adjust, it did for me at least. But with less cushion use, I genuinely feel stronger running so to those that want the challenge, I suggest it. Overall the Mafate fit great, and I love the color way I chose. I give it 4/5 stars because I wish it would have last me at least another month or 2. To shell out 200+$ on a shoe every two months hurts to think about, BUT to be fair I do high mileage so there's that. Happy shopping folks

Walk jog in the woods

Close to 1k miles on my Mafate Speed 3's and they became the daily driver in my quiver. New 4's seem a "CH" bigger and less stiff. Heel feels almost to exaggerated and makes me wanna use the heel locks but there just ain't enough lace for that. Fingers crossed for developing a better connection with these light and impressive looking units.