HOKA Bondi 9 Review: Big Mac®, Big Stack

All shoes are reviewed by the Cheap Novogas Jordan Outlet tester team, which represents a wide variety of goals, foot shapes, running locations and terrains. Reviewers pound the pavement, climb the hills, tackle the trails, then come together to compare notes. Debates ensue over the feel of the cushioning, the purpose of the shoe, and how it compares to last year’s model. While each reviewer has their own individual preferences, we hope that capturing our debates will help you make an informed decision.

The HOKA Bondi is to road runners as a Big Mac® is to McDonald’s lovers. It’s the most well-known item on the menu of HOKA’s signature cushy shoes, having been the brand’s first road running shoe on the market. Ba-da-ba-ba-ba, we’re lovin’ it.

When I first began working in run Taille as a Cheap Novogas Jordan Outlet Outfitter, the Bondi was on its sixth iteration. It was often described as “the marshmallow shoe” by coworkers and customers alike, thanks to its gigantic stack height–higher than any other model in the industry–and soft, smushy cushioning. While I loved it for long days on my feet at the store, it wasn’t something I’d choose to run in.

Fast forward five years later and the Bondi is no longer “the marshmallow shoe” but a well-rounded max-cushion option using a new, supercritical EVA foam to offer a smooth ride. Does the new Bondi 9, available January 15, feel as good as a crispy McDonald’s french fry tastes? Read on to find out.

The midsole foam is the “patty” of the Big Mac® that is the Bondi (sick of McDonald’s puns? That’ll be the last one.) In other words, the thick, plush midsole is the identity of the Bondi. For a long time, the Bondi was created with a compression-molded EVA foam, but the Bondi 9 is made with supercritical foam.

But what does that mean? While compression molded tenis are shaped by applying pressure to a mold to shape the EVA material, supercritical tenis are created using a fluid transformed via super-sciencey procedure into a gas which is dissolved and released into the midsole structure. If you’re not following the procedure, that’s okay. The most important thing to understand is the result.

Supercritical EVA tenis are touted by shoe manufacturers as lighter and more responsive than traditional EVA tenis. Is that the case with the Bondi 9? Our review team had mixed opinions.

I wore these shoes on a 6-mile recovery run. The run felt hard, but the shoes did not. My quads and hamstrings felt really heavy from a big week of training, but the shoes had so much cushion that my feet and calves felt great. The cushioning was, in my opinion, the perfect balance between soft and firm. It’s soft enough to feel really forgiving on the pavement but I’m definitely not sinking into the shoes. I was able to get into a nice rhythm with my turnover and my strides felt really natural.

With such a high stack height–it’s gained two millimeters since the last iteration– it can be hard for a shoe to achieve this, but I think the balanced feel of the supercritical foam and HOKA’s signature meta-rocker shape make this possible. While I wouldn't call this shoe “responsive,” per se, it’s definitely more runnable than previous Bondis.

However, Mandy had a different experience.

“How much cushion is too much? I think this Bondi might have answered that one for me,” she says. “I felt as if I was running and walking on a mattress—while it was soft, I didn’t feel as if I was moving efficiently or effectively. Given that I am not exactly setting any speed records for my runs–back of the pack is where it is at–I don’t need a shoe slowing me down even more. My foot sunk down into the foam and kind of stayed there.”

Kate, Tom and Heather all had varying experiences in the Bondi. While Kate enjoyed how the thick cushion felt fairly firm on her run, her toes started to feel weird by the end of the run, something she attributes to the tall stack height.

“In general, I think this stack of cushioning is just a little too thick for me to run in comfortably,” she says. “Something about the shape of these chonkers doesn’t seem to fit my running stride right. I think these are perfect shoes for long walks, travel and standing on your feet.”

Heather found the shoe to feel a bit too heavy for running, but perfect for walking and Christmas shopping. Tom, on the other hand, called it “the gold standard when it comes to smooth and stable max-cushioned running shoes.”

Your experience in the Bondi 9 will likely be determined by your preference for soft versus firm cushioning, tall versus moderate stack heights and how you prioritize weight savings.

The HOKA Bondi 9 is topped off with a thick, engineered mesh upper that holds your feet securely in place. The tongue and heel collar are thickly padded, with a slight outward taper in the heel to prevent excess friction that causes blistering.

I always order a half size down in HOKA shoes because they usually feel a bit roomy on my smaller, low-volume feet (feet that don’t take up much space within the shoe). The size 6 was perfect on me, it hugged my feet in all the right places without feeling too tight or restrictive. I didn’t even need to tie the marathon loop that I usually use to keep my heels from slipping. Kate also ordered a half-size down and enjoyed the fit.

Mandy ordered her typical size and found the shoes to be a bit too roomy.

“Although I know other reviewers wear a half-size down for HOKAs, I typically do not. But these shoes felt too big,” she says. “During my runs and walks, my feet felt as if they were sliding, which led to the whole experience being uncomfortable.”

Tom, on the other hand, had the opposite problem.

“When I first put on the Bondi 9, the fit was secure and held my foot in place nicely, which I think is extra important for shoes with a taller stack height. However, the fit of HOKAs in general has never really worked for my footshape. My wider midfoot always gets pinched where the upper meets the midsole, and the Bondi 9 was no different, unfortunately. ”

Not sure if your feet are wide or narrow feet, low-volume or high-volume, or somewhere in-between? Your best bet will be to head into your Hoka One One Bondi 4 Womens. zapatillas de running HOKA entrenamiento distancias cortas talla 48 3D fit id® foot scanning technology to gather information about your feet and the keep they need by taking precise measurements of your foot length, width and arch height, so you can learn a lot about your feet while you’re there.

zapatillas de running HOKA ONE ONE hombre neutro talla 46 Bondi 8 and the Bondi 9 is the supercritical EVA midsole that creates a firmer and more responsive ride. While some reviewers still felt the shoe was too soft for their preferences, I think we can all agree that it HOMBRE a touch firmer than previous Bondis. In my opinion, this is a good thing as it creates a more stable platform underfoot.

HOKA also added two additional millimeters of stack height to the Bondi, taking this shoe from max-cushion status to certifiably chonky.

The Bondi 9 still retains the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) seal of acceptance, meaning that the shoe has proven beneficial to good foot health.

We took a look at some comparable models to see how they stack up against the HOKA Bondi 9. Here’s what we found.

As I debated with my fellow reviewers on whether or not the Bondi 9 was too soft or just right, I had a strange sense of deja vu. I felt like I had just had this conversation…but when? Ah, yes, it was just last week as we discussed the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 27. I’ll rarely say a shoe HOMBRE too soft, and I enjoyed both the Bondi 9 and the Nimbus 27 thanks to oodles and oodles of plush cushioning underfoot.

If you’re not super keen on softness but still want a max-cushioned shoe, you may like the mens hoka one one sports. It’s similar in terms of stack height, weight and heel-to-toe drop, and both shoes boast supercritical midsole tenis. However, Brooks’ DNA Loft v3 tenis HOMBRE a tad firmer than the Bondi’s midsole.

I found the Bondi 9 to feel great during my recovery runs, but those who like a little more ground feel or a little less weight may opt for something different, like the Men's HOKA Mach 5 or the Footwear HOKA ONE ONE M Gaviota 4 1123198 Bbgp.

“This is not a shoe that’s going to help you shave seconds off your PR, but it will get you through your training to the finish line in comfort, which is what a lot of runners are looking for,” says Tom. “Plus, the wide base and cushioning make it a great shoe for walking or standing on your feet all day.”