REASONS TO BUY
Lightweight
Well-cushioned
Stable
Comfortable
REASONS TO AVOID
Wide footprint takes getting used to
Hoka Mach 5 - Women's Review
This well-cushioned and comfortable running shoe provides lightweight comfort and protection for your joints as you pound pavement
We remain impressed by the combined comfort and responsiveness of the Mach 5.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
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Our Verdict
The Hoka Mach 5 surprised us with its ample comfort, cushion, and astoundingly light weight. Each women's size 6.5 shoe weighs just 6.32 ounces, which is super low for shoes that provide underfoot comfort. With a jacquard-engineered mesh upper and a flat lay tongue, the Mach provides a stripped-down version of comfort that we greatly enjoy. The Profly construction and EVA sockliner further add to this shoe's impressive bounce and underfoot feel. With a beveled heel collar and a drop measured at 9mm (Hoka claims it's only 5mm, but we measured more), this is for you if you are looking for a comfortable shoe with impressive energy return. We also love this shoe as a general walking shoe, and it scored well in our best walking shoe review for its great cushioning.
Editor's Note: This review was updated on October 9, 2023, after revamping our lineup during our late summer testing session.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Hoka Mach 5 is a well-cushioned running shoe that shows up for race day. Its lightweight design and beveled heel collar make it an exceptional choice for long-distance speed. The low-weight design and responsive outsole will help you hit your pace goals comfortably.
Performance Comparison
The EVA foam base of the Mach helps take the “pounding” out of “pounding the pavement.”
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Landing Comfort/Cushioning
The landing comfort and cushioning of the Mach 5 is different from any shoe we have ever tested, and we are here for it. The shape and cushioning can best be described as “comfortable minimalist”. The insole is 4.3mm thick, and the outsole is comparatively soft, allowing it to be somewhat dual-purpose. Hoka designed this shoe to provide the comforts of a much bulkier shoe without any weight-adding extras. The result is a protective and lightweight shoe full of svelte padding.
The extended heel and 35mm stack height make for well-padded runs.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
The Profly+ foam midsole and the EVA foam sole absorb the impact of each footstrike, but the cushion doesn't feel pillow-like underfoot. The shape of the shoe's base is contoured to follow the shape of your foot, which adds to the overall comfort. While not the fluffiest running shoe on the market, the Mach 5 is a great choice if you want a running shoe that offers landing comfort and cushion without slowing you down. You'll feel like you are running close to the ground, allowing your body to adapt to the ever-changing terrain beneath your feet.
Once we got used to the large outsole of the Mach 5, it became one of our favorite shoes for long, race-pace runs.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Responsiveness
Hoka is known for making plush, maximalist shoes that can take a long-distance beating. From the moment we unboxed the updated Mach, we knew we were in for a speedy treat. Each women's size 6.5 shoe weighs nearly half as much as some of the bulkier Hoka designs, which immediately increases your ability to fly. Despite being bigger than some of the more responsive shoes on the market, the Mach 5 holds its own in this metric. The incorporation of the early-stage meta-rocker allows your legs to turn over quickly and smoothly. When combined with the bouncy Profly+ midsole, you are left with a surprisingly responsive shoe. Hoka utilizes a firmer platform to cushion the base of the Mach, when compared to their fluffier options. This material gives you a strong launch pad so none of the energy you are pounding into the pavement gets wasted.
We remain impressed by the combined comfort and responsiveness of the Mach 5.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Stability
The Mach 5 is a neutral running shoe and feels that way. We often find that shoes with stronger structures provide extra stability, even when they are made as a neutral shoe. This is not the case for the updated Mach. The semi-rigid yet feather-weight materials hug the shape of your foot but don't have any additional structure to reinforce gait patterns. If you like structurally strong shoes that provide lateral support, you probably won't love the feeling of riding in the Mach 5. However, if you want a responsive shoe with above-average traction, you'll probably like the stable, rubberized EVA foam outsole and lug patterning.
The low heel-to-toe differential allows for good stability, even though the stack height of the Mach keeps you lifted higher above the ground than most road shoes.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Upper Comfort
The Mach 5 provides the upper comfort you want without feeling bulky. One of the main reasons that it rides so comfortably is because of how lightweight and unobtrusive the actual textiles are. The upper is made of creel Jacquard engineered mesh, a specific type of weave pattern that lends itself to being lightweight and comfortable.
The upper of the Mach doesn't have a ton of cushion, but the lay-flat tongue and engineered mesh upper allow this comfy shoe to weigh almost half of what some bulkier running shoes weigh.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
At 4.8mm thick, the lay-flat tongue is sturdy enough not to bunch up but minimalist enough to provide a nontraditional feel through the lace bed. While we enjoyed the feeling of the updated lace bed, it may not provide enough comfort for runners who are looking for a thicker, more standard style of tongue. The beveled heel collar is a nice touch, yet also an element that some runners might be turned off by. It fit our tester's ankle anatomy, was perfectly comfortable, and added to the shoe's overall fit. However, if you are prone to heel slippage or think the heel shape might bug you while running, we definitely recommend trying the Mach on before buying.
The rubberized EVA outsole of the Mach is lightweight, grippy, and comfortable underfoot.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Weight
The Mach 5 is one of the lightest shoes in our lineup. Each women's size 6.5 weighs 6.32 ounces, which is incredibly lightweight for a shoe that offers so much comfort. If you are on the hunt for a comfortable running shoe that will protect your joints without slowing you down, the Mach 5 is worth a try. Because of its low weight, it stands out among our collection for being one we want to hit fast paces over long distances in.
We will definitely keep the Mach 5 in our rotation of road running shoes. We love its lightweight cushion and overall responsiveness.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
Should You Buy the Hoka Mach 5?
While we love running in the Mach 5, we acknowledge that a few of its characteristics won't appeal to all runners. We typically see lowered durability in shoes with foam outsoles, but the rubberized outsole of the Mach is far less susceptible to destruction than we expected.
Overall, the Mach 5 impressed us with its plush comfort.
Credit: Ally Arcuri
What Other Running Shoes Should You Consider?
If you want the most responsive shoes that we tested, you'll have better luck looking into the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3, Nike Vaporfly 3, or Puma Deviate Nitro 2. If you want a plush ride, we recommend checking out the Hoka Clifton 9. Still, if you are curious about what the combination of all of these styles feels like, the Mach 5 is our go-to recommendation. This stripped-down version of a maximalist shoe is the perfect inspiration for picking up your pace over double-digit distances.
—
Ally Arcuri
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