They LOOK Stunning - But Not As Comfortable As Expected
I've wanted a pair of Hoka Mafate Three-2 hiking shoes ever since I saw them for the first time. Honestly, I think they are one of the coolest 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 shoes I have ever seen. I got the red pair and while I would've preferred the color seen in the pic for the shoes in this review, for whatever reason, the red ones were on sale for $40 cheaper so I was fine with the color switch.Yes, they really DO look as good in person as they do in the pics. That is definitely the good news. The bad...? These are nowhere as comfortable as all my other Hoka shoes. As in the cushioning is almost non-existent...and considering you have nearly 2 INCHES of foam under your feet, that is actually quite surprising. My other 2 pair of Hoka's have impressive cushioning that makes wearing the shoes an absolute pleasure. Maybe I just need to break them in more, but if my recollection is correct, the others did not require any kind of breaking-in period so I don't know exactly why these are far more rigid than the others. Finding shoes with crazy good cushioning is kind of priority 1 with me in the last decade or so.The Vibram soles are first-rate. Nobody can state they don't have the soles for trail running so I'm pretty happy with that. I've noticed many trail shoes have more rigid foam in the soles than my regular running shoes but I have a pair of New Balance trail running shoes and they have a Vibram sole almost the same as the Hoka's and yet they provide many more times the cushion that these do. Again, not entirely sure why but it is what it is. I just naturally assumed shoes with such ridiculously thick soles would allow more comfort when being worn. For the price, to say I am disappointed is an understatement.But damn, they sure do LOOK good. IF only they felt as comfortable as they looked.