Hoka - Mafate Speed 4
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Jan 28, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
145
77
"I feel invincible in them (wet / icy road, packed trail or mud) ... stomped on a random stone which I think in most shoes would’ve broken my foot (it was painful enough for me to stop and go oh shit)."
"my go-to if I know it’s going to be a rocky and rooty mudfest."
"after a tough, rocky 100k my feet were fine."
260
90
"Ran a 50k and never once bothered my feet."
"enough of a running shoe i have done ultras in them"
"I've used them for 1500 miles of multi-day hiking with no issues!"
73
4
"I feel invincible in them (wet / icy road, packed trail or mud) ... stomped on a random stone which I think in most shoes would’ve broken my foot (it was painful enough for me to stop and go oh shit)."
"Oh and the grip, the MS4 has the best outsole I’ve ever run in, complete and utter confidence bombing down Lake District fells or chamonix mountains."
"they grip rock very well ... give you more feel on class 2-4 scrambles."
228
50
"Ran a 50k and never once bothered my feet."
"I was quite impressed with its comfort and trail capabilities, and truly believed I had found an excellent shoe for my long runs and hikes. ... the New Balance Hierro v9 remains my top choice for comprehensive trail running. Its superior comfort and, crucially, its consistently reliable grip in varied and challenging conditions make it a more dependable partner on the trails I typically encounter. ... I feel more secure in the Hierro, and that confidence is key. In fact I will be using it for my upcoming races and that says it all."
"super comfy (my knees ache so much less on descents with them) ... I can’t stress enough how much they’ve helped my bad left knee on descents."
38
2
"I feel invincible in them (wet / icy road, packed trail or mud) ... stomped on a random stone which I think in most shoes would’ve broken my foot (it was painful enough for me to stop and go oh shit)."
"Oh and the grip, the MS4 has the best outsole I’ve ever run in, complete and utter confidence bombing down Lake District fells or chamonix mountains."
"Yes they're great. I live in PNW and am always on slippery rocks and roots"
Disliked most:
91
88
"the toebox is too narrow for me and gives blisters on the outside of my big toes. ... the toe box is just too tight for me."
"They fit more rigid with more pressure points and have less room in the tow box. ... They were never as comfortable out of the box or hiking as a topo athletic shoe and I’ve had several pairs. ... I’m always very ready to take these shoes off at the end of the day.. ... after a long day, my feet feel like they were in a rock crusher since the cushion 0%."
"They fit more rigid with more pressure points and have less room in the tow box. ... They were never as comfortable out of the box or hiking as a topo athletic shoe and I’ve had several pairs. ... I’m always very ready to take these shoes off at the end of the day.. ... after a long day, my feet feel like they were in a rock crusher since the cushion 0%."
30
37
"I always roll my ankles ony Altra Olympus, doesn't really happen with anything that has a lower stack."
"the new mid height are total garbage. ... My favorite part of the speed goat 5 was the ankle support, the new 6 has no ankle support, and simply a water resistant gasket that provides no support. ... So my big gripe is the 6 only comes in 'low' and 'water resistant gasket' and there is no longer a 'mid' option ... 6 only has the weird high sock option."
"I did the first half in Topos and got terrible Achilles tendinitis and planter fasciitis. ... Made the switch to speedgoats at Shasta per the recommendation of the shoe guy and all symptoms started to get better."
18
51
"Took them to Chamonix last year and they felt horrible - too much ground feel."
"Took them to Chamonix last year and they felt horrible - too much ground feel."
"My Altra Lone Peak shoes have zero cushioning ... I can feel every pebble on the trails."
2
18
"They fell apart quickly ... I wore them for 300ish miles before they had fallen apart."
"the top of the shoes by the tongue was completely worn through, so that the plastic-y interior material was coming through ... both were split next to the tongue"
"They also had a hole in the side that I had to sew up for him ... had a hole in one shoe"
2
4
"would never use it in slippery/ muddy conditions. ... It has nowhere near the grip in those conditions compared to my Saucony Peregrines."
"still find myself slipping about on muddy uphills and wishing I had my Salomons on."
"These were pretty poor in the muddy and boggy sections in miles 0-10 and 65-78"
0xnardMontalvo 1.0Mafate Speed 4 is still great. Big fan of the Nike Zegama 2 these days too. Both are on the heavier side but are very protective and have great grip. I feel a bit more nimble in the Mafate though. I have a Kjerag that I really like but I guess I have poor footwork because I think I need more cushion. I really hurt my foot landing on a root in the last race I wore them on. Mafate Speed 4 Lite is very cool but I want to see some reviews from trail runners. Hoka is positioning it as a lifestyle shoe which I think is odd and is causing it to be looked over by real runners (I think).
abqandrea 1.0Mafate Speed 4. Just enough squishy cushion, and bonkers tread. I still remember one of the first legit trail shoes. The asics gel Moro. At the time they were a pretty great option when there was almost nothing else. They came out around the same time or maybe even slightly before the Montrail Vitesse.
Hoka Mafate Speed 4 - I find them as protective and cushy as the goats but not as "dead" feeling. Bouncier. And BONKERS tread. Recently have been hearing great things about La Sportiva Prodigio. Tried them on but didn't purchase. Felt amazing.
Active_Patient_4592 1.0I loved as well the 5th iteration of the speedgoat, and I have been enjoying the mafate speed 4 more than the speedgoat 6.
aidancrow654 1.0i’m really enjoying my hoka mafate speed 4’s. i’ve heard the new ones are shit though.
airhunger_rn 1.0I ran through six pairs of Lone Peaks, they rocked for traction but usually exploded around 300 miles. After 10yrs of Altras I switched to Mafates and immediately stopped rolling my ankles, had near-complete resolution of my bilateral anterior tibialis pain, and the shoes easily last 100-200 miles longer. Mafates all the way if no other reason than durability
Nordas. Dyneema construction, designed for durability. May/May not be a good shoe for your needs. Designed to give double the mileage than Altras/Hokas. That said, I've found my Hoka Mafates routinely give me 500+ drama-free miles, whereas all my Altras would usually explode at ~300miles.
AlfalfaConfident6692 1.0I am a big fan of the Mafate speed 4. And so i bought the 5. I was soooo disappointed! This is a totally different shoe. Soooo heavy and unsportive. I really hate this shoe. My toes also hurted: they are not even the same size. I just don't get it! Why not keeping it on the same track as the 4? The 5 has nothing to do with the 4. I really don't get it. I just sent them back. Really hate this shoe
AraAraGyaru 1.0It looks cool, was one of the only ones using Vibram Megagrip as standard early on before Covid made trail running more popular. As more companies either use Vibram exclusively or have a version with it, it’ll lose its edge. My main beef with hoka is that they just seem to keep adding foam (thereby increasing weight) instead of just innovating. They also messed up the mafete series so badly. People loved the mafete speed 4, should’ve just ruggedized it instead of axing it.
arod2788 1.0I've had the mafate and currently have the speedgoat 6. I hate the speedgoats and can't wait to wear them out so I can get my next pair of shoes. Mafates were excellent. I use them for trail running at all distances.
I require a wider toe box as well, and the mafate has it. I had mafate first and then tried speedgoat and they were terrible for me. Mafate for much better. I currently have Norda 001 and the toe box isn't big enough
Away-Owl2227 1.0I use mafate speed 4s for most my runs but with use tecton x2s or tecton x3s for races depending on terrain.
I thought the 5 was awful and haven't even tried the 6. Have 2 pairs of 5s with about 100k in each. Lugs wore quickly and you felt every rock in them. Very little energy return from the foam. Switched to mafates and they are a better shoe is every way for me
Speedboats are probably the worst trail shoe I have ever tried. Had the 5 and have not bothered even looking at the 6. However the hoka mafate speed 4 is probably one of my favourite trail shoes. Run well over 1000ks between a few pairs and zero complaints with them. Lightweight and trail do bot really go hand in hand,dont think I have a single pair under 300g a shoe for my US12 One I am really enjoying this year has been the la sportiva prodigio pro, simply cannot fault that shoe at all.
Few are duplicate pairs because i like the shoes that much. 3 pairs of hoka mafates and 2 pairs of tecton x2s
I would take the hoka mafate speed 4 over the speedboats any day of the week, miles better shoe for me
BeansFoDinner 1.0Hoka Mafate speed 4 homer, but recently moved to the Hoka Stinson 7 and they are amazing. I plan on having the Mafate’s for more mild terrain and the Stinson’s for more technical trails.
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