HOKA Bondi 9 Review: The Most HOKAesque Shoe Yet?

Our Overall Verdict:

The Hoka Bondi 9 is ideal for runners prioritizing maximum cushioning and comfort on easy-paced runs, but falls short for those looking for versatility, speed, or agility. Many runners would find better value in other Hokas like the Clifton or Skyflow.

Alex: The Bondi 9 is one of the most popular running shoes for beginners, which is why we’re bringing in our resident beginner runner at Marathon Handbook, Alexis.

Alexis: Wait, is that my title? Cool. So what am I supposed to do? What’s a Bondi?

Alex: So the Bondi is Hoka’s most Hoka-esque shoe line.

It’s got a really thick stack height. It’s made for cushy, easy runs.

So when you’re thinking Hoka, you’re thinking of a tall platform, high off the ground, really easy on the joints. And that’s the Bondi. And this one, the Bondi 9, comes with a supercritical difference…a big, big difference from the previous version, which is the…

Alexis: The Bondi 8.

Alex: Very good. Okay, let’s go and get into some specs.

So with the Bondi 9, we have a 43-millimeter stack height, and we were already standing tall with the 8; but now we’re going 2 millimeters higher.

Heel-to-toe drop though, stays the same, 5 millimeters. So you’re going to feel like your foot is landing pretty flatly even though it’s on a tall platform.

Weight-wise, we are just around the same ballpark. We lose two ounces of weight on the men’s and the women’s standard-sized shoes.

However, all these little improvements lead to a slight price increase.

Alexis: Isn’t that pretty much similar to the Bondi 8?

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Alex: It is similar. There’s not a massive upgrade. The only quite significant difference that I see between this shoe and the last is the midsole.

So when I say midsole, it’s like the big chunk in the middle. The Bondi 8 had a foam called standard EVA, which is kind of like a regular foam that any training shoe would have. The HOKA Bondi 9 is souped up into a supercritical EVA foam.

Alexis: Supercritical for the layman, what does that mean?

Alex: Supercritical foam is a foam that’s a bit lighter, a little more responsive, and just better. And also supposedly lasts longer.

Alexis: What? So any other differences with the 9?

Alex: A few other minor things.

So the upper mesh is made a little bit more breathable. And I find that a relief because I’ve seen some other Hoka shoes go the other way.

I’m thinking of the Cielo X1. The upper was really thick and not that breathable. And this is a shoe that came out last year. So I was wondering if Hoka was going the other way, but this is nice and breathable.

The heel at the back is also a little bit flared out for extra protection.

Now I don’t really notice the difference when I’m running between the two, but that is a slight difference.

Something that’s a bit more notable, too, is at the bottom, there’s this durabrasion rubber. It’s pretty wide, and you have these rubbers made into little paws here.

That’s nice. Especially right now, it’s mid-February in Canada. So I usually run on pavement. I don’t run on the trail that much, even on pavement, there are patches of snow and ice, but you can trek through those little patches without feeling too slippery with the Bondi. So that’s a definite plus is they’re winter friendly.

It is in style. For some reason, people love the really bulky shoe, and I think it looks good. It does have some upside, but.

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Alexis: Like literal upside.

Alex: I mean you gain like an inch and a half of height with these shoes.

Alexis: Yeah, I think I saw that on your Hinge profile.

Alex: What? Who said this?

Anyway, not much of a difference from the Bondi 8.

I thought the supercritical foam would give it a little bit more of a spring and a bounce, but these feel a little bit flat. But I’m trying to remind myself that the point of the Bondi is not to run fast or to drop fast workouts. It’s for comfortable, easy runs. So for that, it’s good.

It’s a very comfortable shoe. I feel that my feet are just nice and stable. It’s like a pillow around the foot, which is good.

So it’s a good shoe, but because of the structure, I don’t think I could run much faster than this since there’s not much of a rock forward.

It’s just, park yourself at easy run pace. Forget about it. It’s good. But don’t wear these for workouts, I would say. Wear this for like your longest, most plod-iest run of the week.

The wear test was OK. I’ll say OK. Maybe I’ll start with the positive.

What I really liked was how it felt on my foot, the fit. No irritation, no anything. With past versions of the Bondi, I’ve had two issues.

One was like a little bit of irritation in the back, we can call it maybe Achilles irritation, around that area.

The other thing was the toe box felt so narrow that I felt like I was crunching my toes and even getting blisters on one side of my foot. And I have a pretty narrow foot. So that’s not something that really happens to me when I wear shoes. That was kind of alarming in the previous versions. This one was totally fine.

So fit-wise, I feel like I have more space. That’s really good.

When it comes to how it felt underfoot, I was a little bit underwhelmed because when I heard Supercritical EVA Foam, I thought it was going to be a different feeling from the other Bondi’s that I’ve had that like have really felt like blocks.

Because the heel-to-toe drop is pretty level, and because there isn’t much rock-forward profile, you just land, and you don’t really go anywhere. And this one was a little bit better because you had a tiny bit more give on that foam.

But still, I didn’t feel like I could really rock onto my toes.

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Alexis: So would this be good for a competitive runner like you or a beginner?

Alex: I think if you’re anyone who wants to run fast, like do workouts or races, you’re going to need something a little bit faster than this, that’s got a little bit more aggressiveness.

This is good for an easy run.

If you’re a one shoe person, you want to have something with a little bit more speed to it. You want something that can do everything.

Alexis: So if I’m into Hokas, should I get the Bondi, or should I get a different pair?

Alex: If you’re looking for an easy running shoe with Hoka, you have three different options.

So you have the Bondi, you have the Clifton, which is known as the flagship training shoe. It’s a lot lighter. Or you have the Skyflow.

The Hoka Skyflow came out last year and it just has a little bit more give, a little bit more speed to it. If you’re looking for something that can take you through workouts and is a little bit faster, and you like a hardness type of feeling, I’d go with the Skyflow.

If you like the nice and cushioned feeling, but also something that feels super lightweight despite the cushion, I go Clifton. And this, again, is like your very conservative, easy running shoe.

Something else I want to address is versatility. Usually, I don’t talk about this in shoe reviews, but because we’re talking Hoka and because they’ve become casual shoes for a lot of people and work shoes for a lot of people, I feel compelled to weigh in on whether or not they’re good for places outside of running.

For example, in the office or the gym, my verdict is that they’re really nice walking shoes and you could wear them to work. If you’re in hospital, if you’re a teacher, you’re on your feet all day, this is a really good thing to wear.

Conversely, I didn’t like them at all at the gym.

Yeah, like I’m someone who doesn’t like to have much on my feet at the gym. I don’t like a big platform when I’m squatting or if I’m doing some type of deadlift and I felt weirdly up with these 43 millimeter platforms.

So if you like to have that minimalist kind of feeling in the gym maybe try something else.

Alexis: Right. And if you just wanna look taller at the gym, these are great.

Alex: These are great, I’m telling you. Like, you actually feel taller.

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Alexis: Okay, so a verdict, is it gonna be a yes or no?

Alex: I’m actually gonna go with a no.

And I feel bad saying this, and I feel like I’m being overly critical of Hoka. Supercritical of Hoka.

And the reason is because I know that they have better training shoes out there.

The Clifton or the Skyflow I think are both better buys when it comes to easy running just because I think they’re more, they’re more versatile. The Bondi might end up being more durable.

Juries out if that’s the case, I will revise because I do think durability is important, but for now, I’d be more likely to reach towards the Clifton or the Skyflow.

Alexis: Okay. And my last question is the Bondi based off of James Bond.

Alex: I don’t think so. No. No, I think it’s…No, I actually have no idea, but I think it’s Bondi Beach.

Alexis: So then it’s perfect for running on the sand? I don’t know.

Alex: No, no shoe’s perfect for running on the sand. As a shoe reviewer and YouTuber, you have a responsibility. Do not tell people to run on the beach.

Alexis: Okay, don’t do it. I don’t know why you shouldn’t but don’t.

Alex: Let us know if you either know where the name Bondi comes from or why you shouldn’t run on the beach.

Alexis: So, are we done? That’s it. Cool.

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