Great review! I had an acl tear a couple years back, and at age 40 now, am starting to slow down. A friend recommended the Bondi 8’s and when I went to try them on they felt great, but they looked pretty clunky to me, specifically the width the you highlighted (they looked almost like clown shoes). That being said, do you think the Bondi 7s would solve that clown shoe concern for me?? Thanks for your time and hope to hear back.
Hey @MrClemmo13 This is a great Q! As its pretty well assumed, Hoka owns the high stack, cushioned category and has done for the past decade. When the industry started to see the cut through they had on market share, all other brands took notice and went straight to the design table to work their own version(s) of this evolutionary category. While Hoka is still growing as a brand, there are a lot of options now from their competitors speaking to the market looking for cushioned, high stack shoes with a metarocker. You are spoilt for choice and it does come down to fit, feel and function. Brands are all competiting for the attention of the runner/athlete with the wallet. Fair to say Nike owned the carbon plate performance shoe category for 2-3 years before others started to catch up.... They still dominate this space, but the other brands have some seriously good shoes to fit the needs and requirements within this category. I take the same approach with what Hoka had done to the market in the early 2010's. Total disruptors, and they as a brand have changed the landscape. Its not to say we wouldn't be here now without Hoka, but industry leaders tend to be game changes. That is exactly what Hoka is!! Thanks for the comments. Do you have a favourite Hoka shoe? Mine was the Clifton 6!! Regards, Josh
I want a Hoka Bondi 7 or 8 for walking only to ease my hallux rigidus (metatarsalgia) problem in both feet. I would like to know which Bondi has a stiffer midsole and rocker effect. Which one would you recommend? Thanks in advance. Nice review.
I need the shoes for walking only (do not run at all), which I do 3 times a week for 50 minutes each time. Is the Bondo 7 better for me than the Bondi, in light of both the improvements made on the 8 and the significantly higher price of the 8. Advice and comments will be appreciated.
Look for the 7 on ebay I got mine there, they were so clean, even the bottoms had not a speak of dirt. For $85 including shipping. I love them because I have wide feet, they are wide as is, but the size wide is perfect. My true foot size is 6.5 but can never fit my foot into anything under 7. I wear size 8 shoes to accommodate width. Also because I prefer a bigger fit because of growing up on 2-3 size larger hand me downs. I bought size 7.5, I should have gone with 7. Unfortunately I did not find any version 7's in size 7wide. I tried the 8's on on store. They do feel different, weight wise I'm not sure if you can really tell the difference. The padding is what feels different but I don't recall enough to describe the difference. I had blood blisters on my big toes while wearing my sketchers for walking. So invested in bondi 7's. I do light jogging, trying to work up to running. But the running I attempt is total less then 20/60-90min. Anyway, I know this was mostly about fit, but I think they are comfortable. Definitely check out ebay!
