Hoka Mach X 2 Review: So Close to Perfection

What You Need To Know

Introduction to the Hoka Mach X 2

MEAGHAN: It feels like the original Hoka Mach X came out forever ago, but it was only last summer that we (mostly just me) were talking about how it felt like a slimmed-down Bondi X. That shoe is long gone, but we’ve since seen the Hoka Skyward X (real gem) and Cielo X1 (also a keeper). You can find a plate in just about any trainer option these days and I’m not mad about it. But we’re here to talk about the Mach X 2 and its very big updates. 

It’s apparent just looking at the shoe that it has been completely revamped. A creel jacquard upper has been replaced with a very light woven mesh and thin tongue. The rocker profile and geometry is reminiscent of the Cielo X1 and there’s an extended Pebax plate sandwiched between a PEBA-topped midsole and a layer of EVA. Sitting at 38 mm in the heel and 33 in the forefoot (for a women’s 8), Hoka kept the 5 mm drop, but this shoe looks ready for race day. So how does it feel out on the roads? I’ve logged plenty of miles, so let’s find out.

THOMAS: Hoka has decided to come out with guns blazing in 2024. The once complacent brand relying on Bondi and Clifton sales is throwing bangers out left and right. Earlier this year I caught heat for saying that my current favorite daily trainer was the “race day” Cielo X1, and I still stand by that shoe as a great cruiser. However, the Mach X 2 could be the compromise I didn’t know I needed. The Mach X 2 is the daily super trainer that can cover a lot of ground and it might be the only shoe you need for your running exploits. If you don’t have time to read the rest of this review or suffer from ADHD like I do, I’ll lay it out for you in advance: the Mach X 2 is my current front runner for shoe of the year. But wait, it ain’t perfect, so you may want to read the rest of the review before you hit that buy button.

SAM: It’s not often we get an opportunity for redemption in our lives. LeBron came back to Cleveland to win a title, Darth Vader/Anakin returned balance to the force, Ebeneezer Scrooge learned the true meaning of Christmas, and I get to review another Hoka Mach X. A week or so after reviewing the first iteration of the Mach X last summer, I got it out of my closet to give it another shot. After a run here, a run there, another run here– I began to notice something.

Around 50 miles, the shoe I thought that I hated began to transform. Gone was the sluggish and blocky shoe I reviewed, and here was a snappy and stable daily trainer I couldn’t wait to tell people about. But sadly, my negative thoughts were already out in the world. So I waited. Like Boromir seeking to prove that he is stronger than the power of The One Ring I remained patient, knowing my opportunity would one day come. Here it is. Let’s give the Hoka Mach X 2 a fair shake shall we?

CARYN: When I received the original Mach X last year, I laced it up over and over again, hoping to find the enjoyment that my esteemed BITR colleagues had described so enthusiastically. I read review after review praising Hoka’s responsive, “uptempo” Mach X, and started to think I was perhaps the problem (it’s me, hi). I loved the fit and aesthetics of the shoe, but no matter how hard I tried, the ride felt dull and slappy.

Now, let’s be clear: I’m not a Hoka hater. The Rocket X 2 is one of my all time favorite race day shoes, and I wear my Cliftons to work on the regular. Not to mention, my affinity for Hoka recovery slides (plus socks) runs deep. After my less than stellar review of the Mach X, I was pretty pumped to find the second iteration on my doorstep this summer. I’m all about second chances, and the laundry list of upgrades had me as excited as a kid at a snowball stand. Does the Mach X 2 rival an egg custard with marshmallow? Let’s dig in! (Slowly– no brain freeze here, folks).

What we like about the Hoka Mach X 2

MEAGHAN: This teal/jade and white color combination that we’re seeing across brands right now has got to be one of my favorites. The Mach X 2 wins triumphantly in aesthetics over last year’s mermaid look. The step-in feel of this shoe has also been improved (well, once you get them on… more on that later). The woven upper feels minimal yet supportive and the textured laces do a nice job of locking the foot down comfortably. 

The PEBA topped midsole feels great underfoot, with the Pebax plate and EVA beneath offering a firmer and fast-feeling ride. All of my easy runs in this shoe ended up being faster than I anticipated. Once you get moving in this shoe, you just keep moving, and it’s honestly just fun. We will typically write up our review after 25 miles, but I’ve continued to lace this one up and have over 60 miles on them, simply because I’ve been enjoying them so much. 

Speaking of exciting updates, my W7.5 came in at 6.2 ounces! That’s nearly 2 ounces lighter than last year’s model and on par with some race day shoes.

THOMAS: Let’s pull this shoe apart from top to bottom. Just looking at the shoe you will notice the big improvement over the last model. I liked the way the Mach X felt underfoot last year, but that upper was hideous, unless you like the Little Mermaid. The Mach X 2 looks like a running shoe instead of a theme park costume. Not only does it look better, it performs better. The new mesh is open and breathes well. The thin gusseted tongue does a nice job of protecting the top of the foot from the slightly offset laces. From the tongue forward, the upper feels almost race day ready.

The three layer midsole is magical. I’d trade my singing voice for it. The PEBA layer is light, shock dampening, and energetic. The layer has comfort and performance giving high-fives to each other. The Pebax plate saves the Mach X 2 from feeling too squishy and delivers the leverage you want to get the spicy toe-off from the rocker shape. Finally, the supercritical foam on the bottom gives the shoe a little stability without feeling blocky. These three parts come together in a way that feels perfect to me. It is just the right amount of softness and structure to keep me rolling. The outsole rubber does what it is supposed to do and doesn’t interfere with the smooth underfoot feel.

My US men’s 10.5 fits true to size, if not a smidge long and weighs 9.4 oz/266 grams.

SAM: On the surface, the Hoka Mach X 2 is a very confusing shoe. It is marketed as a speedwork shoe, but has a hefty build. The men’s stack is 44 mm in the heel, and 39 mm in the forefoot. That usually makes for a shoe meant to race marathons and crush long runs, not feel light and crisp in speedwork. This was the expectation I had before wearing the shoe, but it went away as soon as I put them on. To tell the truth, I expected that I could wear the Mach X 2 for an easy run like I did with the Mach X and not feel like I had a plated super-shoe on. After one easy run, I could tell that I was mistaken. The Mach X 2 is meant to go fast.

I laced up the Mach X 2 for a workout and used them for threshold miles, 800s, 400s, and even 200s; throughout it all, they absolutely shone bright. The combination of responsive and bouncy cushioning with the big metarocker helps these shoes eat up reps during workouts.

While I found the Mach X sluggish at times, the Mach X 2 rips. I would put this down to the added 5 mm of PEBA midsole, which is the same stuff that is in the Rocket X 2. This makes me further appreciate the dual midsole of the Mach X 2, because it adds stability to the Mach X 2 that is not often present in shoes of this size. I found that this lended the shoe to faster daily running as long as I stay efficient in my stride, but I understand that this might not work for everyone. In the end, the Mach X 2 is a fast-yet-stable shoe that can handle short, medium, and long reps of any workout, as well as just about any other type of run you can throw at it.

Finally, let’s touch on the upper. The Mach X 2 has a thin, woven upper that has reflective materials and a gusseted tongue. The Mach X had a sock-like upper that was hot at times, especially in the Baltimore summer heat. I found the upper of the Mach X 2 very light and breathable on foot, and even though I expected it to make the shoe bottom heavy, that was not the case. All in all, the Mach X 2 is the total package of a high stack, lightweight workout shoe with the stability to transition from long workouts to faster everyday runs.

CARYN: I think I was perhaps the only person in the world  that didn’t mind the glittery mermaid vibes of the Mach X, but I’ll admit this shoe looked much sleeker right out of the box. The colors are simple, but fun, and the shoe felt light in hand (and on the foot). I also loved the feel and look of the ridged, textured upper. I personally didn’t have any issues getting the shoe on, but I’ll save my thoughts on the fit of the upper and heel for the next section. The step-in feel of the shoe was great, but I was most curious how it would perform. 

The Pebax plate and PEBA midsole made all the difference in the world for me on the run, offering the pep and propulsion I was expecting from the first iteration, and then some. The Pebax plate provides the firmer responsiveness I was looking for, but the shoe still felt cushioned thanks to the supercritical foam underneath. I used this shoe for a few different types of runs, and I found it borderline challenging to run slowly. It turns over so easily that uptempo paces feel breezy with much less effort, even in the mid-Atlantic swamp. I didn’t find the Mach X 2 offensive at easier pace

What we don’t like about the Hoka Mach X 2

MEAGHAN: I get the race-like upper, I do. And I love a light, breathable mesh, but the heel collar of this trainer needs help. For starters, it’s hard to lace up. Just getting your foot inside is a struggle as there’s absolutely no structure to the collar. Secondly, I got some serious rubbing in the heel. I love this shoe so much that I’ve figured out ways to lace them up with minimal issues, but it’s really not ideal. Give us some support back there, Hoka! 

THOMAS: As Meg mentioned the heel counter is a swing and a miss. It just doesn’t function well. I had heel lift in the shoe, but when you were running it didn’t bother me, but it was noticeable. Using a runner’s loop won’t help either. I didn’t get the rubbing Meg experienced though. Getting the shoe on with the unstructured heel was challenging. It left me wondering: where is the pull tab that used to be on almost every Hoka?

SAM: There is one major con I had with this shoe. In an effort to make the Mach X 2 lighter and more “race-ready,” Hoka introduced a new collar construction. This comes with a suede-like material to prevent heel slippage and two nubs to support your achilles, similar to the construction of many race models.

While my heel did not slip, I found this construction incredibly uncomfortable for the first 20-30 miles of running in the Mach X 2. Despite wearing cushioned socks, I had some nasty blisters on my Achilles and I had to put Body Glide on under my socks for every run so I would not bleed. This issue seems to have gone away after 30 miles, but was an obstacle to enjoying my first handful of runs in the shoe. Besides that, there is nothing to comment on. Hoka knocked it out of the park with the Mach X 2.

CARYN: I’m going to try not to go off here, but I truly cannot get over the upper and heel counter of this shoe. I think I’ve been spoiled lately by some of the phenomenally fitting uppers out there, and this one was a big miss. The shoe was about a half size long, and the stiffness of the upper created a bunch of puckers and gaps when lacing up. More notably, I tried lacing this shoe every which way from Sunday, and every single time my heels were completely destroyed by the end of the run.

The heel counter is extremely thin and rigid, and has no internal padding to conform to the foot inside the shoe. Why, Hoka?! You’re killing me, here. I tried regular Band-Aids, extra padded quarter-height socks, and even the special blister band-aids. I had a few other ideas (including wrapping my heel in duct tape), but didn’t quite get around to them. The bigger point here is that I shouldn’t need an arsenal of foot and wound care supplies to wear a $190 shoe. This is especially tragic in light of how phenomenal this shoe is, otherwise. If the shoe breaks in, perhaps this will change, but I’m not sure I’m willing to risk both of my Achilles to find out.

Final thoughts on the Hoka Mach X 2

MEAGHAN: We’ve said this a few times already, but Hoka is really crushing it right now. It feels like a real 180 from last year, and in the best way possible. The Hoka Mach X 2 is another shoe for the win column, and might be my favorite “super trainer” right now. It’s definitely staying in the rotation all summer. 

THOMAS: This shoe is the bee’s knees. Even with the trouble with the heel counter. We have a lot of shoes in for review right now and I have been stacking miles averaging over 50 miles a week for July. Out of the 220+ miles this month I spent close to 40 miles in the Mach X 2 alone. That may not sound like a lot, but in a month where you have over six shoes to review, that is the most I could squeeze in. I am going to put these aside to review the next batch of shoes, but I will miss getting in miles on these. The Mach X 2 is the best daily trainer/Super Trainer I have reviewed this year.

SAM: Thank you to Hoka and/or the fates gave me the chance to redeem myself with the review. I came in with a fresh perspective and an open mind, and Hoka nailed the second iteration of the Mach X. I personally love the Mach X 2, and plan on using it deep into my fall marathon training for workouts, long runs, and whatever daily runs need some extra pop to get my legs through the miles.

I’m a big fan of the midsole construction, and found the Mach X 2 stable, bouncy, and most of all, very fast. I would argue it toes the line perfectly between being suitable for daily training and workouts without having the harshness that some racing shoes might have. I would also say this makes for a great do-it-all shoe for someone wanting a shoe to run daily miles, workouts, and their race in. If that bang for your buck sounds good to you, pick up this speed demon at the link below.

CARYN: Hoka! You’re killing me, smalls. The Hoka Mach X 2 is such a banger, and offers phenomenal upgrades from its predecessor that make it one of my favorites this year. The fit, however, makes it tough for me to want to keep lacing it up (that is, until I try my duct tape technique). Jokes aside, this is definitely a top-notch super trainer that could potentially serve as a race day option for a lot of folks. I’d encourage you to try a few runs in this one before keeping, though, just to make sure you vibe with the fit.

You can pick up the Hoka Mach X 2 for $190 on September 1 from Running Warehouse (featuring free shipping and 90-day returns) by using the buttons below.