Hoka One One Mach 6 Introduction
The HOKA Mach 6 is a lightweight daily trainer that has been reformed.
No longer does it have the dual layered midsole it once had in the Mach 5. Instead, it is revamped with its full SCF EVA midsole that makes the ride responsive.
It also provides a smooth ride with the early-stage meta rocker in the forefoot.
With those components, the Mach 6 can not only be used as a daily trainer, but also as your workout shoe and possible race day option.
At the price of $140, it can be a valuable choice if you are in search of a versatile shoe that can take on any task.
Hoka One One Mach 6 First Impressions
My first impressions with the shoe were that I noticed it did not have the same midsole material as its predecessor.
I honestly enjoyed the Mach 5 and wanted to see if the new midsole material would give me at least a similar ride. As I tried them on, I noticed that the upper fit tight on my left foot.
Wasn’t sure if that was because maybe I laced them on a bit too tight? Either way, it was pretty painful. But as I started walking around with them the pain started to subside.
I took them out for a run around my neighborhood and the midsole feel was a different feeling compared to the Mach 5.
The ride felt peppier and more responsive underfoot instead of being soft and bouncy. This is not the same shoe as last years.
Hoka One One Mach 6 Upper
The upper uses a creel jacquard knit that wraps and molds around your foot. What I found is that it wraps around you midfoot a little too tightly at first.
But after a few runs in them the midfoot section seemed to be unobtrusive. The jacquard upper material itself felt really nice and had no issues when it came to hot spots or any irritations of my feet.
The lacing system is pretty standard, and the shoelaces were also ideal as well. The tongue is thin with little padding both inside and out.
It is fully gusseted on both sides (medial and lateral) and wraps around your foot nicely with no swimming around the upper of your foot whatsoever. At first, I was pretty hesitant with the tongue being a little short, but it worked out fine during my runs.
The heel is not pliable and very structured. The elf like heel is a nice feature to the shoe as I was able to slip my foot into the shoe with no issues.
The heel has just enough padded on the inside that you feel locked and secured during your runs. Overall, the shoe does fit true to size.
Hoka One One Mach 6 Sole Unit
Now, if you are expecting the midsole dual layer of PROFLY+ and a rubberized foam like the Mach 5, that is not what you are getting.
Instead, you are getting a new midsole material that is a SCF (Super Critical Foam) EVA. The SCF EVA gives the ride a more responsive sensation.
As you land you get the sense of a response back from the midsole that pushes you off the ground faster. It’s a really different change of feel compared to the Mach 5. The Mach 5 you felt the softness and plushiness as your foot landed with a bounce afterwards. The Mach 6 uses an early-stage meta rocker geometry in front of the midsole that gives you a smooth transition.
The outsole has changed as well and is now using their durabrasion rubber. The rubber is placed strategically to assist the runner for durability and designed to enhance the traction.
As far as durability, I’ve noticed no wears or fades of the outsole whatsoever. The traction seems to be okay. During my testing, I’ve ran on both wet streets and wet sidewalks, and I did not lose traction in any of those occasions.
The design of the sole itself made the ride pretty stable with the wide platform that HOKA is well known for.
When it came to sharp turns and u-turning, I did not get the sense of rolling my ankle or anything to that nature even though the shoe has quite the stack height (37mm heel, 32mm forefoot).
Hoka One One Mach 6 Conclusions
In conclusion, the HOKA Mach 6 was something I wasn’t expecting.
What I was expecting was the same ride and feel as its last predecessors, and that was not the case.
What I got was instead was a responsive ride instead of a soft and bouncy ride. To be honest, I really enjoyed the Mach 5 last year, but only as a daily trainer and nothing else.
I think what put the Mach series on the map of the running world was because of the ride of the midsole in the past years.
But I can see why they changed up the midsole. The dual layer that they used would usually bottom out and the sensation of it feeling soft and bouncy would lose its touch. Whereas the SCF EVA foam is going to be more durable and last a lot longer.
So, if you’re asking yourself whether to purchase this shoe or not? Well, if you enjoyed the soft rides from the predecessors, you might be thrown a curveball here as I did. Not saying nothing is wrong with the Mach 6, but just be aware the ride is different.
