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Hoka One One Vanquish 2 Review
April 27, 2016The Good
- Highly cushioned
- Extremely lightweight
- Soft yet springy midsole
- Responsive
The Bad
- Pricey
- Narrow fit
- Stiff feeling upper
- Lacks breathability
The Hoka One One Vanquish 2 is a maximum cushioning shoe built for the neutral runner. Built with Hoka One One’s RMAT compound to enhance rebound and grip, the Vanqush 2 offers a slight rocker underfoot to help with propulsion. Built with performance in mind the Vanquish 2 weights in at 9.8oz for men and 8.3oz for women with a 5mm drop.
Comfort
“The Vanquish 2 felt like running on clouds, it was so comfortable,” one tester noted, making the Vanquish 2 the perfect shoe to reach for when your legs are screaming from yesterday’s workout. Designed with plenty of soft EVA foam, a nicely padded tongue and seamless air mesh upper, the Vanquish 2 is extremely comfortable.
Fit
As compared to other Hokas such as the Clifton 2, the Vanquish 2 favors runners with narrow feet. All of our testers noted how narrow fitting the upper was, however it didn’t seem to effect comfort or performance. In fact, most of the testers noted despite the narrow fit, the upper provided a secure and snug fit.
Responsiveness
Compared to other shoes in the comfort category the Vanquish 2 certainly rises to the top in the responsive category easily making it one of the most responsive high-cushioning shoe tested. Two features make the Vanquish 2 standout with responsiveness, a slight fulcrum effect underfoot which creates a smooth transition and ultra springy EVA foam.
Speed
Typically a shoe with 32mm of cushioning underfoot wouldn’t be a peppy shoe, but Hoka One One did a very nice job making sure these shoes could get up and go if needed. A light overall weight, responsive design and excellent energy-returning characteristic, the Vanquish 2 isn’t as fast as the Clifton 2 but certainly can be used for up-tempo running.
Ride Quality
Built with a dual-layer midsole, which utilizes two EVA compounds, the Vanquish 2 is a soft, yet surprisingly springy shoe and despite a high stack height, the Vanquish 2 was surprisingly stable. Designed with a meta-rocker, which creates a unique fulcrum effect underfoot—like a rocking chair for your foot—provided a smooth and seamless heel-to-toe transition.