The Hoka Clifton 10 and Asics Novablast 5 are both cushioned daily trainers that offer decent value and versatility to runners of all levels. Nick has tested both shoes, and gives his verdict on which is the better option in this video.
Note: The Hoka Clifton 10 us £140 in the UK.
Check out our full reviews of both shoes:
Hoka Clifton 10 Review:
Asics Novablast 5 Review:
00:00 – Intro
00:15 – Design & Key Stats
02:26 – How’s The Fit?
03:03 – The Run Test
05:44 – Verdict
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Hello and welcome to Run Testers My Name's Nick In this video I'm going to Be comparing the Hoka Clifton 10 and the Asex Nova Blast [Music] 5 So the Clifton 10 and the Novlast 5 Are both very solid mid-range daily Trainers that will suit a range of Runners that offer a nice blend of Comfort and a little bit of versatility They both come in at around the same Price The Novlast 5 is already available With the Clifton 10 set to launch in April The Hoka cost $150 Not sure on the UK price as yet whereas the ASEX costs £140 and £135 in the UK So it is the Slightly cheaper shoe Novlast is also The lighter shoe at 274 gram or 9.7 oz In the UK 9 whereas the Clifton 10 is 285 gram or 10 oz in the UK 9 They both Have a stack height of 8 mm which is a Little bit unusual for a Hoka shoe They Usually have a stack height of 5 mm and The Hoka has a stack of 42 mm at the Heel whereas the Novlast is 41.5 mm With A Novlast you have a jackard mesh upper With quite a lot of padding around the Collar of the shoe Not too much on the Tongue though that's still fairly thin You've got a pretty substantial internal Heel counter there to add some structure At the back of the upper You've got an FF Blast Max midsole which is a fairly Soft material but a little bit of energy
Return to it as well with sidewalls of Foam at the back of the shoe there to Kind of cradle your foot and add more Support and stability for what is quite A high stack shoe It's also got a pretty Wide base to help with stability as well Then you've got an A-har low rubber Outsole with pretty good coverage along The length of the shoe even if there is Some exposed foam in the middle there Then with the Clifton 10 you got a Jackard knit upper Again a lot of Padding around the collar and this high Raised heel tab that you get on a lot of Hoka shoes to cradle the Achilles A lot More padding on the tongue of the Clifton than you have on the AS6 Again Big internal heel counter which is part Of this rear foot active frame to add Stability to the Clifton 10 which also Includes some things we've seen on the Nova Blast as well like side walls of Foam for your foot to sit in That big Internal heel counter big wide base on The Clifton 10 as well to create you Know a naturally stable ride You have a Compression molded EVA midsole on the Clifton 10 and Hoka's usual meta rocker Design on the shoe to kind of smooth out Your transition from heel to toe There's Also a slight rocker on the nose blast I Should say And then there's a dual Abrasion rubber outsole on the Hoka with Good coverage on the forefoot and heel
As well Pretty similar coverage on both Shoes There's some exposed foam but all The key impact areas are covered with a Decent layer of [Music] Rubber Onto the fit and I've got a UK 9 In both of these shoes but with Hoker It's a US 9.5 and it's a US 10 with the AS6 So if you're using UK sizing do bear In mind that the Hoka might come up a Little bit smaller General the Hokas Tend to have you know quite dialed in Fit all around There will be wide and Extra wide versions of the Clifton 10 Available to try and remedy that if you Do have a wide foot I've been very happy With the fit of both of these shoes in My normal size I think the AS6 has a Slightly roomier fore foot all around Even taking into account it's a slightly Bigger size in the US I think it's just A roomier shoe in general Good hold Around the heel and midfoot and no Concerns at all using my normal running Shoe size for both of these brands So I Would stick to that Onto the run test then and these are two Solid mid-range daily trainers that are Designed to appeal to a wide range of Runners and do a good job in providing a Nice balanced ride that will suit lots Of people pretty well and the two shoes That I enjoyed using myself They both Have a little bit of versatility for
Kind of easy to steady progression runs Tempo efforts that kind of things They Can be used as daily trainers but for me I think they really excel more on the Comfort front They're really good for Easy and easy pace long runs in Particular You're getting a nice amount Of natural stability here good level of Comfort but it's not really a mushy or Softness underfoot that you feel with These shoes They've not gone all the way Into the max cushioned cruiser realm They still do have a bit of life to them They have nice rocket that pushes you Onto your toes and the foams have a Little bit of energy there So they're Fairly versatile daily training options But for me they're both geared more Towards comfort And you very much have a Lot of similarities with both of these Shoes here in the way they feel on the Run You've got the same 8 mm drop You Got a little bit of rocker on both shoes You got a lot of natural stability with Side walls of foam wide bases and you've Got two foams in the midsoles neither of Which is really a standout foam that Delivers an incredibly lively and Energetic ride but mostly has quite a Comfortable feel Does deliver a little Bit of energy return but in general it's The rockers and the kind of geometry of The shoes that you feel And actually is Quite similar for both shoes I'd say
Certainly on easy runs I think they have Quite similar feels but if you do start To up the pace a little bit the foams do Come into play a bit more And I think That the FF blast max foam you have on The AS6 is a lively material with a bit More energy return than the pretty Standard EVA you have here on the Hoker So when I was running a Bose shoes at The same time in particular like when I Was cruising along at an easy pace they Did feel very similar like to the point Where you'd look down and go even though They look very different here and There's lots of differences in theory Between them a very similar feel with a Nice relaxed feeling rolling from heel To toe lots of support lots of Cushioning lots of stability Then when You start to up the pace the ASEX does Come into its own a little bit more Like It's not like this is the liveiest foam Under foot but do feel a bit more off The toes with it It does feel a bit more Natural to run at faster speeds in than The Hoka for me It's also a lighter shoe Which does help on that front They're Both big shoes all around They've both Got very built up heels And actually I Think the heel bevel on the Hoker is a Bit smoother for me than the one on the Nova Blast 5 No problems with the one on The AS6 but I felt like I was moving Onto my midfoot a bit more easily and
Naturally with the Hoker but actually When it then came to towing off I think I preferred the feel of the Nova Blaster I also think a bit more comfort under The forefoot from the AS6 The stackites You know are pretty similar The Hoca Clifton 10 actually has a very slightly Higher stack height but got a firmer Feeling from the foam And I think under The foroot in particular I do think as Someone who's a heel striker and you Know snaps through a little bit I get a Slightly more comfortable feeling under The foroot from the asex over long Distances because of the slightly softer Foam you have here in the midsoles So Yeah while my predominant feeling from You know testing these shoes Individually and then testing them at The same time was that these are very Similar shoes surprisingly So I would Say I do slightly prefer the feeling of The ASX because of what I think is a Mildly superior foam in the [Music] Midsole Verdict is that these are two Really good daily trainers that will Work for lots of different runners and They have a quite similar feel overall But I do prefer the ASIC slightly I Think you got a slightly better foam in There which does create a livelier toe Off and a better feeling when you're Running at speed and in general a bit
More comfort for long runs as well It's Also the cheaper shoe I think the fit Will work very well for lots of people As well especially if you have a wider Foot Whereas you even though I don't Think this is an especially narrow shoe The Clifton 10 compared to some of the Past models it isn't quite as spacious As the ASX And when you're looking at Easy runs in particular that might be a Benefit for lots of people to have that Extra room in the toe box If you do Prefer a slightly firmer feel and Actually maybe if you like the AS6 Novlast 4 a lot and are a bit bit off The Novlast 5 by reports of it being a Bit softer the Clifton 10 might actually Be a very suitable replacement for the Novlast 4 cuz it does have a slightly Firmer feel than the Assex Novlast 5 I Would say bow shoes for me I would slip Into rotation at the cushion end of Things Like they can be used as your Daily trainer If you're a newer runner In particular I would look at one of These shoes for everything I think they Can do you know that job of ticking off All your runs If you're someone who has A rotation if you want you know Dedicated speedwork shoes these wouldn't Be it These would be shoes that you'd Have in your rotation more to hoover up Easy mileage And they do a really good Job of that And then you maybe have
Something lighter and faster or maybe Something with a plate in it for your Speed runs I don't think you need to get Another cushion shoe alongside this Though I think they're both so Comfortable and good for easy runs You Don't necessarily need to look at the The max cushion in both of these shoes Ranges as well So something like the Nimbus 27 for AS6 or the Bondi 9 for Hoker those are good shoes They've got a Little bit more cushioning but not that Much more And these are definitely Comfortable shoes for easy runs and a Fair bit cheaper So I think both of them Stand out in their range for that Compared to the you know the premium max Cushioned offerings But yeah like I say Overall lots of similarities there Both Do a really good job I slightly prefer The ASX No Blast 5 It's a bit cheaper is Probably the one I'd get from the [Music] Two That's our comparison of the ASX No Blast 5 and the Hok Clifton 10 Let us Know what you think in the comments Below Please do like subscribe ring the Little bell and we'll see you next time
