Hoka Skyward X 2 Review: One of the best max-cushioned running shoes?

Hello and welcome to the Run Testers, my name's Nick and this is our full review of the Hoka Skyward X2. The Skyward X2 is Hoka's max cushioned comfort focused super trainer with a plate. It is a successor to the Skyward X and is launching on the 15th of May. It will cost you £190 in the UK or $225 in the US, that's a £5 price rise compared to the previous model here in the UK but the same price in the US. It's a fair bit lighter than the original Skyward X weighing in at 295g or 10.4oz and you've got a 5mm drop. The updates that Hoka's made to the shoe have been designed to trim it down a little bit to reduce the weight by 20-25g in my size and give you a slightly more versatile shoe but one that is still very much focused on being as cushioned, bouncy and comfortable as possible as opposed to other super trainers that might lean a bit more into speed and versatility. You've got a new upper made from a jacquard mesh, there's a little bit of padding on the tongue, it's not quite as plump as you might expect on a big cushy shoe like this, a fair bit of padding around the heel and a stiff internal heel counter to add some structure and support there. The midsole is a dual density setup, you've got two foams in there. The top layer is made from Hoka's springy Piva based foam, then you've got a slotted carbon plate which you can see from below and then the bottom layer is made from a supercritical EVA. So the dual density setup is designed to give you that soft and bouncy feeling underfoot and then a bit more stability and firmness with that bottom layer on the shoe there. Then when it comes to the outsole you've got pretty good rubber coverage with a sticky rubber used in the forefoot and a dual abrasion rubber at the heel to give a bit more durability in that area. So comes to the fit of the Hoka Skyward X2, I have my normal size here UK 9 which is a US 9.5 with Hoka. I tend to get on very well with Hoka shoes because I do have quite a narrow foot. I do think the Skyward X2 is going to be available in a wide version but with the standard model of the shoe I would say you do have the standard Hoka fit which is very good for me but might be a little bit cramped for some people if you have a wider foot. I found the shoe very comfortable for you know a big cushy shoe like this it isn't overdone in terms of the amount of padding around the tongue in particular and the collar so despite the focus on comfort it's not a shoe that's really really noticeable in terms of its upper on the foot. It breathed well enough for me in warmish spring conditions here haven't really been able to test it in very hot conditions but yeah to know any problems of breathability or comfort I would stick to your normal running shoe size with the Hoka Skyward X2. So on to the run test and I've done about 50 kilometers of running in the Hoka Skyward X2 using it as my main daily trainer in the last week and a half or so of marathon training ahead of the London Marathon. So I used it to pick up basically all the runs on my plan that weren't workouts really so easy runs, easy to steady runs, recovery runs, warm-ups, cool-downs that kind of thing. Done some strides in it as well but really I think this shoe excels most as a cushioned daily trainer. It'll pick up the bulk of your mileage thanks to its comfortable bouncy design it doesn't necessarily have the versatility to be a shoe that I'd rate as one that I'll be using for everything like it's not a slouch I would say like it's a little bit more peppy than lots of very cushioned shoes but it's not one that I think really excels for workouts. It's definitely noticeably lighter and nimbler than the previous model of the shoe. I did like the Skyward X as a long run shoe but even when I'm looking for comfort and stability and that kind of thing in my shoe for easy and long runs I still want it to be a little bit lighter and nimbler than the original Skyward X and you still get all that lovely bounce in the Skyward X2 but now in a design that feels a bit smoother and easier to tick along in just because it is a little bit more streamlined. The bounce of the midsole is really easy to unlock you know all paces when you're ticking along at your absolute slowest recovery paces you'll still get a nice amount of bounce from the shoe and then get a bit more as you go through the gears as well. The dominant feeling from the midsole is that PIVA top layer sometimes with dual density midsoles like the firmer bottom layer can dull the effect of the more fun top layer but not so with the Skyward X2 it still has loads of bounce and quite a smooth ride as well you've got a classic HOKA rocker design there and you know the drop isn't too high so you do move quite swiftly and smoothly from heel to toe whilst engaging all that bounce and as a result like it does feel quite natural here at easy and steady speeds I would say like you know it is a big shoe there's lots of cushioning here it's not going to feel very small on the foot but it does disappear on the foot quite well when you are just ticking along and when I was going through the gears so an easy steady run I'll typically start somewhere kind of around 430 435k and work down to kind of 340k and at all those speeds you know it just felt nice and effortless in the shoe actually by the end of those runs sometimes with big cushion shoes like this it starts to feel a bit cumbersome if they don't have a foam that's giving you a lot back but that's not the case with the Skyward X2 but both its geometry and the foams in there work well at those steady paces giving you a bit of bounce and ticking over nice and smoothly now if you then step up to even faster speeds then you might start to feel the size and weight of the shoe a little bit but the geometry isn't really geared up to give you a very aggressive rocker or anything like that and the foam isn't very responsive and it's not the lightest you could use this as an all-round if you love big cushion shoes do everything in I think it's one of the better cushion shoes in terms of versatility when you're talking about you know really max stack shoes aimed primarily for comfort but you know for a runner like myself if you have a running shoe rotation in general I'd pick this up alongside speedier shoes and use it just for those easy and steady miles really all around it was a really enjoyable run test like this is a shoe that is built primarily for easy and long run cruising and it feels very good for that kind of run say the catch with it would little bit would be that the price tag and the setup here you puts it into the realm of is it going to be worth it just for that job when there are shoes that are doing that job well you know a little bit more cheaply and more versatile super trainers so my verdict on the Hoka Skyward X2 is a shoe I really enjoyed running in like it was a great shoe to come in towards the end of marathon training just pick up a load of easy miles it protects the legs well it's got a fun bouncy ride it turns over nicely it doesn't feel quite as big as it is and I think it is an improvement on the original Skyward X thanks to this slightly lighter design which still has all the bounce and fun of the original version but in a shoe that I think is a bit easier to use day in day out it's not quite so large and cumbersome as I said at the end of the run test I think the problem might be that it might be a little bit too limited for a shoe in its price bracket like it's priced like a super train you've got a carbon plate in there and I think this is a shoe that for me really just competes with the best cushion shoes out there which is you know no bad thing like I have this right up alongside shoes like the Nike Vimero Plus or the Kipperun Kipperun Max like my favorite max cushion shoes for going out and doing loads of easy and daily runs with a big slab of foam underneath your foot it's a lively foam setup there a nice smooth rocker and it does compete well with those shoes as being one of the best max cushion shoes out there but it's a lot more expensive than those shoes because they are something more traditional cushion shoes they've got more reasonable price tags especially something like the Kipperun Kipperun Max which is so much cheaper here in the UK and those shoes don't really lack for performance despite the fact they don't have a plate in there and a super high price tag I think they're still giving you a similar level of performance at that price and when you're talking about this kind of price tag you then move into the realm of things like the Asics Super Blast 3, the Asics Mega Blast, the Adidas Hyper Boost Edge you know super trainers that are fantastic for you know long easy runs and that kind of thing but also are a lot lighter than the Skyward X2 and give you a bit more if you're going to use them for workouts and things like that so something like the Super Blast 3 in particular is just a terrific long run shoe with that bouncy FF Leap foam in the midsole there it doesn't have a plate but doesn't really need one to do that kind of run really well and then it has a bit more if you want to take it for faster daily training as well and the price is pretty similar to the Skyward X, actually a bit cheaper in the US I think so that's I think the problem you will have a little bit with the Skyward X2 is it's a lot of money to spend on a shoe that does what it does so well when there are things like the Nike Mira Plus and Kippro Max to do those jobs or more versatile super trainers like also in the Hoka range you've got the Mac X3 which is more of a versatile punchy lighter super trainer that is definitely a better performer at faster speeds than the Skyward X2 it's not quite as comfortable and stable as the Skyward X2 when it comes to easy runs and long runs I really like doing those in the Mac X3 but if you want a shoe that's a bit more built for cushioning and stability Skyward X2 is that compared to the Mac X3 but even then the Mac X3 comes a bit cheaper and again you are getting I think a more versatile all-around shoe so certainly the performance was there for me during testing I loved pulling on the Skyward X2 I think it's a great easy long run shoe I think if you like the original version you're going to very much like the second version because I think it does have the best elements of the first version still there in terms of the bounce and fun but in a design that makes it a little bit more adaptable and usable day in day out it's not quite so big I'd say so yeah really strong match cushion shoe option just think it's in a tricky spot with its pricing and the role it does given what you have out there on the market at large in terms of great cushion shoes that are cheaper and versatile super trainers that give you a bit more performance at faster speeds that's our full review of the Hoka Skyward X2 let us know what you think in the comments below do like and subscribe and ring the little bell so you get notified when we drop a new video and yeah we will see you next time on The Run Testers