New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v15 vs Hoka Clifton 11
Two shoes people weigh up against each other constantly. Here is what actually separates them, taken from the same database that drives the Shoe Finder quiz, with nothing added by hand. The short version: the Hoka Clifton 11 has the higher heel at 8mm against 6mm, the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v15 is 28g lighter.
Side by side
| New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v15 | Hoka Clifton 11 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £155 RRP | £140 RRP |
| Type | Everyday trainer | Everyday trainer |
| Support | Neutral | Neutral |
| Weight | 255g | 283g |
| Heel drop | 6mm | 8mm |
| Heel stack | 40mm | 42mm |
| Widths | Standard, wide and 4E | Standard and wide |
| Plate | None | None |
What the differences mean
Weight
The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v15 is 28g lighter, at 255g against 283g. As a rough guide every 100g costs about one percent in running economy, so 28g is worth a fraction of a percent. You will feel it more than it costs you, and it counts for more on a fast 5k than on a slow long run.
Heel drop
This is the real difference. The Hoka Clifton 11 has a 8mm drop and the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v15 has 6mm. A higher heel asks less of your achilles and calf and more of your knee, and a lower one does the opposite. If you get regular trouble at one of those, pick accordingly. If you get none, pick whichever is closer to what you already run in, because changing drop suddenly is the most reliable way to give yourself a new problem.
Width fittings
Both come in a wide fitting, but only the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v15 goes as far as 4E. That matters if wide is not quite wide enough for you, which is more common than the number of shoes offering it suggests.
How long they last
The New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v15 is built to take more mileage. If one pair is doing all your running, that is worth more than it sounds, because cost per mile matters more than the price on the box.
Price
£140 against £155 at full price, so the Hoka Clifton 11 is £15 less. Both are discounted often enough that the gap on the day may look nothing like this, which is worth checking before you decide on price alone.
Which should you buy?
Neither, until you have tried both on. Fit decides more than any specification on this page, and the two shoes above are close enough that a foot shape will separate them faster than a spreadsheet will.
New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v15
Soft, roomy and light for its size. Comes in 2E and 4E widths.
Hoka Clifton 11
Soft, light and easy to run in. Hoka's most popular everyday shoe for good reason.
Or let the quiz decide
This page compares two shoes. The shoe finder compares all 104 of them against your width, your weight, where you run, your budget and any recurring niggles, then gives you three and tells you why each one made it. It takes about a minute.