Novablast 4 vs Clifton 9

The Asics Novablast 4 is a bouncy, high-stack daily training shoe built to make easy and steady miles feel fun. It sits in the cushioned-but-springy corner of the running shoe market, the sort of trainer you reach for when you want soft landings without a dead, sink-in feel. At 257g it is not the lightest max-cushion shoe out there, but the energetic midsole hides the weight well once you are moving. The 8mm drop keeps you in a slightly lower, more natural position than a traditional 10mm trainer, so midfoot and forefoot strikers tend to get on with it quickly. This is a do-most-things daily trainer rather than a specialist. It will happily soak up recovery jogs, cover a long run, and still has enough pop to enjoy the odd faster stretch. If you want one cushioned shoe for the bulk of your week, the Novablast 4 is an easy shoe to live with. The newer Novablast 5 refines the same recipe.

The Clifton 9 is Hoka at its most crowd-pleasing: a tall-stacked, lightweight daily training shoe that feels far nimbler than its cushioning suggests. At 252g it is genuinely light for a max-cushion running shoe, and that low weight is the whole trick. You get a big pile of soft foam underfoot, but your legs never feel like they are dragging bricks around. The signature rockered sole rolls you forward smoothly, so easy miles and steady runs tick by with very little effort. This is not a shoe for chasing a personal best, and it is not built for pace work. Think of it as the everyday workhorse: the shoe you reach for on recovery days, long slow runs and the daily commute of base miles. In our view it remains one of the safest picks in the neutral cushioned category, especially if you want plush protection without the bulk. If you are new to the range, it is an easy first Hoka.