HOKA Shoe: FAIL

2025-09-29

Mary got a pair of HOKA shoes in the spring and, after a few months of what we consider light usage, had the upper detach from the sole:

HOKA shoe – failed joint

The oddly shaped holes in the rubberized area are a stylin’ thing, not defects.

The wet-looking stuff is E6000+ adhesive, which then got clamped overnight:

HOKA shoe – clamping

It cured and seems to be holding the pieces together:

HOKA shoe – glued

HOKA shoes came highly recommended by a friend and carry a corresponding price tag. Mary felt expensive shoes should hold together better than that, so (before I undertook the repair) she returned them under warranty. Some weeks later, the shoes reappeared with a note describing the failure as “normal wear and tear” which is not covered by the warranty.

Whereupon I was given permission to have my way with them.

For whatever it’s worth, this also happened:

HOKA site blocking

Mary’s conclusion was they’re nice shoes and fit well, but they’re definitely not worth three times the price of the shoes she’d been wearing.

Comments

4 responses to “HOKA Shoe: FAIL”

2025-09-29

eriklscott

Funny this would pop up. :-)

Given the price of running/walking/whatever shoes, I’ve recently held a Shoe Repair Clinic Day down at The Farm ™. Half a tube later of Gorilla’s own-brand E6000 equivalent (it’s just rubber cement, and that is definitely, certainly not an invitation to abuse the product by concentrating and inhaling the fumes) and I have some shoes I can wear again.

Hokas are super cushy but they wear through super quickly. The bottoms of two of mine are almost all foam and almost no sole anymore. That’s really not as much of a problem as it seems. The interesting part is that the sock liner (aka “insole”, but not really) wears through quickly and becomes quite uncomfortable. For whatever reason, expensive gel insoles (or even cheap ones) only last a few weeks. The cheapest drug store house-branded foam-and-fabric ones last quite well.

Your repair, if it’s like mine, will probably “fail” in a few days. I interpret this as “it will present an opportunity to see exactly where more glue is needed”. Stick the end of the tube into the opening and just cake that stuff in there. An entire tube of glue is a twentieth of the price of a replacement pair.

The thing is, despite all of this, I’m about to buy another pair. I thought “hey, these New Balance are a third of the price!” and they lasted about two months. Yes, I’m a bit on the heavy side, and I “run heavy” – my stride is not what any coach would call “efficient”, “elegant”, or even “acceptable” – but shoes ought to last more than two months of (literally) pounding the pavement.

Reply
1. 2025-09-29
  
  Ed
  
  Our New Balance shoes seem to last a year, although Mary says after nine months hers start feeling flat; I may simply have insensitive feet.
  
  I wear an “indoor” pair All Day Long around here and an “outdoor” pair for those infrequent occasions when I get out of the house. Perhaps mine last longer because they get much less wear?
  
  Reply
2025-10-01

Joules

that’s unfortunate that they broke down so early. I wear my Hokas daily (and during 12 hour shifts at the hospital) and they’ve held up great. I even wipe them down with the harsh antiseptic wipes after my shifts about once a week. Maybe there’s a difference in durability between the normal Hokas and the ones made for nurses?

Reply
1. 2025-10-01
  
  Ed
  
  You’re definitely made of tough stuff and, for the price of those shoes, you should get similar durability! Glad they’re working out for you.
  
  Reply