Being a running shoe junkie you become something of a shoe expert by default. You can’t help it! You see the good, the bad and the ugly of the shoe world real quick. Two of the premier running shoe makers are New Balance and Hoka. I happened to luck out and get the original versions of both the Zante and the Clayton pictured above. Originals are good to get because invariably shoe companies make a very good shoe and then muck it up with “improvements”. I have yet to find a shoe where V2 wasn’t heavier and harder than V1.

As far as weight, both the Zante and the Clayton come in at 7.8 ounces (in a men’s 9 1/2). Very good for shoes that are also nicely cushioned. For the casual runner they will take you as far as you want to go. I wasn’t particularly enamored with either shoe starting off. I’d been running in shoes that were a little more cushioned, in the 9.2 – 10.8 ounce range. Shoes like the Ghost, Clifton, Air Zoom Span, Glycerin, NB 1080.

Supposedly lightweight shoes like the Kinvara and Pure Flow turned out to be a waste of money. Hard, tight, uncomfortable shoes. The Zante and the Clayton came in lighter and infinitely more comfortable for the feet. By wearing the bad ones, I began to see the virtues of the good ones. The Zante has the most unique cushioning. Its outsole and insole do a wonderful job of protecting your foot from the pounding, but you retain incredible feel for the road.

The Clayton is nicely cushioned, but you lose feel for the road by being slightly more protected from sharp underfoot protrusions. I suppose I would give a slight edge to the Zante as it just feels nicer on the foot. There’s nothing wrong with switching between the two either! And perhaps best of all, by getting them after the new models were out, I got the Zante for $65 and the Clayton for $104! Arch support? Slight edge to Zante. Tongue padding? Slight edge to Zante. Collar padding? Edge to Zante.

None of this is to say that this pair of lightweight, nicely cushioned shoes are the only way to go. What I am saying is that in their class I can’t imagine a better shoe (for the neutral runner). For my tastes, I’m starting to think my feet prefer the maximum cushioned ride of the Ghost 10. I’m also waiting to try the Bondi 5. I’m willing to give up 2 1/2 ounces in shoe weight to pamper my feet. But for those other times…