HOKA Arahi 8 Vs Arahi 7 – A Big Step Up!

Design

The Arahi 7 was HOKA’s mid-range support type shoe, offering a combination of cushioning and control for overpronators. The cushioning came from a mid-stack CM-EVA midsole with a J-Frame support system.

While the Arahi 7 aimed to offer a combination of cushioning and control, I found the cushioning to be a little lacking, especially when many brands at this price point were introducing more premium, technical cushioning materials. To me, it did tend to feel a little ‘slappy’ when running.

The J-Frame support is a firmer section of midsole foam in the shape of the letter J. This creates a cupped section in the rear foot and extends along the medial side of the shoe to reduce overpronation.

While the Arahi 8 retains a similar CM-EVA midsole foam, it is now deeper with an additional 3mm of cushioning in the heel, which means a higher drop of 8mm, up 3mm from the 5mm drop of the Arahi 7.

An extra 3mm of cushioning doesn’t sound that much, but combined with the increase in drop height, the shoe certainly feels more cushioned and a little softer.
I have found the Arahi 8 to feel instantly more welcoming and offer a much smoother ride experience to that I felt in the previous model.

Despite the additional cushioning, the Arahi 8 is only marginally heavier than the Arahi 7 at 276g compared to 272g!

Support in the Arahi 8 has also improved with the J-Frame being replaced by a H-Frame. This H-shaped section of support was previously used in the more premium Gaviota model, and here it has a more effective level of control. I certainly noticed the difference in the level of support provided from the very first run in the Arahi 8.

Fit

The upper of the Arahi 7 used a zonal, engineered, flat knit mesh construction, which at its launch provided a good fit with a gusseted tongue and neat ankle collar padding. The Arahi 7 was a good fit for me and felt neat around my feet, which I would say are slim-to-regular in terms in width and volume. The Arahi 7 was a good fit for me.

The Arahi 8 sees the introduction of a double jacquard mesh construction for a much more premium feel. Like many of the brand’s models for 2025, the upper feels elevated, with a plusher feel and build quality. The Arahi 8 is also a good fit for me, and I feel it’s a little more premium. Neither of these shoes is a range-topping model, but I think the Arahi 8 is a slight improvement over the Arahi 7.

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While the upper and fit of the Arahi 7 was perfectly acceptable, that of the Arahi 8 is much improved. The fit is snug around the instep and midfoot, with a slightly roomier toe box with the right amount of wiggle room. It was perfect for me.

Although still a CM-EVA midsole, the additional stack in the Arahi 8 give the shoe a feel that suggests it is much more than the extra 3mm. Perhaps the additional drop into the forefoot is contributing to this, but for most runners, it will offer an improved feel upon initial heel strike.

Performance

The HOKA Arahi 7 was a competitively priced support shoe and proved to be a very popular model for the brand, providing support to overpronators who wanted to experience the HOKA design features such as the rocker-shaped geometry and lower heel drop.

While I often use a mild support type shoe for much of my training miles, I did always find the Arahi 7 to feel a little ‘slappy’. A couple of things I felt contributed to this were the lower drop and the CM-EVA midsole. The Arahi 8 feels a much smoother experience.

While many brands started to move away from CM-EVA cushioning, HOKA held onto it in many of their models, and in fact, it’s still used in the Arahi 8. This said, in the Arahi 8, the midsole foam does feel better than make CM-EVA units, with a softer, more stable feel and seems to hold up to the miles better.

The H-Frame support in the Arahi 8 controls pronation more effectively and holds up in the longer term better, too. In the Arahi 7, the J-Frame support still had a layer of softer foam on top of its medial edge. While the J-Frame control the foot, the softer layer still tended to collapse after extended use, rendering the level of control less effective as the miles increased.

The H-Frame is much more effective for a wide range of runners requiring control and handles the miles better. There are fewer signs of compression, and the overall effectiveness makes for an improved performance.

I must admit, I only covered around 50-60miles in the Arahi 7 in testing. While I do normally run in mild-support type training models for my daily miles, I never really fell in love with the shoe. I found it lacking in cushioning and felt more like a shoe from around 5 years ago.

The Arahi 8 has been a much-improved model from my perspective. I like the improvement in the cushioning, and the rocker now suits my running gait, meaning I’ve already clocked up around 100miles in the Arahi 8.

Sizing

Both the Arahi 7 and Arahi 8 fit true to size in terms of length and width compared to other models from the brand. As always, if in the UK, HOKA’s conversion between the US and UK sizes is just half a size, compared to many other brands that use a full-size difference. For example, a HOKA US10 is equal to a UK9.5. (Other brands US10=UK9)