HOKA Arahi 7 Review: Reliable Lightweight Stability Shoe

Stack Height, Drop, Weight and Price

In the men’s shoe, the HOKA Arahi 7 stack height comes in at 37mm in the heel and 32mm in the forefoot for a 5mm drop. That drops to 34mm in the heel and 29mm in the women’s, also for a 5mm drop.

In my US men’s 9.5 test shoe size, the HOKA Arahi 7 weighs in at 273g or 9.7oz. That’s considerably lighter than bigger stack daily trainers like the ASICS Gel Kayano.

On price, you’ll pay $145 in the US, that’s actually five bucks more expensive than the Arahi 6 but still towards the cheaper end for a daily training shoe.

Design

Let’s start with that familiar and unchanged midsole. You’ve still got a compression moulded EVA midsole like you had on the Arahi 6. That’s tuned towards the firmer side, to help deliver that reliable support, with an early stage metarcocker to smooth transitions from landing to take off. The other key stability element is HOKA’s J-Frame™ support technology, essentially a J shaped sweep of firmer foam that runs down the shoe to combat overpronation without adding extra stiffness or weight.

Up top is where the changes come with a new zonally engineered, flat knit upper that aims to improve the midfoot lockdown. The new upper is quite thick compared to the lighter uppers on the previous gen. You’ve also got some no-nonsense lacing thst’s nicely robust, traditional in design and easy to get closure across the midfoot.

The stretchy gusseted tongues are plusher and nicely padded quite a way down onto the top of the midfoot. The heel collars are medium padded and a bit thicker in the heel kick back at the rear than on the side walls but generally well balanced.

Flip them over and you’ve got a durabrasion rubber outsole for grip and durability with good coverage.

The HOKA Arahi 7 also come in regular and wide options. We tested the regular for this review. More on that coming up next…

Fit

I ran in a UK 8.5 / US 9.5 which is my regular running shoe size in most brands and generally what I’d run in for HOKA shoes.

The fit initially felt a bit tight when I first put the shoes on and there’s not a lot of room here. That eased off after a few runs and a bit of tweaking of the lacing but overall I find the toe box quite narrow and the foothold quite snug.

I had no problems with that but if you like it roomier, or you’ve got wide feet I’d definitely consider the wide option or maybe going half a size up. Particularly if you’re planning to run long long miles or be in them for long durations.

Performance

In testing I’ve run 30+ miles in the Arahi 7. Mainly easy paces but with some faster miles, mostly on road but a good chunk on uneven river paths, to really test that stability.

Aside from a slightly narrow initial feeling, the step in comfort is pretty good here. Your feet certainly feel well held in the heels and the midfoot lockdown is secure.

On the move, I found the ride initially very firm. Even as someone who likes firmer, stiffer shoes that too a little getting used to. There wasn’t a lot of give and I could feel the road coming up on those early miles.

Disclaimer: I had just come from testing some of the max cushioned dailies like the Novablast 4, Nimbus 26, Brooks Ghost Max and ASICS Gel Kayano 30, so maybe that made it feel more pronounced but this isn’t your soft, pillowy Nimbus or New Balance 1080v13.

Even though that compression EVA midsole softens as you clock more miles in them – and you will have a breaking in period – I think the firmness or cushioning is closer to some of Altra’s shoes, like the FWD Experience, than the softer cushioned stability Kayano 30.

There’s not much sink into the midsole but that – along with the stiffness – might open this up to some faster efforts. It wouldn’t be my choice for uptempo but like the FWD Experience that stiffness gives it some of that capability which is great in a stability shoe.

The Arahi 7 aims to deliver reliable wobble-free and consistent landings and that’s what you get. The rolling transitions are helped by the rocker and the more I ran in them, the more balanced I think the ride felt.

It reminded me a little of a road version or some of inov-8’s trail rides where things are firm but light enough that you can easily drop into a clip and the firmness fades.

For me this is another of those shoes that does just about enough to soften the road to give it long mile capacity but you have to be clipping along and paying attention to your foot turnover. The lighter and faster you’re turning over, the better this shoe runs.

If you do, the shoe pays you back with a good flowing ride that’s lighter than you imagine. It’s not going to forgive all the sins of a heavy footed plod, over long distance I think it comes up a little firm and direct for that. So if you’re after mega cushy comfort there are better shoes.

However, you can’t quibble with the stability here every step felt assured and secure but not forced. There’s a good natural ride and even on the cut up river paths I had confidence in each landing.

On durability, from my initial miles, these look built to handle big mileage. The firmer midsole is less likely to degrade as some softer foams might and the outsole shows little sign of wear so far. So the signs for high mileage are good.

My Verdict

This is a solid stability shoe with a ride that’s almost like a firmer, more stable Clifton. There’s also definitely comparisons here with the ride of the Altra Via Olympus or the Altra FWD Experience.

Like those shoes, don’t expect much spring and energy. There’s a stiffness and firmness to the midsole and landings that might not float everyone’s boat.

But if you need stability then you probably don’t want whacking great wedges of wobbly foam firing you all over the shop.

If reliable and predictable is what you need, the HOKA Arahi 7 serves that up nicely. Overall there’s a good balance with a lightness and comfort on foot backed up by just about enough protection for longer runs. Although I think there’s a 90-minute sweet spot and I’m not sure I’d want to go longer.

If you prefer shoes more direct with precision over the heavier, bulkier bigger stack and softer shoes like the Kayano 30, this is definitely one to look at. Fans of those softer shoes will likely find this a bit too firm.

Overall if you want a stability shoe that’s a bit more direct, this is a good option. It’s pretty keenly priced, too.