By Kieran Alger
The On Cloudmonster Hyper takes On’s regular Cloudmonster daily trainer and hypes it up to super trainer status. The Hyper is lighter than the Cloudmonster 2, packs a bigger stack and sports an interesting new midsole setup, all designed to boost the comfort and energy. But does the Hyper deliver enough to command the $40 premium or is the Cloudmonster 2 the better option? Find out in my On Cloudmonster Hyper vs On Cloudmonster 2 head-to-head review.
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Stack Height, Drop, Weight and Price
The On Cloudmonster Hyper midsole stack comes in at 37.5mm in the heel and 31.5mm in the forefoot. The Cloudmonster 2’s packs 2.5mm less stack across the shoe with 35mm in the heel and 29mm in the forefoot. Both shoes rock a 6mm drop
On the scales, the On Cloudmonster Hyper weighs in at 9.1oz in a US Men’s size 9 – that’s slightly lighter than the Cloudmonster 2 at 10.5oz.
At $220, the On Cloudmonster Hyper has a super shoe price tag with a $40 premium on the On Cloudmonster 2 at $179.99.
Stats
On | Cloud | Cloud |
|---|---|---|
Best for | Daily training / cruising comfort | Daily training / cruising comfort |
Support | Neutral | Neutral |
Cushion | Maximum cushioning | Maximum cushioning |
Stack Height | 37.5mm Heel | 35mm Heel |
Drop | 6mm | 6mm |
Weight | 9.1oz / 258g | 10.5oz / 297g |
Suggested Retail Price | $220 | $179.99 |
Fit | True to size | True to size |
Rating | 8.0/ 10 | 8.1/ 10 |
Design
The Cloudmonster Hyper swells the growing ranks of the max-cushioned super trainers. It’s now the biggest-stack shoe in On’s line-up, packing a wedge of high-energy PEBA in an EVA Helion CloudTec foam cradle. Surprisingly, there’s no plate – carbon or nylon.
The Cloudmonster 2 has more traditional Helion foam Cloudtec elements with a dual density foam set up and the biggest Clouds we’ve seen so far in an On running shoe. There’s also a reshaped nylon blend Speedboard plate in the middle of the midsole to provide greater efficiency from touchdown to toe off.
Up top, the Cloudmonster Hyper has excellent engineered woven uppers with plenty of flex while the Cloudmonster 2 also has relatively stretchy and breathable uppers with more perforations to boost the breathability.
Both shoes pack medium-to-plush padded heel collars. Though the Cloudmonster 2 collars offer a shade more padding.
Likewise, both shoes use flat wrapping tongues that create a good disappearing comfort on the foot. There’s a touch more structure to the tongues on the Cloudmonster Hyper, offering more protection against lace pinch. I love the attention to detail on the Cloudmonster Hyper, with rubberized laces that stay locked.
Flip them over and the shoes share quite a familiar outsole rubber design with pads on all the key impact areas. The Cloudmonster Hyper grip pattern is slightly thicker in places but there’s not much to choose between the shoes here. Durability, grip and protection is about the same in both shoes.
On Cloudmonster Hyper
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On Cloudmonster 2
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Fit
In testing, I ran in a US 9 in both shoes. That’s my regular size in On running shoes.
Both shoes have really spacious toe boxes, plenty of clearance in the end and across the top of the toes.
With the Cloudmonster 2, everything was just a touch more loose and they lacked that 100% reliable dialled in feel. I had to draw the laces tight to get the midfoot locked in. I had no real problems from the looser fit – no rubbing or hotspots – so I don’t think I’d go half a size down. But I wasn’t entirely convinced by the fit.
The On Cloudmonster Hyper fit is also spacious. The toe box is certainly on the roomy side with big volume and quite a lot of length. Lockdown across the top of the foot was a bit more reliable, helped by the wrapping tongues. The heels hold well and I had no slipping.
So despite the generous room in both shoes, I would still recommend going true to size unless you have short or narrower feet.
Performance
In testing, I covered a good 35 miles in the On Cloudmonster Hyper and closer to 60 miles in On Cloudmonster 2. I covered the usual range of paces: plenty of easy, some faster interval sessions and 90 minute efforts with some marathon pace thrown in. I ran mostly on the road with some light offroad miles to really test the stability.
Both shoes have good step-in comfort and in terms of the On Cloudmonster 2 being a weightier shoe, there's not a huge amount to choose between them when they’re on the foot. Though the Cloudmonster Hyper actually feels bulkier.
When it comes to the ride, the major difference boils down to the interplay of that extra wedge of PEBA in the mid-forefoot of the Cloudmonster Hyper which makes for a more immediate return than the Cloudmonster 2.
Some runners found the original Cloudmonster too firm, stiff and rockered for a max-stack shoe and the Cloudmonster 2 is definitely tuned notably softer as a response to that. The result is a more cushioned ride but it’s also more flaccid, less energetic and just not quite as lively.
That’s fine if all you want is easy-day protection. But the Cloudmonster Hyper almost attempts to balance that cushioned feel with a bit more punch from the PEBA wedge.
What you get is an equally – if not more – cushioned ride, only the cushioning doesn't collapse as much and it responds much quicker, particularly when you're landing mid-to-forefoot where you're engaging that forefoot wedge more. There’s still softness in the heel if you’re landing further back.
The Hyper is generally a happy cruising shoe with a little bit of energy though maybe not what you’d expect from a so-called super trainer. The Cloudmonster 2 is a good, solid easy day shoe that maybe just lacks a bit of upper pace versatility that the Hyper delivers.
My Verdict
In the Cloudmonster Hyper and the Cloudmonster 2, you’ve got two big stack, highly cushioned daily trainers that offer roomy fits and happily reduce road impact, making for good long-mile cruising potential.
In terms of pure performance, choosing between the two will largely come down to whether you want a bit more softness – then the Cloudmonster 2 is best. Or a bit more punch – in which case the Cloudmonster Hyper is a small step up thanks to that PEBA insert.
If you want maximum versatility, the Cloudmonster Hyper probably handles faster better than the Cloudmonster 2 while still offering enough cushioned protection for most runners’ needs on slower, easier efforts.
But there’s the price to consider and the Cloudmonster Hyper drops in at big premium. It carries a super trainer price tag without really offering the full super trainer performance and if you’re on a budget, the On Cloudmonster 2 constitutes much better value. If you want something even snappier, more responsive but firmer and less cushioned, the On Cloudmonster first-gen is also still worth a look.
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