Asics Novablast 5 vs Hoka Clifton Pro:
Which to Choose

Start with what's identical, because a lot is: both run an 8mm heel-to-toe drop, both are neutral with a wide, forgiving base and no medial post, both skip a plate, and both peak around the half marathon before topping out near 4:15–4:30 min/km, where a dedicated racer takes over. Weight is close too — the Novablast 5 comes in around 255g and the Clifton Pro around 264g in a men's US 9 — so neither feels notably heavier on foot. Stack heights are also in the same neighborhood, roughly 41.5mm at the heel for the Novablast and 43mm for the Clifton Pro, both with a forefoot in the low-30s mm. Where they part ways is ride feel, and it's a real difference, not a marketing one. The Novablast's FF Blast Max foam is soft and overtly bouncy — a trampoline-like rebound that springs you forward and genuinely comes alive when you lift the pace, at the cost of feeling tall and a touch floaty at very easy, plodding speeds. The Clifton Pro takes the opposite tack: its ProGlide+ supercritical EVA is moderately firm rather than pillowy, and it leans on an aggressive MetaRocker to tip you forward and drive quick, rolling transitions, so the propulsion comes from geometry as much as from foam squish. That firmer, rocker-led ride can feel insistent at very slow shuffling paces until you settle in, whereas the Novablast's softness is most awkward exactly there. Durability is the other practical split: the Clifton Pro's near end-to-end rubber outsole is built to grind out miles, while the Novablast's more exposed foam asks for a little more care over the long haul.