The On Cloudmonster Hyper has arrived and it looks like a shoe to get excited about, with a dual-density midsole that contains a thick wedge of On’s Peba-based Helion HF foam as well as the brand’s signature CloudTec pods.
On has billed it as the ultimate daily trainer, combining a high level of comfort and protection for your legs during high mileage weeks, while also having enough pop for faster runs thanks to the bouncy Helion HF in the midsole.
I wasn’t all that enamored of the On Cloudmonster 2, but the Cloudmonster Hyper has already impressed me more after just one run, and its versatility will make it one of the best On running shoes for those seeking cushioning and a bit of speed.
The price is very high though, with the Cloudmonster Hyper costing $219.99 in the US and £210 in the UK. That’s very expensive for a daily trainer, and a high price even for a super-trainer that uses the foam from On’s carbon plate running shoe, the On Cloudboom Echo 3.
For my first run in the On Cloudmonster Hyper I took it out for an easy hour the day after a half marathon race, so I was on tired legs. The shoe did feel comfortable and I was surprised at the pace I was running at for an easy effort level and low heart rate, and the midsole certainly has more bounce than On’s other cushioned shoes, like the Cloudeclipse and Cloudmonster 2.
I’m not sure the layer of Cloudtec pods on the bottom add much though. They’re heavier than the Helion HF foam and firmer, and the way the pods and the rubber on the bottom of them hit the ground creates a ‘slappy’ feel at times.
This firmer layer will help make the shoe more stable, which is needed with Peba-based foams, especially as the Cloudmonster Hyper doesn’t have the carbon plate of the Cloudboom Echo 3 to stabilize it. Removing this stiff plate makes it more comfortable and suitable for daily training, although you lose the propulsive boost of a plate.
I picked up the pace for short periods on my run in the shoe and you do get more bounce from the midsole when you do so, but I’m not convinced it will be a great option for faster training sessions, partly because it’s pretty heavy at 9.5oz/270g. I’ll do some fast runs in it for our full review to check on that though.
My first impressions of the shoe are that it should be a great daily trainer for high mileage runners, who also have a faster shoe in their running shoe rotation for sessions. The price is prohibitively high, however, especially when there are excellent options available for less, like the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 if you are happy to train in a nylon-plated shoe, or the Hoka Mach 6 and New Balance Rebel v4 if you’d rather go plateless.
Even the Asics Superblast is cheaper, and it's lighter and that has so far set the gold standard for high-stack super-trainers without a plate. The On Cloudmonster Hyper will have to really impress over further testing to convince me it’s worth the money.
