The Best 6mm Drop Running Shoes for Summer 2023
The battle between low drop and high drop is a tale as old as time—or at least 2017. Here are the best shoes that split that gap at 6mm.
Zero drop. High drop. There's a camp set up on each end of the drop spectrum, with proponents of low drops arguing for the benefits of a natural foot position and their adversaries campaigning in favor of the tech and support that come in cushioned high drop shoes. As with all things in life, there is a middle ground. Enter the 6mm drop shoe. High enough to put you on your toes; low enough to maintain a balanced platform. Here are the best 6mm drop shoes on the market today.
The 10 Best Running Shoes with a 6mm Drop
For many runners, the 6mm drop is the sweet spot between traditional 10mm drop shoes like the classic Nike Pegasus and new-age zero drop options like the phenoms from Altra. While high-drop shoes tend to work best for heel strikers and low drop shoes for tip-toe style runners, the 6mm drop shoe works for a variety of foot-strikes. Here are the best 6mm drop shoes for sale today.
1. Hoka Clifton 9 ($145): Best Daily Trainer with a 6mm Drop
The Hoka Clifton 9 is a reliable workhorse that excels at the varied demands of everyday running, as well as casual wear and walking use. Unlike other popular daily trainers on the market with higher 8mm or 10mm drops, the Clifton has a modest 6mm offset with a cushioned 33mm heel and 27mm forefoot. The Clifton uses an EVA-based foam midsole, which is durable and protective for long miles and long-term usage. The ride isn't the most exciting, but it's got all the core elements you need in a daily trainer: reliability, comfort, longevity.
Hoka Clifton 9
2. Adidas Takumi Sen 9 ($180): Best Uptempo Shoe with a 6mm Drop
The Adidas Takumi Sen 9 is a snappy and lightweight hornet of a shoe that's positioned by Adidas a 5k and 10k racer. In our experience, the Takumi Sen also excels at track days and all types of speed workouts. It uses Adidas' supercritical Lightstrike Pro foam, which is bouncy, dense and responsive, paired with rigid EnergyRods for increased propulsion. As a dedicated speed shoe, the Takumi Sen lacks in the comfort department; the upper is snug and the on-off experience is sausage-like, but you won't mind once you're ripping off your fastest paces on Tuesdays. Plus, you can often find the Takumi Sen on sale for less than $110.
Adidas Takumi Sen 9
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3. Atreyu Daily Trainer ($110): Best Budget Shoe with a 6mm Drop
The Atreyu Daily Trainer is an affordable everyday running option that's versatile enough for training as well as non-running use. Atreyu's motto is to honor simplicity, and they do that by serving up no-frills shoes at prices far below the market average. Where daily trainers from mainstream brands run $140 to $160, the Atreyu Daily Trainer undercuts those by a handful of Hamiltons, all while delivering an above par running experience. The ride is smooth and cushioned, and the shoe is designed for longevity with a full-coverage rubber outsole. The foam in the Daily Trainer is a supercritical EVA, a durable and moderately responsive material similar to Hoka's ProFly+ used in shoes like the Mach 5 (which, by the way, is $30 more expensive and doesn't have a rubber outsole).
Atreyu Daily Trainer
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4. Saucony Sinister ($150): Best Non-Plated Uptempo Shoe with a 6mm Drop
The Saucony Sinister is Saucony's contribution to the growing market segment of dedicated 5k and 10k road racing shoes that also includes the Adidas Takumi Sen, Nike Streakfly and Hoka Cielo. The Sinister's approach is to ditch the plate and cut weight as low as possible, coming in at a sock-light 4.9 ounces. The running experience mirrors the weight and design philosophy—simple and no frills, letting your strength do the work. There is some responsiveness and pop from the PWRRUN PB PEBA-based foam used in the midsole, but there's no plate to provide rigidity like in Saucony's other racing shoes. If you prefer to race in plated shoes, as we do, the Sinister is a great training option for speedwork.
Saucony Sinister
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5. Brooks Aurora BL ($200): Best Brooks Shoe with a 6mm Drop
The Brooks Aurora BL is an experimental shoe that was the first to debut Brooks' bouncy and responsive supercritical DNA Flash foam. The shoe has a fun ride experience, with the DNA Flash providing speed and comfort in a lightweight package. The Aurora also has a unique two-part midsole and two-part design that gives the shoe a futuristic look, which is a nice departure from the conservative design language we see across the Brooks lineup. The one knock here is the price at $200—that's more expensive than newer shoes and plated shoes, like the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3. However, if you're looking for a 6mm drop shoe that's non-plated and great for long runs, there's no better choice than the Aurora BL.
Brooks Aurora BL
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6. Saucony Endorphin Edge ($200): Best Trail Racing Shoe with a 6mm Drop
The Saucony Endorphin Edge is a trail-racing shoe with a carbon fiber plate and Saucony's PWRRUN PB PEBA-based foam. One of the first super shoes for the trails, the Edge executes on the road-running racer formula with the same midsole package as Saucony's marathon racer, the Endorphin Pro 3, but adds a more protective upper and a grippier outsole. The Edge has a fast and bouncy ride that excels on smooth off-road terrain like dirt fire roads and gravel paths. For more technical trails, like the rooty and rocky beast found on the east coast, the Edge can feel a bit tall and unstable. It's all part of what you're signing up for with the Edge, as it's the king of fast and furious on the trails.
Saucony Endorphin Edge
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7. Puma Deviate Nitro 2 ($160): Most Versatile Shoe with a 6mm Drop
The Puma Deviate Nitro 2 is a plated daily trainer with a versatile ride and durable platform. One of the shining stars in the exploding super trainer category, the Deviate Nitro 2 uses a dual-density midsole that pairs a standard EVA heel for stability with a bouncy supercritical PEBA Nitro Elite foam forefoot for pop and speed. A full plate runs throughout the midsole to stabilize the platform and add responsiveness when you want to pick up the pace. A full covering of PumaGrip outsole is a double-edged sword, as the grippy rubber provides traction and durability but also mutes some of the benefit of the plate and PEBA. The full package works together to deliver a cushioned and responsive ride that's great for long runs and cruising along in Zone 3.
Puma Deviate Nitro 2
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8. Nike Streakfly ($160): Best Nike with a 6mm Drop
The Nike Streakfly is a stripped-down 5k racer that borrows elements from the marathon king Vaporfly. The Streakfly uses the same bouncy, soft and responsive ZoomX Pebax foam as the Vaporfly but ditches the full carbon plate, opting instead for a midfoot shank to add stability and rigidity to the middle of the shoe. Like other 5k racers, this allows the Streakfly to maintain a spry 6.0 ounces on the scale, making it the lightest road shoe in Nike's lineup. With a 32mm heel and 26mm forefoot of a low-density foam that feels much thinner on foot, the Streakfly can feel minimal and less cushioned compared to what many runners are used to for everyday miles. For speedwork, the minimalist feel can be a much appreciated switch up from max cushion behemoths.
Nike ZoomX Streakfly
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9. New Balance SC Trainer v2 ($180): Best 6mm Drop Plated Max Cushion Shoe
The New Balance SC Trainer v2 is a max cushioned cruiser that also has a carbon fiber plate. With a tall stack of the bouncy and accomodating supercritical FuelCell foam, the SC Trainer v2 is comfortable for everyday running efforts and recovery runs. The carbon fiber plate also makes the SC Trainer a viable speedwork and racing option for runners not overly concerned with weight. While it's not the most nimble carbon fiber–plated shoe, the SC Trainer is a great option for runners who want a carbon plated shoe for high mileage training that doesn't have the aggressive feel and uncomfortable upper of traditional super shoes.
New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer v2
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10. On Cloudmonster ($170): Best On Running Shoe with a 6mm Drop
We've wrote it before, and we'll write it again: it wouldn't be a best of running shoe list without On, everyone's new favorite running brand. Here, On makes the cut with a 6mm drop beauty in the On Cloudmonster, the Swiss brand's first crack at a max cushioned shoe. Though the heel stack is a modest 30mm compared to other cruisers like the ASICS Gel-Nimbus 25 (41.5mm heel) and the Saucony Triumph (37mm heel), it rides higher and keeps the feet protected through CloudTec pods underfoot. The Cloudmonster uses a single layer of massive pods that give a unique squish-and-release sensation on the ride from expansion and contraction when you land and toe-off. At $170, there's a bit of price premium on the Cloudmonster compared to comparable shoes due to On's premium market positioning—the Nimbus and Triumph are $160; New Balance's More is $150—but none of those brands can touch On's cool factor right now.
On Cloudmonster
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Final Thoughts
There are great options in every category at the 6mm drop mark. While low drop shoes tend to geared toward everyday running, we see 6mm drop shoes designed for everything from recovery runs to race day. No matter the outing you're looking to tackle, there's a 6mm drop waiting for you.
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