The On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper LS: what a mouthful of a name, and what an interesting-looking shoe. This marks the second time On has put its LightSpray technology into a shoe, after debuting it on the Cloudboom Strike LS, and this time, rather than a race-day option, LightSpray comes to an up-tempo workout shoe instead. It’s a super lightweight version of the regular Cloudmonster Hyper, which released a bit earlier in the year and was already one of my go-to shoes for a lot of running, especially steadier workouts.
Coming in at 205g in a men’s 8.5, with a 45mm stack, 6mm drop, and the same Helion HF (PEBAX) and Helion (EVA) dual-foam setup as the regular Hyper, at €280/$280/£270, I was quite excited to get my hands on the LS version. I’d heard great things about it, and it looks so unique. So let’s see if the performance actually lives up to the expectations and the looks.
Upper and Fit of the On LS Cloudmonster 3 Hyper
What works for me
This shoe has one of the most unique uppers on the market right now, more worth talking about than almost any other shoe I’ve tested, simply because of the lightweight, sprayed-on LightSpray construction. Before I got my hands on it, I expected it to feel like a silky material: soft, super stretchy, almost fabric-like, but I was surprised to see that the upper felt a lot more plasticky and even rigid/cohesive than I had anticipated.
This actually works in favour of the shoe as it fits more comfortably than some similar sock-like uppers (flyknit) which are not rigid enough to keep your foot in place. I anticipated a lot more movement in the shoe due to a bad lockdown, but even with having the shoe half a size up from my regular size, it still had a great lockdown.
My favourite part of these is that they are really easy to grab and take out for a run as they don’t even have laces. They can just be slipped on and taken for a run, similar to a pair of slippers and when you’re running they just stay on. Lastly on the topic of the upper it goes without saying how good this pair of shoes looks, really one of the best looking shoes on the market in my opinion.
What doesn’t work for me
While we are on the topic of looks, one thing that is worth noting for the fashion police is that the upper is sheer, meaning the color (and design) of your socks will be visible to the world… I never actually tested this shoe without socks, but I have heard from others that it is a possibility (triathletes -> are you listening?).
My issue with the upper being slightly more rigid than a flyknit or other softer uppers is that the heel collar is rather sharp, which, paired with a half size up (or slightly larger fit) meant I experienced some cutting/rubbing of the shoe collar, particularly on my lateral malleolus bone. While this did settle over time it is worth noting for those with wider ankles and/or prominent joints.
Perhaps the biggest negative about this shoe is that it is quite a warm and non-breathable shoe. For what looks like a cloud or very open design, the shoe is actually not the best at dissipating heat. I think it isn’t the worst sensation, but for those who run hot and/or move around in their shoes it’s a serious consideration.
On sizing: given how snug and secure the fit is even sized up, my honest recommendation is still to buy true to size. The one exception would be if you have a very low-arch, low-instep foot, in which case going down half a size might be worth considering.
Midsole and Ride of the On LS Cloudmonster 3 Hyper
What works for me
The midsole setup is basically identical to the regular Hyper’s: a dual-material construction with Helion HF PEBAX on the top layer and a smaller layer of regular Helion foam underneath, built on a CloudTec construction on the EVA side. It’s a very nice, dynamic pairing of the two foams. What that combination means in practice is that this shoe is not soft, it’s nothing like your typical super trainer, which is super lightweight but has a soft, almost unstable ride. This is close to the opposite: stable, and actually on the firmer side.
The more you run in it, the better it feels, which tracks with how I already felt about the regular Hyper’s midsole. I liked it a lot, so getting a lighter version that does exactly the same thing is a welcome surprise. I really don’t struggle with this shoe at all, because I can use it for so much. It’s dynamic in a way a lot of shoes on the market aren’t: it sits comfortably in fast workout territory while also being perfectly capable of handling easy, long recovery miles. The ride itself never tips into feeling aggressive either, it stays controlled the whole way through.
What doesn’t work for me
Honestly, there’s very little to fault here. I don’t struggle with this shoe at all, it just works across the whole range of paces and run types I’ve used it for. For me the only place where I don’t think this shoe is suited is for faster track workouts. Taking this shoe to faster paces over some shorter intervals they actually felt quite “slow” or clunky even. I think this is due to the higher stack height and construction being more conducive to road running, where the track is already a softer surface, meaning some energy is lost to the surface.
Outsole of the On LS Cloudmonster 3 Hyper
Grip and Traction
The outsole is very average for this shoe. I wouldn’t call it a bad feature exactly, but it definitely doesn’t stand out as one of the shoe’s strengths either. Coverage is relatively generous across the outsole, though there’s some exposed foam in spots. The compound does what it needs to do, it’s grippy enough, but it’s not a standout compound that makes you feel confident taking this out on all kinds of wet-day terrain. Overall I’d call it pretty average, but you get quite a lot of coverage for a shoe that is essentially a road trainer.
Durability
At around €280, you expect a shoe to give you a lot back, and this one does. I’ve now put about 400km on my pair, across all kinds of terrain, and there’s definitely some wear to show for it: visible discoloration on the exposed foam sections in particular. That said, it’s not falling apart by any means, if anything it’s only feeling better the more distance I put into it. I’d say this shoe could easily go up to 1000km. The fact that it can be used for so many different types of runs, easy days, fast workouts, rather than just one narrow use case only adds to that durability value. Even the upper feels much more sturdy than most traditional textile uppers which are prone to rippage over time.
Conclusion
Value for Money
This one is a bit tricky to call. It’s always going to be hard for me to justify €280 for a shoe that isn’t even a race-day option, doesn’t have a carbon plate, and is a fairly simple construction underneath the LightSpray upper. That said, when I weigh in everything else (how much this shoe can do for you, how many paces you can actually take it to, how long it lasts, and the fact that the foam only feels better the more you run in it), I do think it’s worth spending money on.
To be clear, I’m not telling you to go and pay full price for this. But if you can find a pair at a discount, anywhere around €200-220, there’s no reason not to snag it, especially when you put it up against more dynamic, bouncier options like the Superblast 3, which just don’t have the same durability or versatility to back them up.
Fitting it into a shoe rotation
I see this shoe as a genuine do-it-all option rather than a specialist. It comfortably covers fast, up-tempo workout sessions, but it’s just as capable of being your go-to for easy, long recovery miles. Not many shoes manage to sit convincingly in both camps. It’s not built for race day, but as an everyday-to-tempo workhorse, it more than earns a permanent spot in the rotation.
Final Verdict
I really, really enjoyed this lightweight version. It sits a little bit outside the market by being firmer than most shoes in this category, but that never comes at the cost of it being fun and dynamic to run in. The upper feels comfortable, and I’m honestly loving the way this shoe looks. On has really smashed it here. My only real caveat is the price point, though for an On shoe, that’s more or less what you’ve come to expect. All things considered, I’d call this one of the best value-for-money shoes On makes right now, purely because of how much you get out of it across so many different types of runs. I’ve enjoyed this more than the regular Hyper too, which by comparison now feels a little too clunky and a little too heavy.
Comparisons Against Similar Shoes
On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper LS vs. On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper
Same midsole DNA, same dual-foam setup, same general ride character, but the LS version strips away a good chunk of weight and, with it, the clunkiness of the regular Hyper. Where the Hyper started to feel a little heavy and cumbersome to me over time, the LS version keeps everything I liked about that midsole while feeling noticeably lighter and more nimble on foot.
On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper LS vs. ASICS Superblast 3
The Superblast 3 is the more dynamic, bouncier shoe of the two: if pure energy return and playfulness is what you’re after, it has the edge. But it doesn’t come close to matching the Hyper LS on durability. If you want something that can take a real beating across hundreds of kilometers of mixed use without losing its character, the Hyper LS wins that comparison easily for me.
