Hi people welcome to The Run Testers and in this video we’ve got two big cushioned, big mileage, big hitters going head to head. We’ve got the Brooks Ghost Max vs the ASICS Gel Nimbus 26. Both shoes are built for easy miles and maximum comfort. But which one is best? Watch on to find out in our head to head Brooks Ghost Max vs ASICS Gel Nimbus 26 review.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
0:00 – Intro
0:17 – Details
0:53 – Shoe Comparison
2:10 – Fit
3:34 – The Run Test
9:33 – Verdict
Buy them now*:
ASICS Gel Nimbus 26 (Sportsshoes.com):
Brooks Ghost Max (Sportsshoes.com):
Subscribe to The Run Testers for more running gear reviews:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRunTesters?sub_confirmation=1
*Occasionally, we use affiliate links on products we feature. If you click on these links and buy a product may receive some money in return – but this doesn’t come at a cost to you. Our use of affiliate links does not affect what we say about products and if you’d rather not use the links you can find the items using the search engine of your choice.
Hey people welcome to the Run testers And in this video we've got two big Cushioned big mileage big hitters going Head-to-head we've got the Brooks ghost Max versus the aex Joe Nimbus 26 both of These shoes are built for easy miles and Maximum Comfort but which one's best Watch on to find out in our head-to-head Review let's give you some details first Stack Heights then the Nimbus 26 has 42 Ms in the hill 34 in the 4T for an 8 mil Drop the ghost Max packs 39 Ms in the Hill 33 in the 4T for a 6 mil drop on Weight the aex GEL Nimbus 26 comes in at 11.1 Oz or 314 G in a UK 8 a half the Ghost Max meanwhile tip the scales at 10.3 o or 293 G in the UK and a half When it comes to price the numers 26 $160 or $ 1880 the ghost Max comes in a Chunk cheaper at £40 or $150 quick shoe whip round then let's Start with the mids an Imus 26 midsole Remains largely the same with a big wide Stack of flight foam blast plus Eco foam That's made with 20% biobased content It's tuned medium soft to soft with a Bit of rebound plus there's a familiar Kind of pure gel heel insert here Section of springy rebounding material Incorporated into the mids soole to Create soft cushion Landings with Maximum Impact absorption you also get a Rocked midsole geometry that aims to Provide smooth transitions looking then
At the ghost Max this features soft DNA Loft version two foam in its big stack That's also tuned medium soft to soft And there's rocking here too now both Shoes balance the big Stacks with big Broad wide cushioned platforms to run Off they also both use rockers to smooth The transitions up top the ghost Max has Engineered mesh uppers while the Nimbus 26 have engineered stretch knit uppers Those Nimbus uppers are thicker with Slightly less Flex there's big padded Heel colors on both the ghost Max non- Gusseted tongues are more padded and Traditional the Nimbus stretchy knitted Gusseted tongues if you flip them over Both shoes have pretty liberal coverings Of quite thick out soole rubber there's Poss possibly a few more exposed areas On the ners 26 here than on the ghost Max but all the important areas are Covered on both Shoes so when it comes to fit and Testing I ran in my regular UK 8 and a Half running shoe size in both of these Shoes in the Nimbus 26 the fit was good For me with plush stepping comfort that You expect from a nimbus the padded Collars hold the heels well the tongues Boost the plushness overall and those Uppers wrap quite snugly but there's Ample room in the toe box to flex those Toes you know there's enough room for Them to feel sort of spacious it's a bit
Of flex in the uppers there I got decent Lace locked down across the midfoot too From these shoes comfort and fit here I Think is reliable and I would recommend Going true to sizing those when it comes To the ghost Max they also fit well true To size for me the fit again is quite Snug I found it hugging rather than Roomy particularly in the toe box around The little pinkies but there's enough Flex in the uppers across the top to Avoid it getting restrictive I've got Good lock down and heel hold and I had No problem s running in my regular Running shoe size and so for both of These I would recommend going true to Size so I found the fit of both of these Shoes was perfectly good in my normal Running shoe size I'm a uk9 with both of These Brands that's a US 10 uh and they Could be fairly roomy these shoes Because I'm between a US 9.5 and a 10 But I found that the fit was good for me There's lots of room in the toe box you Maybe slightly too much room for some People but that's about where I like it For easy Run shoes like this to have a Full thumbs width of space in there Decent hold around the heel and midfoot Comfortable amount of padding at the Back there so yeah I was happy in my nor Running shoe size with both of these Shoes now in my run test I've done north Of 40 mi in the Nimbus and around 45
Miles in the Brooks ghost Max that is a Mix of Paces some good duration runs in Both and on a combination of Road and Light off-road River paths the usual Kind of stuff I've also done a side by Side Mile with one shoe on each foot and Here is what I found so I've just done My side by-side mile I've got the Brooks Ghost Max on the left foot I've got the Nimbus 26 on the right foot and as with The max versus dous 25 the key here is How similar these shoes really are on The feet they feel very very similar Indeed in terms of the fit in terms of How they hold in terms of that kind of Plush comfort in terms of the generally Kind of roomy toe box but the nice hug Across the midfoot the top of the Midfoot on the feet these shoes feel Very very similar they are plush cushion Cruisers made to go long and slow in Comfort and you're getting that Oodles Of sort of padding around the heel Collars nice hold there and you know Plush padded tongues all of that kind of Thing here is very very similar between The two shoes now when I did the ghost Max versus the Nimbus 25 review I kind Of said that I feel like Brooks Basically made a nimbus but made it Slightly better and now I've got these Both on my feet I think that still Rings True there are some changes to the nimus 26 over the 25 I don't think I've
Progressed the nus 26 you've got that Kind of stiffer rubber out soole that Makes the whole ride a little bit Stiffer I think a little more bit more Slappy and a little bit less comfortable Than the Nimbus 25 the nimus 25 for me Is still a better shoot what that means Here is I I think overall I prefer the Ride of the ghost Max now the ghost Max It feels a little bit flatter there's Not quite so much in the heel so you do Feel the difference in that kind of Midsole Stack volume where you've got a Little bit of extra in the ners 26 which Some people might like if you want a bit More cushioning under the heels you land Further back in your heels maybe you Need that I don't I sort of tend to land Midot to 4T so I like the fact that the Max feels a little flatter and kind of Rolls through a little bit easier and Quicker for me now I've just done that Mile I prefer the ghost Max basically The ride is just a little bit more Natural I think they roll through better I think they're a little bit more Precise they're a little bit less h on The foot even though both of these are Big hulking great shoes when you put Them in that comparison I think the Ghost Max just just fit feels generally Just a little bit more uh easy to run in So the nimus 26 is obviously a bit Heavier and I think you do notice that
On the foot marginally I think that's Basically down to the fact that you've Got a slightly wider 4 foot platform and A slightly wider heel platform there Than you have with the ghost Max and Again I think that adds to that you know The difference in that overall feeling Of sort of compactness on the foot and The ghost Max just edges it in terms of Feeling a little bit more Compact and a Little bit more natural to run in as a Result I think the truth of the matter Really is that choosing between these Two shoes it's very much about the Margins and I think you could buy either Of these shoes for the purpose of Running easy and slow and long recovery Miles that kind of thing and you're Going to get a good performance out of Both of them or at least an onp par Performance out of both of them the Margins are cut of down to what your Preferences are going to be and I'm Going to sum up what mine are in the Verdict I'll let you know which of these Two shoes I think I would go for Personally I've logged around 50 or 60k In both of these shoes and for the most Part I've enjoyed running in both of Them I would class both of them very Much as easy Run shoes the kind of shoes I'd have in my rotation just for those Recovery runs easy runs the occasional Long run but there some versatility
There especially with the Brooks ghost Max which we'll talk about bit later but Very much I found the best suited to Those easy runs you've got a lot of Comfort and protection under foot Neither are excessively soft or wobbly Or anything like that you've got a Decent amount of stability features in Them things like wide bases and stuff Like that without explicitly being Stability shoes they are both Comfortable and supportive and and good For those easy runs you nice relaxed Paces also done a bit of running got bow Shoes on at the same time and I would Say overall they got a slightly softer Feel with the astics Jael Nimbus 26 I'd Say you get a little bit more sinking Into the foam you have on this shoe a Little bit maybe slightly more bounce Back as well but Brooks you've got a More notable rocker I'd say the aex has A bit of a rocker going on it's a fairly Smooth shoe but it's much clearer with The Brooks ghost Max it's got the Slightly lower drop and you get that More fluid running sensation in the shoe I'd say despite the fact the foam isn't Particularly impressive I don't think Under 30 not getting a lot of Bounce out Of it or anything like that but the Overall geometry of the shoe is well set Up that you can roll through miles Especially at easy Paces very
Comfortably in the shoe got a bit more Of a snap through from the SX on Nimbus 26 slightly softer phone maybe a Slightly springier phone but don't think That amounts to a better run feeling I Probably prefer the rocket feel of the Brooks which is still very comfortable Despite the fact it is a little bit Firmer but then has that slightly more Fluid transition which not only I think Makes it more enjoyable at easy Paces I Do like a nice rocket cheu for that kind Of runme it does I think give the ghost Max a little bit more versatility uh Than the ax J numers 26 for me ghost Max I think could almost be viewed as a Cushion daily trainer especially if You're a newer Runner who wants just a Nice protective shoe to use for all your Runs I think it does that job pretty Well because you've got that rocker There done a little bit of faster stuff In this shoe and you know it copes for It okay like someone like myself I said Got running shoe rotation I'd be using Speedier shoes for fast runs but one Shoe Runners who want a protective Option first and foremost ghost Max does Deliver that protection but then that Rocker the way the ride rolls through so Nicely I think does make it fairly Suitable for faster runs as well so that Gives a little bit of edge I think on The Gel Nimbus which just doesn't feel
Good I think trying to move at fast Paces I have done one session in this Shoe and it's just a bit big and Hefty You slap through a little bit onto the Forefoot when you do those kind of runs It's actually not quite so comfortable When you're running fast in the shoe Because it doesn't have the most fluent A transition like I said you get a very Snappy feel and I got a little bit of For foot discomfort when I was running Fast in the shoe it's a big old shoe Doesn't have much really going for the Geometry to move you along at anything Other than easy Paces so I do like it as A comfortable shoe for those easy runs But I think if you looking at Versatility you get a bit more from the Brooks and it's a slightly more Nimble Shoe as well the Brooks so yeah I think Overall I prefer the ride feel of the Brooks both them very much mainly Designed for those easy cruises like I Say but I not only prefer the more Rocket Field you get with the Brooks for Those easy runs I also find it a little Bit better if you are going to try and Use it for anything pushing past easy Paces verdict then and first up I'm Going to say I much prefer the nibus 25 And I recommend that over the 26 that's On test here and it's a much closer call Between the 25 in the ghost Max for me The 26 is a bit more Slappy not quite as
Smooth as its predecessor still there's Not much to choose between the 26 and The ghost Max when it comes to comfort On fit on stability and on durability They're very closely match to choose What you do notice is the extra weight In the ners 26 and there's quite a big Difference on price here 40 in the UK at Least it's only 10 bucks difference in The US but it's really the ride that's The major difference the ghost Maxs are For me more immediate they're more Responsive they're a match for the Nimbus for the cushioned easy protection But I think they're better at the faster Paces because of that slightly firmer Snappier response you know I don't think The assx made the Nimbus better this Generation for my money Brooks basically Made a shoe it's incredibly Nimbus like But they kind of made it more versatile And marginally better if you're looking Beyond these two shoes I'd also Recommend looking at things like the New Balance 1080 v13 and the sakon ride 17 As good options this is quite an easy Verdict for me because I do think the Brooks ghost Max is a better shoe more Enjoyable shoe around and it's the Cheaper shoe so it's the one I'd be Recommending for sure I think the rocker On it works really well it's a very Effective rocker very comfortable makes Easy run stick by very nicely gives it a
Little bit more versatility than the G Nimbus which I do think is just a soft Easy run shoe only you know I think it's It's a very comfortable shoe it's got Some natural stability there and I do Think it'll be a very easy shoe to Recommend to lots of people got great Step in for Comfort it's comfortable on The run it's not quite as soft as the Gel nimas so maybe if you just want the All out softness underf foot then the Gel nimas provides it a bit better but I Think the ghost is still you know soft And comfortable enough for sure and then A little bit more verstile and it's like More comfortable ride feel because of The rocker on the shoe Jo is a really Good cushion shoe as well but it's very Expensive I there's not really anything That I think it does you know better Than the ghost max if anything I think The ghost Max is better in quite a few Categories so yeah quite a simple versus For me this one I'll be getting the Brooks ghost Max so there you have it That's been our head-to-head between the Aex jail nimbers 26 and the Brooks ghost Max we hope you found it useful we'd Love to hear your thoughts on these Shoes so if you're' running them or you Have any questions let us know in the Comments below don't forget to hit like And subscribe and ring that Bell to hear About new content when it lands if
You're interested in other kind of big Maxed cushion daily trainers I'm going To stick a couple of videos up on the Channel that you want to watch Now otherwise it's been great to talk to You about the issues and we hope to see You again soon on the run test say happy Running everyone
