The Brooks Ghost Max takes the design of the Ghost and increases the stack of DNA Loft V2 midsole foam to produce a more cushioned experience. Unlike some other max shoe options, the 4mm of extra foam still retains a relatively firm ride, working alongside a GlideRoll rocker design to improve transitions.
The Ghost 15 is Brooks’s go-to daily trainer for runners who want reliability and comfort. The updated DNA Loft V2 midsole provides a stable ride with a subtle level of cushioning, while the segmented outsole crashpad offers extra flexibility for smoother transitions.
Tom and Nick have been testing both shoes to see which they would pick.
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JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:18 – Stats
00:39 – Design
01:58 – How’s The Fit?
03:04 – The Run Test
08:38 – Verdict
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Hey Toby from the Run testers and this Is our versus of the Brooks ghost Max And the Brooks ghost 15 which I can't Find at the moment I think I've left it At someone's house um but we're going to Dive in and we're going to do comparison Of these two Shoes the Brooks ghost Max costs £140 or $150 weighs 288 G or 10.2 o for men in a Size 8 and the drop is 6 mm Brooks ghost 15 cost £135 or $140 it weighs 286 G or 10.1 Oz for men in a size 8 the drop is 11 Mm the ghost 15 is Brooks's go-to daily Training for runners who want Reliability and comfort the updated DNA Loft V2 midsole provides a stable ride With a subtle level of cushioning while The segmented outsole Crash Pad offers Extra flexibility for smoother Transitions the shoe sits at the firmer End of cushioned options providing a More supportive experience than softer Alternatives which makes it a good Option for beginners or people looking For a comfortable Workhorse with plenty Of durability the upper is an engineered Mesh design that provides a good level Of comfort with 3D printed sections Across the shoe to improve the structure And ensure a supportive fit the outsole Also features a healthy layer of rubber To improve durability and provide a good Level of grip the ghost Max takes the
Design of The Ghost and increases the Stack of DNA Loft V2 midell phone to Produce a more cushioned experience Unlike some other shoe options 4 mm of Extra foam still retains a relatively Firm ride working alongside a Glide roll Rocker design to improve transitions in Comparison to many Max cushion shoes That Fir and mid soole is noticeably More stable making it more accessible For runners who want plenty of Cushioning without losing support that Extra stability also comes from a wider Base other features include a Comfortable and breathable upper and a Healthy layer of outso rubber for grip And to protect the midell Phone so both shoes fit really well for Me in my normal running shoe size it's The size I've been using for Brooks Cushion shoes for a long time they're Both very comfortable lots of padding Around the tongue and heel and have a Good amount of room in the toe box for What is both predominantly easy day Shoes for me so it's nice to have a lot Of room in there yeah so I was very Happy in my normal running shoe size uh With the Brooks ghost and ghost Max so Fit for me in both of these shoes is Pretty similar uh the Brooks ghost Max It's there's quite a roomy for foot in It um I'm an eight in the UK this is Size eight and I would definely stayed
To my size in this shoe there's a nice Spit from the upper i' probably say There's a little bit less space in the Forefoot than what you might get in um Some shoes but I didn't have any issues With at all I felt very comfortable and They felt like there was plenty of room In the for foot for me so I'd stay to my Size in the goats Brooks so stay to my Size in the Brooks ghost Max in the Brooks ghost 15 very similar uper I've Got size eight in that shoe uh in the UK Bits perfectly very comfortable plenty Of space in the foref foot as well so Pretty much the same for for both of These and I stay to my size in both Shoes so the ghost 15 was a shoe I Tested a while ago now and I wasn't a Big fan of it I found it just a little Bit too clumpy and heavy for me I didn't Really like the very high drop you have On the shoe and generally I don't mind a High drop shoe but the ghost 15 is Almost a bit of a throwback these days With it's very high drop you really do Snap through and that creates a bit of 4 Foot discomfort for me as a heel Striker And in general I think it doesn't Produce a very versatile ride like it's Okay for mooching along but if I want to Start running fast the way that drop Snaps through I think almost slows me Down a fair bit on the Run whereas of The ghost Max The Rocker really is
Noticeable and I think it's the key Differentiating feature between them OB You got loads more foam on the ghost Max And that does create a bit more Cushioning and comfort but I think it's The rocker that really improves the ride Feel for me compared to the ghost 15 It's a really smooth ride it makes the Shoe feel lighter than it is like it Makes it feel lighter than the ghost 15 Was nice testing that even though the Weight is still quite high on the ghost Max but it ticks along very nicely it Gives it a bit more burst to when I move Through the gears in the ghost Max it Feels quite comfortable and especially For long runs where I'm never really Running hard but I just want to tick Along and a good Pace throughout ghost Max feel is really good for that kind of Thing protects your legs well very fluid Rolls through nice rocker whereas the Ghost 15 is more noticeable in a bad way Like I said snapping through getting a Bit of for foot discomfort there's a lot More cushioning under the for foot of The ghost Max as well which I do like on A shoe and that produces a ride that I Prefer for any kind of run I think it's More comfortable and cushion for easy Runs I like it more for long runs for Sure and I do think though neither Particularly versatile shoes I'd Probably give the ghost Max The Edge on
That because the rocker just makes it That slightly more fluid ride that makes It a little bit more versatile if you Are going to start increasing the pace a Little bit both of them have got Excellent outsoles I'll say that used Both of them in the UK at times there's Been slick Pavements leaves all over Them and both have gripped really well For me both got excellent uppers very Cushion nothing to pick between them There so idas does come down to that Ride field if you want the very high Drop and the snappier traditional ride Of the ghost 15 it's there but I much Prefer the Rocket Ride you get with the Ghost Max which is more comfortable and In general I think just makes for a Better experience on really any kind of Run so yeah I definitely prer the run Test in the ghost Max whenever a shoe is Released that is Max cushion I normally Get very excited I love cushion shoes I Love having soft or bouncy shoes um and I was never a massive fan of any of the Uh original ghosts so when the Brooks uh Ghost Max came out or we heard about it I was very excited because I thought it Might be a similar scenario to the New Balance M V3 and V4 where the Fresh Foam 1080 v11 and V12 the midell foam in that Didn't like it never really enjoyed it Similar to the the ghost it just felt a Bit dull to me didn't really do anything
Wasn't a very uh technologically Advanced foam uh in my eyes but when the Mo V3 came out I tested it and even Though it's got the same foam in it just Felt really nice had a much smoother Action the uh foam just felt a little Bit softer for me and it just felt like A shoe that really delivered uh on those Easy runs and long runs it was just uh Um really surprised me how good that Shoe was so I was kind of hoping that The um Brooks ghost Max would be the Same that it suddenly changeed my view Of the ghost range and it'd be a shoe That I really like cuz I love uh those Cushion shoes now the original ghost the Reason I didn't like it is because that Pham just doesn't seem to do anything For me it's it's very dull um it's solid It's stable it's comfortable if that's If you're maybe a general Runner it just Doesn't have much to it it doesn't do a Lot so you can't really run fast in it You can't really do really enjoyable Easy runs where has a little bit of Bounce and little softness in it it's Just a solid shoe which doesn't really Do anything that interesting it's Reliable that's why a lot of people use It but I was never a big fan of that Shoe I just said other shoes that I Would use much rather use instead for Things like easy runs and and daily runs Um sad to say that the um ghost Max is
Pretty similar to that by adding more Foam into the shoe it hasn't really Gained a lot for me um it's still quite Firm it's still quite dull um and it Doesn't really do a lot I think the main Difference for me is that there's a bit More of a rocker in it than than in the Ghost 15 uh it just feels a little bit Like it's moving you forward a bit I do Find that the the the ride is fine it's Not a problem at all I've done about 50k In the shoe so far and I've I've not had Any issues with it it's definitely not Been a shoe that i' I've hated wearing But I just haven't really felt any Benefit from it being a Max cushion shoe Um so I'm not big not not blown away by The shoe I just think it's solid feels Quite stable for a Max cushion shoe I Think it's probably more accessible to a Lot of people just because it it's Comfortable solid um you don't have to Worry about stability in it the ghost 15 Doesn't really have a nice rocket to it It does feel a little bit more flexible To me so um it doesn't have the same Sort of feeling when you're moving Forward doesn't feel consistent and and Um like you can Cruise in it it just Feels was a little bit dead to me uh Whereas this does feel a bit better so I Have noticed a benefit to the ghost Max Over the ghost because of that that that Rocker and that just feeling of um
Consistency when you're running I think They're both very similar when it comes To comfort I think they're very similar In terms of uh how they feel on the Run Apart from that rocker action the one Thing for me that I I noticed about the Brooks ghost Max is that I did find the Outsol a little bit slippy it's been Very wet around brighten at the moment I Did find it just felt a little bit s Slippy on some of the road that I was on Which I didn't experience in the ghost 15 overall I do think they're pretty Similar and I don't think you get a Massive difference from the extra midso In the Brooks ghost Max so my verdict on these two shoes is It's a tricky one because I don't really Think you get a lot by going to the Brooks ghost Max I don't think the extra Phone really makes a difference the only Difference for me is that slight rocker Action that's slight rocker feel which Does make it feel a little bit more Efficient it feels a little bit more Rigid to me so it's sort of moves your Foot a little bit more into position Than the more natural feeling ghost 15 Does but in reality there's very little In it and if you're looking for a ghost 15 but you want load more cushioning It's not going to be a massive impact if You get this one so it's I I'd still go For the Brooks uh ghost Max just because
Of that rocker action but I it's not a Massive difference for me what I would Say is that when if you're looking for a Max cushion shoe there are some great Options out there things like the New Balance Mo V4 is fantastic shoe it's got Much better rolling action it's just a Little bit softer for me um I also think That it's a tricky shoe and I can't Quite work out why it exists um Alongside the Brooks Glycerin 20 Hopefully we'll see the 21 soon um Because that shoe is a fantastic um Cushion shoe it's got a lovely uh midell Phone a new midell phone that came out In the um glycerin 20 it's just a little Bit softer a little bit more enjoyable It's a fantastic shoe and uh hopefully The 21 will be even better because the Triumph 21's actually probably picking It up for me at the moment in terms of Cushing shoes um but it just has a lot More to it in this shoe this shoe just Feels a little bit firmer more stable But just a little bit lifeless as a Result so I'm not quite sure how the Ghost Max and the Brooks go glycerin 20 Fit together now i' definitely go for The Brooks Glycerin 20 but um yeah if You want something firmer and a bit more Stable ghost Max is probably the one to Go for so very clear verdict for me here I know it's slightly more expensive the Ghost Max but I think it's a
Significantly more enjoyable shoe to use For any kind of run than the ghost 15 Unless you have a reason for sticking With that very high drop on the ghost 15 If you really like it maybe find it puts Less pressure on your cars that kind of Thing if you've always really got on Very well with those High drop shoes Ghost is great to have on the market but I much prefer the rocket feel of the Ghost Max I think it's more comfortable With the extra foam in there a little Bit more versatile all the great Elements you have on the ghost in terms Of the outso and the upper both being Really good are on the ghost Max as well And the ride is just better all around Because of the highest stck of fo and The Rocker so yeah ghost Max for me easy Pick here that's it from us on this Versus thanks a lot for watching don't Forget to like subscribe click that Little bell and don't forget that we Also have our monthly podcast that comes Out at the end of each month or most Months if you go into ction below you Can find a link to the latest one thanks A lot for watching catch you next Time
