The Brooks Ghost Max was Brooks’ first foray into the world of max cushioned shoes, while the Glycerin 21 certainly feels more max cushioned than previous Glycerins.
We’ve spent time running in both Brooks cushioned shoes, but if we had to pick one to buy, which one would we go for? Testers Mike and Kieran share their experiences on what’s it’s like to run in the Ghost Max and Glycerin 21, to help you get a better sense of which Brooks shoe you should pick up.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:20 – Price and key differences
02:00 – How does they fit?
04:22 – The Run Test
11:31 – Verdict
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Hey this is M from the r testers and in This video we're going to be giving you A multitester take on the Brooks gin 21 And how it compares to the Brooks ghost Max two very good Brook shoes but Ultimately if you had to pick between The two which one should you go for We'll let you know in this [Music] Video so let's talk about how to best Class these shoes the glacer in 21 is a Cushioned daily trainer style shoe That's all about putting a plush level Of cushioning under your feet to provide Comfort and protection over all Distances the ghost Max is Brooks's Latest Max cushion shoe that is similar About protecting those legs will be in a Slightly different fashion are available In medium and wide fits and price-wise The ghost Max is the cheaper of the two Shoes the Gin 21 costs £65 in the UK or $160 in the US weightwise the max is the Heavy of the two coming in at $29 24 G Compared to 280 G on the same size uk8 Glycerin 21 in terms of drop the ghost Max has a 6 mm drop compared to the 10 mm one on The glycerin 21 with the max putting More foam under your foot that Additional foam in the max is Brooks's DNA Loft V2 compared to the softer Feeling DNA Loft V3 used in the glycerin 21 the ghost Max has the added quality
Of Brooks's Glide roll rocker to offer a Little more assistance with that Transition from Hill to toe the gliten Is designed to have a wide base to Balance out that Mido bounce with some Stability while the max simly uses a Broad base and Hill counter to offer Some added support too on the Upper Front the ghost Max uses an engineered Mesh one compared to the knitted kind on The glycerin 21 in terms of outsoles Both packing plenty of rubber to signal That these are shoes well equipped to Stand strong in dry and wet conditions And a well built for soaking up a lot of Your running Time So when it comes to fit I ran in my Regular running shoe size in both of These shoes which is a UK 8 and a half That's what I would normally go for in Brooks overall I think the differences Between these two shoes are that the Gus Max shoe holds a little tighter it's a Little bit more snug there's a little Bit more kind of airiness roominess in The toe box of the glycerin 21 to the Point where it feels very very spacious The ghost Max are spacious enough no Problems with cut of hitting the end of The toe boox plenty of clearance across The top of the uh the toe box as well Plenty of wiggle room all of that but Then when you flip into the glycerin
Yeah I would say that one is bordering On maybe being a little bit too loose That may well suit you if you're going To use these for really really long Miles if this was a shoe you might be Picking to go and do an ultra in and you Want lots of space in the toe boox You're going to get that ample here if You like things a little bit more dialed In a little bit less room you might Consider going half a size down overall Though from heel hold midfoot lockdown I Don't think there's much to choose Between these two shoes I got good lock Down and hold in both of the shoes and Overall I'd recommend going true to size So fit for me has overall been very good In both of these shoes I've had them Both in UK size eights and that's Typically what I would go for in my Running shoe size and also kind of Brooks in general it's been that kind of Medium width kind of fit as well too It's not that kind of wider fit that you Do have available on both of these shoes What I would say is experience is I Think maybe the ghost max sits a little Bit more snug up front in the toes but You know it's not been uncomfortable or Felt like I've needed to have a bit more Room whereas I think there's a bit more Volume in General on the glycerin 21 for Me and I found it a little bit more Spacious in that part of the shoe but
Generally I think the feel of the shoes Feel very similar there's a bit more Padding in the heel on the gliten 21 Compared to the ghost Max but there Still a good level of padding on the Ghost Max from that point of view so Getting good comfort from that aspect of The shoe the're similar level kind of um Padding in the tongue the laces are Similar as well this kind of spongy Style as well so you're getting good Comfort on the top of your your feet as Well here too so yeah I don't think There's a massive Mount in it I think You know me going true to size UK size Eight8 has been absolutely fine getting That Medium width fit I think worked Well as well too I think these shoes are Generally pretty spacious and how they Feel naturally kind of are roomy shoes In general and I think going through Decides should be absolutely fine for Most [Music] People so then in testing I've run Around 50 km in the glycerin 21 and North of 50 mi in the ghost Max that's Been at a mix of paces and durations in Both shoes I've done plenty of slower Easier miles time up to 90 minutes on Feet that's mixed in with some faster Paced efforts to test the versatility of The shoes I've done most of that on road But with some River paths thrown in
Which is always a good test for the grip The stability and the durability of the Shoes now a quick word from those tests Well the ghost Max was a shoe that I Enjoyed for a bigger cushion shoe I Think it feels quite natural there's a Good roll and clip thanks to the rocker That Glide roll technology it's nicely Protective and stable and overall it's a Shoe that I'm happy very very happy Plotting out longer slower efforts in The glycerin 21 was a bit of surprise For me in my testings this is the first Time I've run in a glycerin and again It's not a shoe I'd usually gravitate Towards but the overall feel of this is That it's a good shoe for slower Comfort But with a mids and rocker combo that's Lively enough to add some welcome Versatility in there as well this shoe Here can cope with some mid-tempo Efforts as well so two solid shoes here That I generally quite like running in Now to tease out the differences I've Also done my usual side by-side mile Test with one shoe on each foot and this 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 Glitterin 21 on the right foot cushioned Comfort protection uh you know plushness In the collars all of that kind of stuff Is going to get Oodles of that in both Of these shoes and there's a great
Similarity between them actually they Are both very very comfortable they both Take the edge off the road lots of Impact protection the main difference Here when you put them side by side like This is that you notice that the ghost Max is tuned slightly softer the Glycerin with that DNA Loft V3 foam Responds a little bit more it comes back A bit more quickly there's a bit more Immediacy there's a bit more pop and Energy coming out of the midsole it's Not a huge amount and I think again this Is another one of these where these two Shoes there's margins here and it just Depends I think on how you're going to Use them if you want a shoe that's only Going to be for soft cushion comfort Over easy recovery miles the ghost Max Is probably going to do a better job at That it can go a little bit faster but The glycerin 21 because of that slightly More responsive foam that snaps back a Little bit quicker I think that is a Shoe that's going to do the soft and Easy and slow nicely but it's better at The kind of faster sort of middling Paces it can cope Up Tempo I wouldn't Choose it for that but yeah between These two shoes that's your main Difference here you're going to get a Slightly livelier ride a slightly faster More responsive energetic return from The glycerin 21 than you are from the
Ghost Max the glycerin is also Marginally lighter but I don't think That makes a huge amount of difference Here the only other Sensation that I Wanted you know I mentioned it in the Fit I think the glycerin they feel much More roomy and a bit more sort of baggy If you want to say overall into the Toebox that maybe changes the dynamism Of the ride so if you want something That feels a bit more D in and dynamic You might want to go half a size in to Get them to feel a bit more snug and Then that might they might feel a bit More sort of energetic and racy in terms Of the overall kind of feel on the foot But otherwise I think between these two Shoes your choice is going to be do you Want something that's probably going to Be better tuned to those longer slower Miles with cushion protection it's a Little bit more kind of slow and Sluggish maybe or do you want something That's a little bit snappier a little Bit faster by comparison in which case You're going to go glycerin 21 easier Slower more cushioned more protective go For the ghost Max but more on that in The verdict so in terms of that run test Now it's obviously important to to talk About here how these shoes are classed In kind of Brooks's range so the ghost Max is a Max cushion shoe so that is Going to be a shoe that's going to offer
That kind of maximal kind of protection And level of cushioning so when you are Running a lot you're running longer on a Regular basis it's going to give you That protection protect your legs better Now on the Brooks gin 21 it's a cushion Shoe it is a shoe that gives you a Softer feeling midsole compared to the Brooks Ghost Mac so if you wanted Something that feels a little bit more Plush a little bit more comfortable a Little bit softer in general compared to The DNA LOF V2 that you're getting in The Brooks ghost Max then that's kind of What you're going to get here but Ultimately I think in terms of my Experience they are kind of designed for The same types of runs and you know That's how I've tested them I have tried To do some quicker stuff and this mainly In the Brooks litan because you know is A shoe that you know previously has been Known particularly the glycerin 20 to be A shoe that you can run a kind of Mixture of sessions in but ultim aware Of these she's really sit or stand is For those kind of longer slow easy Recovery runs and easy past runs now in Terms that experience now obviously you Are getting something a lot softer Feeling on the Brooks Lan 21 and you do Noce that you do get some bounce there As well too and it is very stable and That kind of mid soole is spread across
A very broad kind of stable kind of wide Platform it's a similar story with the Brooks ghost Max obviously it's not as Soft as the Brooks Glycerin in terms of That mid sole but it's definitely not I Would say as firm as something like the Brooks ghost and also you are getting Something that's going to protect and There's some bounce there as well too And like the glycerin 21 it is a pretty Wide kind of stable base there so when You are getting that bounce you're Getting spread across nicely so that It's nice and stable as well too I think The biggest difference for me in terms Of my experience is that in the ghost Match you've got that kind of Glide roll Kind of rocker and is a more notable Rocker than what you're getting in the Gin 21 which it doesn't really have one Ultimately so it really is you know You're kind of sinking in you're Bouncing along and you're really getting That protection and kind of comfort Which I think with the Brooks ghost max If you did want to pick the pace up and Obviously it still feels like a big shoe To do that in there's a bit more capab Ability to do that in the bruts ghost Mats compared to the glycerin 21 I found One I did run a little bit more Up Tempo I mean it's not a shoe that I would Probably do a lot of tempo runs in but I Do feel like the ride just lent itself a
Bit better to that kind of style of Running so if you did want to pick it up In places then this feels a lot nicer to Do the ghost Max in terms of other Things I think outside wise and kind of Durability I mean both of these have got Very kind of thick amounts of rubber Here on these outs with the um ghost Max Is a bit more consistent in terms of the Design on the glycerin 21 it's a bit More unique in terms of the approach on All sections of your foot here on the Outsole But ultimately I think the Experience it's very good it clearly Screams kind of durability and these Going to be shoes that going to last a Long amount of time they're going to Grip well they're going to give you a Lot of rubber there to last a long time And they feel and they kind of add to The kind of stable kind of nature of Both these shoes and what they're like To run in so what I would say is about My running time in these shoes is that I Feel like they're going to work best or Do work best for the same types of runs But I do think there's a little bit more In the ride on the Brooks ghost match Which might make it appe and make up for The maybe slightly firmer feeling Midsole that you're getting here Compared to the Gin 21 which is softer Still has that bounce but also maybe That ride just isn't as pronounced as it
Is um as you know as it is on the ghost Ma so that's kind of my general feelings What I've taken away from my time Running in the Gin 21 and the ghost [Music] Max so my verdict here well both of These shoes are very capable with solid Credentials particularly at the easier End of those everyday sort of daily Miles now separating them well I like The fit of the ghost Max better I think Overall it feels a bit more disapp Appearing and natural on the foot when It comes to the ride I think the Glycerin 21 edges it though simply Because I think it can handle the slow And easy miles with sufficient comfort And protection but has much more faster Effort potential that's thanks to a Snappier slightly stiffer DNA Loft V3 Foam that's livelier I find the ghost Max marginally more stable so if that's Important to you maybe factor that in When you're choosing between these two Shoes but if I had to choose just one Shoe here out of these two my verdict Would be that I'd go for the glycerin 21 Yes it's more expensive more expensive In the UK certainly but it will cover Much more range than the ghost Max but If you're only in the market for a shoe To take care of easy or recovery runs Then I think you could definitely save Your money and go for the ghost Max and
That will do a great job as well okay so My verdict on whether you should go for The Brooks ghost Max or the Brooks Glycerin 21 now I thought this was going To be quite a straightforward one for me But I think ultimately now that I've had Some time in the Gin 21 and based on the Changes that Brooks has made with this Shoe and it makes me feel more like it's Veering into that Max cushion Territory ultimately what I feel like These are two good brick shoes two good Cushion brck shoes designed for the same Types of runs I think Ultimately those types of runs those Kind of shter or longer slow easy Recovery style Paces but I think they Just deliver that experience slightly Differently I think with the Brooks Ghost Max it's got that rocker in it I Just think it makes the ride a little Bit nicer more enjoyable from a point of You if you just want to slightly pick The pace up in places you know it's not A super light cush Max cushion shoe but I do think it lends itself a little bit More to running a little bit quicker in The changes in the brook glycerin 21 for Me still makes it very much a a kind of Easy day shoe and I don't think it has The same versatility as the glycerin 20 And also I think it kind of lacks that Compared to the ghost max if we're Looking at Price this is cheaper saying
That they kind of serve for the same Types of runs I would probably go for The ghost Max which is kind of not what I was initially thinking I was going to Go for but I feel like it probably just Edges it I think it really depends on The day really what you want from your Run and what you kind of value I think For me though having that extra rocker In the ride Kind of makes up for that kind of fir Feel that you're going to get on the Ghost Max but yeah for me it would Probably just be the ghost Max for me uh I probably would go for the glitterin 20 Personally but I think between these two Shoes I think the ghost Max just edges It for me in terms of that extra rocket You're getting and a Mido that I think Will work for me and can work for me as Well too because everywhere else Durability kind of stability I think Kind of support that level of Bounce That kind of protection over longer Distances there's not much in it between These two shoes as is kind of fits and The kind of out soes okay so there have It that is how the Brooks ghost Max Compares to the Brooks Glycerin 21 I Hopefully you found that video useful And it gave you a better sense of how These two shoes compare maybe help you Decide between the two shoes as well too Now if there are other shoes that you
Want to see the glycerin 21 compared to Do let us know in the comments as always Like And subscribe hit that little bell To find out about latest videos and yeah We'll see you for the next run test this Video [Music]
