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Brooks Ghost Max 2 Review: Smoothie Road Cruising!
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Jul 16, 2024
In the video we review the Ghost Max 2 a max cushion very plush road training shoe now with DNA Loft v3 supercritical midsole foam. 00:00 Details, 06:54 Fit and 09:01 Ride from the road, 11:09 Comparison to v1 and 13:31 Conclusions, $150 and available now. Full Multi Tester written review soon at www.roadtrailrun.com Samples were provided at no charge for testing purposes with no additional compensation. The opinions herein are entirely the author's 100's of Run Shoes and Gear Multi Tester written reviews at www.roadtrailrun.com SHOP Running Warehouse at the links below for the widest selection of run shoes and gear anywhere and help support our channel! USA https://tinyurl.com/RWRTRUS EUROPE https://tinyurl.com/RWRTREU EU Only: Use RTR code RTR5ALL for 5% off all products, even sale products AUSTRALIA: https://www.runningwarehouse.com.au/?from=rtr EUROPE SHOP Top4Running https://tinyurl.com/bh9t3hpm Use Code RTRTOP4 for 5% off All Products, Even Sales RTR receives a commission for purchases made through these links which helps support our channel and site.
View Video Transcript
0:00
Today we're going to take a look at the Brooks Ghost Max 2 and my pair is white
0:05
So it is a very reasonable $150 max cushion shoe with a 39.33 heel, 33.33mm forefoot
0:16
So a 6mm drop unlike the regular Ghost which is 12. It has a relatively broad 90mm heel, 85mm midfoot, 110mm forefoot platform
0:29
The big change here is an upgrade in the midsole from version 1 to DNA Loft V3 supercritical
0:37
foam as in the Glycerin Caldera. This is a really fine foam
0:43
So I'm going to take them out on the road. I've taken them out twice on the road here in New Hampshire, a total of about 13 miles
0:50
or 20km. I'm going to give you from the run impressions of fit, ride, also an AB run comparison to
0:58
the version 1. Stay tuned. I'm going to call the Ghost Max the smoothie of comfort cruisers because that's really
1:07
what it is. Very smooth. You're not going to go anywhere super fast in this because of its weight
1:14
But it just moves along nice and easy even at slow paces
1:20
It has some definite energy from its new foam. It's really very, very, very comfortable overall and well done by Brooks
1:32
Before I give you my run impressions, and now I have two runs totaling about 12-13 miles
1:39
so about 20km, I wanted to give you a few details on the shoe up close
1:45
So the Ghost Max 2 is a, I would call a max cushion shoe but not excessively so
1:52
39mm heel, 33mm forefoot so a 6mm drop. That's a contrast with the regular Ghost which is much lower stack and has a 12mm drop
2:05
The big news here is DNA Loft V3 foam. It's a super critical foam
2:12
We also have it in the 10mm drop glycerin shoes such as the Caldera
2:19
This is an energetic, fairly dense, super critical foam. Feels a bit like Puma Nitro to me
2:30
That is the big change here. The new midsole. Before we had DNA Loft V2
2:37
And as you'll see on my comparison because I'll have an AB run with version 1 which is
2:43
right here. Same stack height. A bit lighter. You'll hear that I really prefer the ride here
2:53
It is also very much helped by the glide roll rocker here
3:01
The glide roll doesn't look like much but it's quite effective. The shoe is about as flexible, maybe a little bit longer flexing than V1
3:09
Let me try to show you that without tipping everything over. So not super flexible because we have that big stack height at the front
3:16
But the glide roll kept me rolling along and both my runs were at kind of slower paces
3:22
1030 a mile. And often big stack shoes struggle without a plate with all the foam
3:30
So it's very well implemented. In terms of the outsole while we're there, fairly similar to V1
3:39
You'll see here's V1. Should be plenty of durable rubber. I think this new outsole also contributes to the little bit smoother transition
3:52
Now in terms of the upper, it's an engineered mesh, fairly common, fairly thin
3:57
I found quite breathable. It's been very humid here. We have a substantial toe bumper, a big, big plush tongue, rotated a little bit but not much
4:09
There is no gusset here, no strap connecting. We have a lot of plush, plush collar cushioning, but it's not overly soft
4:22
It's really well held. Let me show you next to it V1, which had less kind of plush padding, considerably thinner
4:35
I like this new heel collar quite a bit better. It's as comfortable as any I can recall, yet it holds, the foot is held really well
4:47
As always with Brooks, the step-in feel is magnificent, but here also the ride
4:53
But don't consider this kind of a shoe for faster paces. This is for more mellow running in the greatest of comfort, top to bottom, really comfortable
5:07
So for your recovery runs, for a beginner runner who really wants a lot of inherent
5:13
stability because Brooks calls this a neutral, a stable neutral shoe, the platform width
5:21
is 90mm heel, 85mm midfoot, 110 forefoot. And I think that's reasonable for a shoe of this stack height
5:30
We looked at, for example, the Gel Nimbus from Asics, which weighs about the same, has
5:36
a higher stack height. It has a really big 104mm heel, 88mm midfoot, 120mm forefoot, and that's really felt
5:48
It's kind of a lumbering shoe, particularly at the heel. Here we move along decently in smooths
5:54
I call this a smoothie. This is the smoothie of running shoes
5:59
The colorway, well, it's white. Why not for a ghost? Although I kind of prefer something that doesn't get as dirty as quickly
6:08
Last little thing I forgot to mention is this really sturdy heel counter
6:16
I mean, you'd think this thing would be uncomfortable, but it is not
6:21
It's even more than what we had before. It really works very, very well
6:27
We also have raised sidewalls. Foot sits down in the shoe. That gives it, along with the width, the inherent stability
6:38
But the key here for me is the DNA Loft V3. So now I'm going to take them out for a run, fit, ride, A-B comparison, a few other comparisons
6:50
Stay tuned. Usually I don't take a shoe off to talk about the fit, but here I'm going to because there's
6:59
some things to really highlight. So the fit is true to size
7:03
Let me show you if I can reach it. The thumb, a little short maybe
7:12
Very comfortable, broader midfoot than before in terms of right in here, a bit more room
7:20
But what's most notable in terms of the fit, there's no gusset here, is the rear fit
7:29
You can see how plush those collars are. Let me give them a squeeze
7:34
You can see, very plush, but very secure. This isn't a sloppy kind of over soft foam
7:41
So I'm incredibly well held at the rear. And that of course is helped by the really stout plastic overlay here
7:51
I mean, this thing is stout. But it's not in the way
7:55
Sometimes, for example, in older Asics shoes, that reinforced heel counter was very rigid
8:03
hard to kind of deal with. Here I think it works really, really well
8:09
In terms of kind of the support, and we'll talk a bit more about the stability of this
8:17
as Brooks calls it, stable neutral shoe, the sidewalls on the lateral side really help
8:24
That's a change from V1. Interestingly, on the medial side, they seem to be somewhat lower
8:31
But this is a stable neutral shoe. There's no gusset to this thick tongue
8:35
Yeah, it does rotate a little bit. You can see here, but I not really notice it other than visually
8:44
Laces are luxurious. For $150 shoe, this is really a plush prime kind of fit and feel
8:55
And it's max cushion, as we said, 39-33. I'm going to keep running
9:01
Okay, I found some shade. It's pretty warm and sunny today. So let's talk about the ride
9:07
Energetic, for sure, for such a big shoe. And a really considerable weight of 10.8 ounces, 306 grams
9:17
But that isn't really that felt. The DNA Loft V3 foam has a lot of rebound, very protective
9:29
Cushioning is moderately soft. Any softer, and I think this, it would turn to mush
9:35
I've done a great job with that. I particularly like the Glide Roll Rocker
9:42
Often with a big stack shoe with 33 here up front, without a plate, things are hard to
9:49
turn over, particularly at slower paces. I'm going about 1040 pace here, nice easy run
9:57
And that's kind of what the shoe is made for, easier runs and great, great comfort
10:04
So the Glide Roll Rocker keeps me moving, even at slow paces
10:11
I notice lots of nice rebound off the forefoot. You know, this isn't a racing or speed type shoe like their Hyperions
10:22
But I'm seeing it as an excellent, excellent choice for the beginner who may not need pronation
10:32
control or support, while wanting a nice stable, highly cushioned ride. Great, great recovery shoe
10:42
My first run was seven miles on a rail trail, and it was just fantastic
10:47
Easier pace like today. On all shoes have to be fast. So really like the roll here
10:58
And of course that incredible upper comfort. Let's keep going. So in the middle of a short AB run here, the beach is getting busy, pardon the noise
11:13
With on my left the Ghost Max 2 and the one on the right, in terms of the fit, the number
11:22
two has a more accommodating midfoot. There's more room there, no question
11:29
I think the toe box is also a bit higher, although the fit in the front is a bit more relaxed
11:36
It's pretty similar. One thing I'm noticing is the more substantial heel counter
11:44
But this is, while it's completely rigid, it's not rough, rough in feel
11:50
It works really well. I think the plushness of the collars, you can see how they've been increased, helps that
11:58
I'm going to keep going, give you a few short impressions about the comparative ride, because
12:02
there's some real differences here. Although both shoes are focused on ultimate comfort
12:09
The new one is an order of magnitude, I think, or close
12:14
More plush, more comfortable and more energetic. While the stack height is the same and the weight has gone up a bit, the Max 2 is a clearly
12:25
improved ride. You can hear the short version of why. First, the DNA Loft V3 Supercritical Foam is more energetic, for sure
12:38
Particularly felt at the forefoot, the Max No. 1, even with its 33mm, same as Max 2 forefoot
12:49
is noticeably firmer, actually. As at the heel, it's a little closer, but overall, the new foam setup, and I think also
13:02
better flexibility in the midsole, or the whole platform, makes the No. 2 a kind of
13:13
significant improvement. The DNA Loft V3 is the key element, but it really puts the word comfort and plush from
13:26
top to bottom in this shoe. So a few conclusions for our Ghost Max 2
13:32
Excellent, excellent Max Cushion Trainer from Brooks here. Not the lightest. Over to the Hyperion Max 2, which we're going to review soon, and under 10.8 ounces, which
13:46
is about 306 grams in a US 9, but we have 39mm heel, 33mm forefoot
13:52
So we're way up there in stack height. Not excessive, not over 40
13:58
I think that sometimes it just makes shoes challenging. So what does it feel like
14:04
Well, very energetic with our DNA Loft V3 foam. It bounces right along in a kind of stately way, but a fun way
14:15
This is fun energy that isn't overdone, unstable, or will get you in any kind of trouble
14:26
It is not a fast shoe. No, there's no question about that. We, faster runners need shoes that can kind of get them through those recovery runs, easy
14:35
runs where there's no agenda, and this is a most pleasant ride indeed, and of course
14:41
a very comfortable upper. I also see it as a great, great choice for the beginner runner
14:47
I personally would not recommend, say, the regular Ghost 16. I don't find it as stable
14:54
It's considerably lower cushion and has a 12mm drop versus a 6mm here
15:00
And I don't particularly like the Glycerin either, a 10mm drop shoe
15:04
At 6mm here, with the excellent Glide Roll Rocker, I'll try to show you that, all paces
15:12
are really accommodated, especially in this big stack shoe, 6mm drop, those slower ones
15:19
where the big, big, big foam can sometimes be ponderous. But at all here, Glide Roll Rocker DNA Loft V3, and I also really like that Brooks has
15:31
priced it very reasonably at $150, only $10 more than the regular Ghost
15:40
We're also going to have a full multi-tester written review over at RoadTrailRun.com, so
15:45
please stay tuned
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