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Brooks Ghost Max 2 Review: Smoothie Road Cruising!
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.
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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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