Brooks Running Shoes Review

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

80 of 85 people found the following review helpful.
Cushioned stability shoes
By Perazzi25
I have been running for so many years in many other brands. This new Kayano 18 is my first pair of ASICS. For me, the most noticeable difference is shock absorbing. I think we can immediately tell the difference in shock absorbing quality of different car models. This is a direct analogy. In this Kayano 18, I have the same feeling as riding in a Mercedes or a Lexus. The Kayano absorbs all the shocks. Each running step is firm and responsive; but no shocks. I used to run in the Adidas Supernova Glide 1 & 2 before the Kayano 18. The Supernovas are very good shoes which helped recover my injured knees caused by other previous wrong shoes but I prefer the Kayano 18. The Kayano provide perfect shock absorbing and are lighter. All in all, this is the most comfortable pair of running shoes I have ever owned.I would like to add that the Supernova Glide and the Kayano are technically very different shoes. The Supernova Glide is in the "cushion" category for runners who are underpronators but the Kayano is in the "stability" category for overpronators. I am a neutral runner and have no problems running in any of them. The Kayano simply absorb more shocks and are lighter.Update: I have recently purchased a pair of ASICS Nimbus 13. I use the Nimbus for recovery run. The difference between them is very obvious. The Kayano 18 gives more support at the midsole. This is because of the Duomax material (the gray part of the midsole under the arch) which is more stiff than the white softer midsole material. I feel more comfortable in the Kayano 18 especially when walking. I like the midsole support. I also run faster in the Kayano. The Nimbus, which is mainly for underpronators, does not have the Duomax support since the more stiff midsole may promote even more underpronation. The midsole of the Nimbus is uniform. When walking in the Nimbus, the feeling is like walking on a mattress. I found it too soft for long walk. I prefer walking in the Kayano which is more firm. When running in the Nimbus, the shoes give soft, comfortable and relaxed feeling. For me, the Nimbus 13 are too soft for competition, thus they are suitable for my recovery running. Heel strikers and underpronators would love them but I prefer the Kayano 18.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful.
Amazing beyond words. These shoes compensated for a lifelong foot problem.
By John Turner
First a little background, then I'll tell you how these shoes fixed my problem perfectly.I have a very rare case of flat feet. By college, it hurt so much to walk I ended up getting orthodics. And those didn't work, I ended up getting surgery.That worked pretty well. But recently, I started doing Tae Bo - my lifestyle became sedentry and I was losing energy. It involves lots of jumping around back and forth, fast stepping motions, and constant pivoting. Due to how arced out my bad foot was, there was virtually a 3 second delay whenever I needed to shift weight to my other leg to step, which was constantly. After doing some research, I tried a few exercises, things of that nature, and took some random internet adivce to try ASICS. I just so happened to close to their outlet in Manhattan one day, and decided to stop by. It did feel quite a bit lighter than my old shoes, so I figured I'd try them out.The results were 1,000 times what I expected. I tried them on and I could actually keep up with the video every single step. When I looked at my shoes after the workout, I noticed the right one was a different shape. Somehow, I have no clue how it works, the shoe actually leaned inward as far as my foot naturally leaned outward, thus correcting my standing posture completely.When I first started the video, I thought they were superhuman. I thought I would NEVER be able to keep up, even if I did get in shape. But now? I can do anything. It feels amazing.If you have EVER had problems with your feet, had to use insoles, have flat feet, or can't shift your weight very fast for whatever reason, BUY THESE SHOES.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful.
Best yet
By R. Daniel Noyes
Sometimes we get used to certain things and when it changes we rebel. However, in this case, the changes to the veritable Kayano are a good thing. I can really feel the differences and once I took the time to mentally adjust I realized that the model 18 is a big improvement on the model 17. They are lighter. There is more cushioning under the front of the foot, and the cushioning under the heel has been improved/adjusted and feels better to my foot at least. The tongue is a little shorter up top making it easier to tie your bow on the padded part. The 18's have better/improved lateral support and stability. The mid shoe width is a little wider, so it doesn't feel as confining there and adds to the lateral stability. I wore New Balance cross trainers for a long time for golf and the leather uppers had good lateral support, something I felt was a little weak in the Kayano 17's. Everybody is different in what they like, so my comments are somewhat subjective, though I have tried to described what I think are clear improvements. To me these are very nice shoes and a worthy successor to the 17, but test drive them...go to your local big box store, and take a pair home to walk around the house in(keep the receipt). I think you'll see what I'm saying. Then shop around the web to find the best deal, they are pricey at the moment cause they just came out...or wait until later in the year when the price drops. Happy trails...