Brooks Ghost 16

The Brooks Ghost 16 is still a 12mm heel drop shoe, and it’s still a bit firmer than I wish it would be. But the switch to DNA Loft v3 makes the experience a bit more pleasant, and I’m finding that I enjoy it as a light stability shoe for recovery run days. Ghost fans will love the 16 as it still provides a lot of the same signature experiences. And while those who haven’t loved the Ghost previously will probably continue to not-love the Ghost, version 16 is a bit more runnable. Hopefully, Brooks will start to incorporate more of the concepts of the Ghost Max into the main Ghost lineup.
0:00 intro
0:39 disclosures
0:59 specs
4:48 what’s it like
9:20 pairing options
10:54 alternatives
disclosures: Brooks provided these shoes for review, so I did not have to pay for them. However, no one is paying me to make this video or to include their shoe in this video. No one will get a chance to preview any of my footage or my thoughts before this video goes up on KZbin.
Thanks for watching! Leave a comment to let me know you stopped by!
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[@Jambr380]

Brooks listened to the masses, which is why they released the Max. At the same time, they couldn’t abandon their loyal base and are just going to keep releasing the Ghost forever

[@JoshuaDGeis]

I really appreciate that you suggested pairing the ghost with the Hyperion Max. This shoe is not given enough credit for how well it performs *in what it is good at* which is your tempo runs or even races if you don't have a carbon fiber shoe.

[@tomtigermc]

Appreciate the honest reviews from you Cousin Ko!

[@Darthgorilla]

Excellent and thorough reviews. Truly best on the web. so thank you! I used to always run in Ghost, until I purchased the Ghost Max. Never going back to the Ghost. Ghost Max is the best

[@Mackham63]

I’ve struggled with Achilles tendon issues in the past and the ghost and adrenaline shoes by brooks have saved me. Are there better and faster shoes these days? Yes! But the high drop thats unique to these has really taken the pressure off my Achilles to keep me running while I also strengthen my tendon. For that I’m thankful they are still made.

[@matthiassventoest6800]

Love watching these videos, even when I know that shoe was not for me because I can pass along this information to my other running buddies

[@eliasmunoz5284]

The ghost has been my go to since college XCTF. Honestly, if you're light, and efficient, you can run in anything.

[@elzuzo]

I spent 8 years (my golden age) running and training in Ghost and Kinvara with no issues at all. Maybe It´s time to give them a try again.

[@justenanderson8622]

Used to love the ghost might need to try it out!

[@seanbolger7371]

Great review and comments 👍

[@m.r.6264]

I still have my Brooks Ghost 13, although I just use it now for yard work. I stopped tracking it at just over 700 miles. The rubber outsole still has a ton of grip but the cushioning of the outsole isn't what it use to be

[@Cowbellrunner]

I use the Brooks Ghost Max for my everyday walking shoe and absolutely love it.

[@levandmarthapolyakin-aaron2183]

I walked a lot in my first pair of Ghost Max after the midsole had too many run miles on it. I liked that shoe way more than the ASICS Nimbus 26 which I was replacing with the Ghost Max.

[@kofuzi]

ghost max is very nice

[@yurynsk3533]

Nice video, as usual

[@meangirlbecca]

This brings back memories! The Ghost was my first ever shoe when I started running and the 12 and 13 treated me well once upon a time. I've abandoned it for years and don't think I'll return. The 12mm drop would not work well with my knees now.

[@dazdarren9926]

Exactly the same for me too! The 12 was the shoe I wore when I first started running and I didnt know what else was out there and it served me well for a couple of HM’s but now I’ve realized my knees dont like a 12 mm drop

[@meangirlbecca]

@@dazdarren9926 Yeah, interesting how Ghost is the starter shoe for so many people and most didn't know about anything else at the time.

[@tkwasik]

Recently I made decision to limit drop on all shoes that I will be buying in the future - will not even consider anything more than 8mm and look for shoes with less like -4-6mm of drop

[@kylepatton3346]

I love that Brooks has that "Designed in Seattle" molded into the outsole. If you get a chance to visit Seattle, its a special feeling to run the Lake Union loop and check out the Brooks HQ store.

[@kofuzi]

Just came back from Seattle last night

[@kylepatton3346]

@@kofuzi 👀

[@ColinBloodworth]

Stellar review as always, Mike. Thanks for making it.

[@kofuzi]

thanks Colin!

[@Manuel-901]

Good afternoon. Very good description, Kofuzi. Drop = 12mm= No for me. I prefer the Brooks levitate 6. Here is my Like. Have a great day.

[@aldengoh]

hello kof, i have seen u recommend Hyperion max for racing several times now. I just wonder if I will lose out a lot by using a non-carbon plated shoe?

[@sallyengen1215]

A very comfortable shoe really love it gor walking standing living shoe

[@srikalyanp]

Love the review. Any comments on how did laces hold up for you during runs? The last Ghost I had was 14 and I was frustrated how quickly laces would loosen/ untie within a mile into the run and would untie multiple times during run. Was not a problem with Ghost till 13. I was told that’s because of Brooks using some environmental friendly materials, may be that’s for greater good but, didn’t end up working for me. Since I moved to Novablast 3 (and now 4) and absolutely loving it but, curious on how lacing worked for you

[@kofuzi]

Didn’t notice them except that they are stretchy and I don’t always love stretchy laces. But they’re fine on the Ghost for me

[@suckslip]

I have about 160 miles on my 14 and don’t have any issues with a single knot.

[@Mattrunning]

can be very beneficial to have a firm shoe in the rotation. brilliant for stability but also good for lower leg strength

[@levandmarthapolyakin-aaron2183]

The Hyperion Tempo (before) and Hyperion Max (now) provide that for me. They feel firm at first (particularly in cold temperatures) but soften up and are a fun ride when you get going.

[@that_which_is_not]

Love that you included a screen shot of my comment! I do know that different companies list stack heights differently, some include insoles, some not for example. Hilarious you thought my comment was ‘mad’, it was a simple observation that the stack heights quoted in that particular video didn’t seem to be what is generally referred to as ‘max cushion’. We all have different opinions, I enjoy people holding different ones to me. Makes the world go round x

[@dalexander3136]

I run in the ghost 15 and ghost max. If I’m over 4 miles I use my max and if I’m under I go regular ghost. I have noticed during my strides I get a lot of movement in the shoe but still get a very responsive feedback. I see comments about it’s a shoe for walking and ko said it’s a great standing around shoe but if I’m not running in them they hurt my feet idk why 😂

[@georgios.a]

I actually *love* the type of shoe the Ghost could be: super comfy, great quality/longevity, plush tongue and heel… however, there’s two things that made it a non starter for me, in recent years: the midsole, which they seem to be modernising to something that’s viable in this day and age, and the drop, which is just too much for me - since I’ve gone low drop 8mm is theabsolute maximum for me. Hope the next iteration might address this (or more likely: I’ll get a Ghost Max at some point, when they upgrade it to DNA Loft 3..)

[@levandmarthapolyakin-aaron2183]

I went through a pair of the 1st Ghost Max and liked it enough to run too many miles in it because I did too much walking in it as well. The only other Brooks shoes I’ve loved are the Hyperion Tempo (went through 2 of those) and Hyperion Max (on my 2nd one of those). I’m going to consider another Ghost Max in the next iteration with the midsole upgrade.

[@levandmarthapolyakin-aaron2183]

I’m def going to check out the Ghost Max2. I both ran and walked v1 to death. I’d had the Asics Nimbus 26 for long runs and found it to be too bulky and warm. The Ghost Max was so much more nimble IMO.

[@maratonikos1329]

@kofuzi: which brand is your t-shirt?.. amazing design!

[@-randman-]

Should be saysky

[@ralphangeloreyes8559]

My 2nd pair before of runners before i retired my very first trainers (Transcend 4) It made me care about what a shoe drop is. With my Ghost 12 i discovered 12mm dont work for me. Great feeling shoes nonetheless

[@QuentenPowers]

Great review! Question: what is a good shoe to train for 5ks?

[@kofuzi]

I'd get a good daily trainer that has characteristics that line up with what you like. it could be this, but for me, here's a list I think are also great options kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5KUeoGujt2Zacksi=YhhwDSwYPT7J4J_I

[@tomrichardson5433]

You can train for and race 5Ks in New Balance Rebel. I'm basing this on the v3, but I am pretty sure the v4 is pretty comparable. Light, good ground feel, and good cushioning for training. I have raced 5Ks, 10 mile, and half marathon in Rebel v3 and the cushion is good enough even for a half. I haven't gone longer in them however. (185 lbs. fwiw)

[@QuentenPowers]

@@kofuzi Thanks so much!

[@LARKRunningUK]

Agree with your points Mike. I’ve not really got on with the Brooks 14, it’s too big a drop, too firm and unresponsive. It’s probably a better walking shoe than running shoe….

[@AliNadem]

please review New Balance PVLSE

[@stevemills5595]

What shoes would you recommend for an all around gym shoe? I am usually on the treadmill for about an hour and then do some machine and weight training. I don't want to have to bring 2 pairs of shoes, however I want some balance and stability for weight and machine training, as well as being decent for running on the treadmill. Any suggestions? Many thanks!!

[@kofuzi]

I would bring two shoes. the features I like for weight training are the opposite of what I like for running

[@proudbacteria1373]

I guess Under Armor is focusing on gym shoes. You may try for example Nike Miler React model which is not too soft but not stiff.

[@Wings_nut]

I still don't understand the 10mm to 12mm drop on a daily trainer. Seems aggressive, but that's just me.

[@conorvaughan3510]

If you put into context most people would be heel strikers and a higher drop promotes that easier. In addition the higher drops put less strain on the achilles. It’s probably a function of keeping people injury free and running

[@Wings_nut]

@conorvaughan3510 Unfortunately, the statistics don't prove that. Refer to the book, "Tread Lightly," in which they showed that running injuries increased when running shoe brands (Nike) started elevating the heel drop in the 70's.

[@conorvaughan3510]

@@Wings_nut I did a lil research into this book. without owning the book I see the majority of the research in chapter 2 being conducted in the 70’s/80’s (outdated given a number of factors) or are mostly surveys which are notoriously skewed or inaccurate as far as discerning the truth. Is there other papers or published research talked about in the book? I’d say it’s hard to draw firm conclusions from the data I saw. The rise in injuries is could be correlated with a number of things possibly the increase in number of runners as opposed to solely shoe drops.

[@Wings_nut]

@conorvaughan3510 When you watch a youngster run, you see that they run naturally, i.e., midfoot strike. When you walk down a flight of stairs, do you land on your heel? Of course not, it would hurt. Heel striking leads to a significantly higher number of injuries because you are overstriding; it's like taking one step forward, but braking at the same time. Nike, in their infinite wisdom, decided to design shoes with higher drops, which inherently force people to high strike. For a racing shoe, I would somewhat see where a higher drop would work because you're running slightly forward at the ankle. But on a daily trainer, where you are more upright, I question a higher drop. More runners (especially those with recurring injuries) should consider a gait analysis, which would identify potential sources of injury, and to determine the requisite heel drop.

[@conorvaughan3510]

@@Wings_nut I don’t want this to sound rude but do you have any evidence to support this assertion? Is it all anecdotal or from this book? I think reviewing primary sources would be helpful here. Here’s anecdotal claims to yours. I have seen many kids who dont land on their midfoot. When I walked down the stairs I don’t also land on my toes but that’s also not a good allegory for running. Most people don’t run downhill. They run on flat surfaces. Heel-striking can lead to over-striding but it could also be due to other factors anatomically. This is correlation vs causation thing. Here’s recent peer-reviewed science papers with quotes if you want to do some more research. What are the benefits and risks associated with changing foot strike pattern during running? A systematic review and meta-analysis of injury, running economy, and biomechanics “Studies prospectively comparing injury risk between strike patterns are lacking.” Here is a second published review. Risk factors for injuries in runners: a systematic review of foot strike technique and its classification at impact “There was low evidence to suggest a relationship between FST (or its subcategories of categorical FSP and continuous measures) and RRIs. While two-thirds of the categorical studies found a relationship between FSP and RRIs, these studies were very low quality, with limitations such as retrospective study design, low participant numbers, and poor FSP assessment methods. More large-scale prospective studies are required” It seems disingenuous to sit here and spout this as truth when more research is needed.

[@levandmarthapolyakin-aaron2183]

I believe Asics still uses a 12 mm if not 14 mm drop 😮on the women’s version of some of their flagship shoes. Guys, it’s not only Brooks doing this on certain models.

[@kofuzi]

i'll admit i don't look at women's drop often, but my understanding is that with ASICS shoes, they've stopped (or are phasing out) having different drops across mens vs womens shoes. the stack heights might be different but i think the drops should be the same

[@3AmericanPie]

I love the way the Ghost 16 looks, but would it be good for a person who works in a retail store that's walking all day? HELP! 🎉

[@kofuzi]

Yes, assuming you like how it feels when you try it on

[@sethwilliams6017]

Does anyone think he’ll review the glycerin 21 stealthfit??

[@NeonAxis]

🙌🙌🙌🔥🔥🔥

[@paulcarlson4230]

Years ago i heard good things about ghost,i tried 2 and neither one i wore more than 8 times i tried but no more

[@kresnaaji4143]

Please review New Balance Kaiha Road

[@Dnman218]

Would you say this is similar to the Adidas Boston 9?

[@kofuzi]

No

[@itsahardmuttlife9263]

I love a good 12mm drop shoe. Use it for my hill workouts to take care of my Achilles. Ghost 16 is a great shoe. If you are constantly running in high stack squishy shoes, you won’t like this.

[@RunnerdJK]

Drop is dynamic, not fixed. A “12 mm drop” shoe might have a 4 mm offset at initial contact and a 16 mm offset at toeoff. Meanwhile, a “4 mm drop” shoe might have a -6 mm offset at initial contact and a 10 mm offset at toeoff. The shoe’s geometry and the midsole’s compliance greatly affect the extent to which the offset changes through the gait cycle. Most people who dismiss shoes based on the drop fail to understand this point.

[@kofuzi]

also consider that drop will feel different with different foams

[@levandmarthapolyakin-aaron2183]

I agree with this. A millimeter or 2 is very small compared to how much of a midsole might compress, which as pointed out can itself be variable in different parts of the same midsole, and further affected by the gait as well as weight of the runner. Lots of variables, in other words. That being said, I generally choose shoes in the 4-8mm drop range but there are other reasons I end up in those shoes-light weight, responsive but not mushy-soft midsoles, and varying amounts of cushion vs ground feel, depending on my use case for the particular shoe.

[@ianpayton3639]

The Ghost is so outdated compared to modern daily trainers, but outdated is pretty much where Brooks is

[@MBaDog-hn6ot]

Is it good shoes for walking?

[@kofuzi]

yes

[@tonybowen455]

Ghost 15 is 21% off on brooks's site. That being said, I feel like your audience isn't the target audience for the ghost.

[@franklehouillier8865]

12mm to 5mm drop is a lot of difference going between the Ghost and the Atmos.

[@laalaa99stl]

Cool shirt. It's probably telling that I focused more on that than the shoe being reviewed. Also telling that you didn't appear to mention the weight? All that outsole rubber has to come at price. But perhaps no matter for its intended DSW shoe warehouse audience. The Aurora is the only Brooks shoe I still run in. Put them on again the other day. DNA Loft V3 is a fast, fine, and firm foam. But I'm less enamored with it now that I have the Superblast and even Cloudsurfer 7.

[@tgibridays]

He does mention the weight at 4:39. But yeah... Not a really exciting shoe. Haha

[@Carlosediaz543]

I don’t know how I feel about brooks just throwing nitrogen in all there shoes… Like the adrenaline,the glycerin max, the ghost max eventually… It reminds me of Skechers, put their nitrogen insole in all of their shoes and it kinda defeats the purpose of different shoes… Like how is a ghost 16 different than a glycerin & the adrenaline is gonna be exactly the same as a glycerin GTS…

[@dunkchamp]

That shirt is really cool, who makes it?

[@kofuzi]

saysky

[@LuisBecerra79]

Yo, what’s going on?!?! 🤨🤨🤨 wow just WOW 🤐

[@A_SEGA_Dremcast]

Those comments... "I'm sick and tired of your lame excuses." 🤣🤣🤣 bruh, step away from the keyboard. The grass is nice.

[@LuisBecerra79]

I think, he’s smoking the wrong grass 🤷🏻‍♂️😆😆🤦🏻‍♂️

[@wildforthecats661]

36 - 24

[@andig72]

All those Ghost models while dropping amazing shoes like the Ricochet. Not amused.

[@josephspencer9741]

Brooks are the Cadillac of running shoes

[@kofuzi]

Wait, what?

[@Stashawk]

You're too kind. Brooks used to be awesome, but they lost the script years ago. Serious runners have so, so many better options these days.

[@berthein5476]

Its a carbon neutral shoe, meaning we bought carbon tax tokens. It doesnt negate that we produced a ton of carbon in making these shoes BUUUUUT we did pay someone somwhere to offset the carbon production. How does produced carbon get nullified by paying money? Fuck knows. But its carbon neutral muahaha

[@kofuzi]

Or they could not-buy carbon offsets. Something is better than nothing. And so many times, there is nothing to report in this regard when it comes to shoes

[@botrytis_cinerea]

No, thanks. One of the worse shoe brands IMO (from the runner perspective).

[@axlrosea675]

Ghost 10 was the worst running shoe I've ever had. Just kills ALL momentum once you hit the ground. Will never buy the Ghost again.

[@jamievillasenor]

I don’t like todays pillow cases shoes with over three inches of foam or whatever On uses H

[@kofuzi]

Do you run in Ghosts?

[@jamievillasenor]

@@kofuzi yes, Sir

[@lewickerman]

Ghost isn't even truly a running shoe. It's a lifestyle shoe you can jog in. They haven't changed it in decades because the old folk buy it in bulk. Not worth adjusting for the profit reasons. Also Brooks NEEDS to update their foam. It's honestly been the same ever since DNA came out in like 2008. It's overall horrible and their "super shoes" are just weird flats that don't compete.

[@2112sgb]

Hyperion Tempo is GOD.

[@itsahardmuttlife9263]

What’s a true running shoe? High stack with a plate?

[@TheSomvir]

Disagreed. You didn't try the Brooks Aurora bl and ghost max. They are great daily trainer. Aurora bl is super versatile and super cushioned. And ghost max is comfortable and plush daily trainer.

[@levandmarthapolyakin-aaron2183]

Another disagreeing comment because the Hyperion Tempo and now Hyperion Max are excellent shoes. And I greatly preferred the Ghost Max to the Asics Nimbus26 which i was replacing it with. I’ll consider v2 if the upgraded midsole makes it even nicer. Finally, the Aurora BL was a pretty amazing prototype shoe and I was disappointed they didn’t continue to develop it into a marathon race shoe. Other than lacking a carbon plate, it had all the ingredients of a super shoe that would be much more universally usable than what they’ve come up with so far in that dept: super bouncy, fun midsole, great cushioning, very light weight, very minimal upper and a nice roomy toe box. They just needed to make the upper a bit more flexible and even without a carbon plate I’d have considered it marathon-worthy.

[@abbyschwendler1107]

I personally never liked a Brooks shoe. They hurt my arches and feel blah to me. But I have super fussy feet. I will comment they are super popular with the older folks for walking/lifestyle shoes but so are Hoka. :/

[@joelmead]

always hated brooks, far to boring, maybe they can compete with brands like Puma and Mizuno as some good brands that aren't quite at Nike, Adidas, Asics level