Brooks Launch 1

Name: Brooks Launch 1
Brand: Brooks
Rating: 4.7 (55 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.1 oz · 10mm drop · 27/17mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Brooks Launch 2 replaced it

How it ranks

The Brooks Launch 1 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Comfort and value are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 55 runner reviews and 11 other rated shoes in the Launch product line.

Exceptional

98/100

Overall

Exceptional 98

Comfort

Exceptional 99

Value

Exceptional 98

Cushioning

Good 88

Durability

Good 85

Appearance

Below average 69

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

99/100

Very high 99

What runners say

“Has enough cushion to keep your feet happy during a long run, but is flexible and light enough to be used for fast workouts on the track.”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a marathon

“Enough cushioning for marathon training and races but not too clunky for tempo's and speed work.”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a marathon

“Just straight EVA. Makes for a smooth ride and natural feeling transition.”

5/5 Full review 90 mpw training for a half marathon

“It is so comfortable and supportive despite being light.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon

“Over time it feels somewhat unstable in the heel, leading to some ankle soreness.”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“It is light enough for relatively fast training but solid for long training runs also.”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Precision 7

“The cushioning is pretty much shot at ~300 miles.”

5/5 Full review 90 mpw training for a half marathon

“Relatively light, good cushioning, fits my foot well, and I don't notice it that much when I run.”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Sayonara

“One is 2 years old and still going strong after maybe 1,000 miles.”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

“It's the first shoe I have repeatedly purchased since the old DS trainer.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

48% 14/29

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers use it for easy runs, tempos and marathons alike.
At 9.1 oz, runners find it light with usable cushioning.
Reviewers buy the same shoe again and again, one on a thirteenth pair and another through ten.

Cons

Several runners say the cushioning flattens around 300 miles.
Two reviewers replaced pairs because the upper wore through, one of them at over 1,100 miles.
Two reviewers say the heel grows unstable over time, one of them getting ankle soreness from it at around 700 miles.

Launch 1 rates 98. This shoe has very high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Brooks Launch

Each dot is one version of the Launch, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

98 2009 70 2015 98 2017 86 2017 93 2017 96 2018 85 2019 86 2020 71 2022 99 2023 90 2024 85 2026

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Launch 12

2026 · 1 review

85 Good

58 Confidence
Launch 11

2024 · 1 review

90 Very good

75 Confidence
Launch 10

2023 · 12 reviews

99 Exceptional

95 Confidence
Launch 9

2022 · 20 reviews

71 Decent

86 Confidence
Launch 8

2020 · 3 reviews

86 Good

70 Confidence
Launch 7

2019 · 3 reviews

85 Good

77 Confidence
Launch 6

2018 · 29 reviews

96 Excellent

95 Confidence
Launch 5

2017 · 37 reviews

93 Excellent

96 Confidence
Launch 4

2017 · 24 reviews

86 Good

92 Confidence
Launch 3

2017 · 11 reviews

98 Exceptional

94 Confidence
Launch 2

2015 · 25 reviews

70 Decent

93 Confidence
Launch 1 This shoe

2009 · 55 reviews

98 Exceptional

99 Confidence

Reader Ratings

55 ratings

5/5 38

4/5 16

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 9.1 oz
Release: 2009
MSRP: $100
Stack Height: 27mm heel - 17mm toe
Drop Height: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

5/5

Overall

On pair #13 of this same shoe. Fits well, wears well.

Supernatedad · Aug 29, 2014

25 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Aug 29, 2014

70 mpw training for a marathon

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

I've had the Brooks Launch for several years now. They haven't changed it too much (thankfully) like they did to my previous shoe (Ghost). I like a lighter shoe without too much supporting mechanisms. I'm not crazy minimalist but I don't like a lot in my way. I have had issues with the durability though. They seem to have problems with the material wearing out where my little toe pushes on the side. On one occasion, I was running and slipped off the edge of the road and it actually ripped a big hole where multiple toes popped out. I only mention this because it really is the only issue I have with them. Other than that, they are my go-to distance shoe.

RunningRocko · Aug 29, 2014

80 mpw training for a marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

I like this shoe for a neutral training shoe. My only complete it I can only get about 350-400 miles/pair. I would like to get about 450-500/pair.

Anonymous runner · Aug 29, 2014

45 mpw training for a marathon

Comfort: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 4/5

Reader review

5/5

Overall

I wore the Asics DS trainer for years and stopped when they changed the design around 2006/2007. When my stockpile ran out in 2008, I tried a number of different shoes with varying success. I finally found the Launch and it's the first shoe I have repeatedly purchased since the old DS trainer. It's a lighter shoe so it doesn't last super long, but it is so comfortable and supportive despite being light. Not many rubbing stores carry it, which is annoying. Brooks temporarily discontinued it, which was also annoying. I recently tried a lightweight mizuno shoe at the running store's recommendation and immediately had excruciating it band pain so I went back to ordering the launch online.

Anonymous runner · Aug 28, 2014

40 mpw training for a marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Alternatives

Other shoes worth considering.

Clifton 9

Daily trainer

99/100 rating

$150

Top Rankings

By Category

Best Deals

Explore

Start Here

Analyses

Brooks Launch 1

Exceptional