Brooks Launch 5

Name: Brooks Launch 5
Brand: Brooks
Rating: 4.5 (37 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.2 oz · 10mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Brooks Launch 6 replaced it

How it ranks

The Brooks Launch 5 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Value and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. Most runners who came to it from another shoe preferred it. The rating rests on 37 runner reviews and 11 other rated shoes in the Launch product line.

Excellent

93/100

Overall

Excellent 93

Value

Exceptional 99

Comfort

Exceptional 98

Appearance

Good 89

Cushioning

Good 87

Durability

Good 83

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

96/100

Very high 96

What runners say

“These shoes will not last particularly long. The upper started separating from the sole within five weeks of wear”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for middle distance came from the Brooks Ghost 9

“Outstanding durability. I only retired my Launch 3's at 700 miles”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 3

“The midsole is firm enough for faster paced runs, yet still bouncy enough to go long (10-plus miles)”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for sprints came from the Saucony Kinvara 9

“Within a couple days of molding to my feet, they were sublime”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for middle distance came from the Brooks Ghost 9

“The Brooks Launch is the ideal balance between cushioning and responsiveness”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for sprints came from the Saucony Kinvara 9

“With these on I feel like I'm being propelled forward a bit. Definitely springy and fun to run in”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 9

“The sock-like inner is the main, noticeable feature of a shoe that was designed with comfort as a priority”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 4

“It is responsive, durable enough to train in daily, and under $100”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35

“Incredibly durable for a lightweight trainer”

5/5 Full review 75 mpw came from the Brooks Ravenna 9

“The new upper is about the most comfortable running shoe I've ever worn”

3/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 4

Prefer this shoe over another

45% 28/62

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Eight reviewers use it for tempo work and racing, calling it light and responsive.
Comfort averages 4.7 out of 5 across thirty-seven reviews, and five reviewers praise the sock-like upper.
Four reviewers use it for everything from intervals to runs over twenty miles.

Cons

Durability averages 4.1 out of 5, the lowest of its six dimensions, and four reviewers see it break down by about 300 miles.
Four reviewers find it short on cushioning, and one gets foot soreness on longer runs as a result.
Two reviewers say the ride changed from the Launch 4, one of them returning the shoe with a sore Achilles.

Launch 5 rates 93. 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 This shoe

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

2009 · 55 reviews

98 Exceptional

99 Confidence

Reader Ratings

37 ratings

5/5 24

4/5 11

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 1

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 9.2 oz
Release: 2017 Q4
MSRP: $100
Drop Height: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

For the money

4/5

Overall

I believe I got these for 40$. I typically am I happy to get 250-300 miles out of a shoe. I have owned 3 Brooks Launch 5,6,7. Out of the three I only had one that had a defect, insert kept sliding. In my 5 and my 6 I got over 400 miles in them. Great shoe for the money

jcristy · Jan 28, 2020

25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 4

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

Brooks Launch 5 Review

5/5

Overall

Between the 4th and 5th iteration of the Launch, Brooks widened the toe box of the shoe and HELLO CINDERELLA SHOE! I cannot get enough of this shoe. It is truly a shoe that can do anything - long runs, speed work, recovery runs. I don't know what Brooks did to the 6th edition to change it, but it doesn't fit my foot like the 5th one did....so I bought up every pair of Launch 5s in my size that I could :)

Anonymous runner · Jul 18, 2019

65 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 21

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Launch Me

5/5

Overall

I have been training in Brooks Launch for years. They are a great price and are very comfortable especially on longer runs when you need them to be. It seems boring to always wear the same shoe so I spend an hour trying on all the other possibilities but then still end up with the Launch because they just work.

Anonymous runner · Jul 13, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon

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

A perfectly balanced Launch

5/5

Overall

The Brooks Launch is the ideal balance between cushioning and responsiveness. The midsole is firm enough for faster paced runs, yet still bouncy enough to go long (10-plus miles). I prefer my shoes to be light in weight and the Launch delivers there, too. Could be one of the best shoes I have run in over the past 49 years.

Anonymous runner · Jul 10, 2019

25 mpw training for sprints came from the Saucony Kinvara 9