Brooks Launch 6

Name: Brooks Launch 6
Brand: Brooks
Rating: 4.7 (29 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.3 oz · 10mm drop · 27/17mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Brooks Launch 7 replaced it

How it ranks

The Brooks Launch 6 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Value and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Cushioning scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 29 runner reviews and 11 other rated shoes in the Launch product line.

Excellent

96/100

Overall

Excellent 96

Value

Exceptional 99

Comfort

Excellent 96

Appearance

Good 87

Durability

Good 86

Cushioning

Decent 78

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

95/100

Very high 95

What runners say

“Durability is great—both pairs still look almost new after 300+ miles.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5

“Excellent value—costs next to nothing compared to $275 shoes.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks PureFlow 7

“Lasted 700 miles.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 12

“Excellent durability—400 miles and still regularly used.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks PureFlow 7

“Very low cushioning—feet 'slapping' ground with each stride.”

4/5 Full review training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34

“Light for tempos, cushioned for long runs, raceable, inexpensive.”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 12

“Can run 10 miles right out of the box.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5

“Wider toe box lets metatarsals splay naturally.”

5/5 Full review 100 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Under Armour HOVR Sonic 2

“Perfect balance of flexibility, cushion, durability, responsiveness.”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5

“Lightweight trainers that fit narrow heeled feet.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5

Prefer this shoe over another

62% 18/29

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers find it light and responsive for tempo runs and workouts.
It lists at $100, and value is its strongest dimension at 4.8 out of 5.
Comfort averages 4.7 out of 5, and reviewers use it from easy days to long runs.

Cons

Four reviewers find the cushioning minimal or firm.
Four reviewers report quick wear or the upper tearing, one at about 300 miles.
Two reviewers find the upper rigid or tight until it is broken in.

Launch 6 rates 96. This shoe has 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 This shoe

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

2009 · 55 reviews

98 Exceptional

99 Confidence

Reader Ratings

29 ratings

5/5 19

4/5 10

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 9.3 oz
Release: 2018 Q4
MSRP: $100
Stack Height: 27mm heel - 17mm toe
Drop Height: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Launch is my forever shoe

4/5

Overall

I've been wearing the Launch for the past 5 years. It's a great no-frills neutral shoe that has served me well from 5ks to marathons. Only complaint is that they do wear out kind of quickly, but given the price is relatively low this hasn't bothered me too much. I don't feel like there's been too much change in the shoe (I have also worn the 4 and 5), but in my opinion, this is a good thing.

Anonymous runner · Dec 31, 2019

50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Launch 6

5/5

Overall

Awesome shoe, I use it for anything from long miles on muddy trails to light work on the track. Would definitely recommend it as a racing flat for half or fulls for someone who wants more cushion in their racer.

Anonymous runner · Dec 30, 2019

40 mpw came from the Brooks Ravenna 10

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

Best value for money lightweight trainer

5/5

Overall

Excellent value for money. Costs next to nothing in ages that some people pay 275 for a pair of running shoes. Excellent durability as well. Have a pair with 400 miles on that I still regularly use. I just started using a new pair in my rotation. Basic cushioning, but it gets the job done. I use them for fast paces training and long runs (most of my long runs have faster segments in them).

Anonymous runner · Dec 29, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks PureFlow 7

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 5/5

Brooks Launch 6 Personal Review

4/5

Overall

This shoe is definitely an upgrade to the previous Launch versions (I have worn 3-5 before). The durability of the 6 is pretty great, as I have two pairs that I rotate and they have both looked almost as good as new for 300+ miles on both of them. Overall, the shoe could provide a bit more bounce, but as I have a very high-arching sole and a relatively wide foot, they were very comfortable to wear. I have had a lot of shin splint and other lower leg tightness issues in the near past, but none have really flared up since I started using the Launch 6.

Long D Runner · Dec 28, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5

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

A good shoe

4/5

Overall

Wanted a cheap everyday trainer, that's what I got. Responsive and snappy for me. The heel cup is a bit weird and leads to a lot of wear on my socks for some reason.

Anonymous runner · Dec 28, 2019

25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 9