The Brooks Levitate trails most daily trainers in our data. Durability and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 20 runner reviews and 3 other rated shoes in the Levitate product line.
Bottom-tier
59/100
Overall
Bottom-tier59
Durability
Excellent94
Cushioning
Very good91
Comfort
Decent79
Appearance
Decent73
Value
Bottom-tier50
Confidence
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.
Cushioning averages 4.6 out of 5 across the eighteen reviewers who rated it, and durability 4.5 across all twenty.
Several reviewers describe a springy ride with noticeable energy return that rewards picking up the pace.
Three reviewers report the cushioning still feeling good past 350 to 400 miles.
Cons
Averaging 10.5 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is heavier than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers on sale, and many reviewers call it heavy, several of them finding it awkward for speed work or very long runs.
Three reviewers find the outsole slippery on wet surfaces.
Value averages 3.8 out of 5, the lowest of its dimensions, and several reviewers call it pricey at $150.
Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale
Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how
much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both
well rated and well established.
Confidence
5060708090100255075100
Better Shoes Rating
Levitate rates 59.
This shoe has high certainty.
See how we rate shoes.
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Brooks Levitate
Each dot is one version of the Levitate, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
Rating
406080100
592017962018812019822022
Release year
We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating.
See why.
I found the shoe to be clunky, heavy and unresponsive. After wearing Brooks exclusively for 20 plus years this shoe was a dud to me.
Very hyped by the Brooks Marketing but to me it just doesn't come thru in performance. For the price tag I'll stick with the Glycerin in the future.
The title kind of says it all. If you are purchasing this shoe with the intent of using it for road workouts, quality long runs or the like, then you can't really go long. If you are looking for a marshmallow feel to get those slow miles in there are better options out there.
The Brooks Levitate is the first Brooks shoe to incorporate their new cushioning system, which they've billed as supposedly offering the highest energy return of any specialty running shoe. The midsole feels great underfoot and despite being a heavy--particularly heavy--shoe, it runs fast and bouncy. Because of this, the first few runs will feel novel. Eventually you settle in. I've found that the weight of the shoe starts to become significant on long runs, so I've generally only used the Levitate on runs under 9 miles.
Although as an energy return shoe it's meant to go fast, the cushioning is so pleasant I find I like the Levitate best when my legs are tired--running after the work day or after a long/hard run. Initially I thought it might make a good marathon racing shoe, but the weight is a limiting factor there.
The other major drawback, besides the $150 price tag and the weight, is that the shoe is incredibly slippery on wet surfaces.
Overall assessment: The shoe feels great and is a fun secondary shoe in a runner's arsenal. I wouldn't want this as my only training shoe, but as long as it makes sense to be rotating through a few pairs, I'll always have a pair of Levitates by the door.
These are incredible. I balked at the price but was coming back from injury so wanted it a try, hoping comfort would translate to less impact. These are incredibly comfortable and have a smooth ride.
Brooks Levitate - freakin heavy but otherwise alright
4/5
Overall
Long time Ghost user, wanted to try out the Levitates because of the TPU. First reaction is they're freaking heavy. More specifically the upper seems pretty light, but they're super bottom heavy with that new thick midsole. I had to go up a half size in these vs the ghosts (12), but my feet are on wider side. Running with them, they initially felt heavy, then I got used to the weight - but they're obviously not flats. They have a nice snappy feel to them definitely more so than the cushy ghosts. Definitely a different feel than anything I've worn before but they seem to want to go fast. Only about 100 miles on them so far, so not sure about durability or if I'd buy them again. I'm glad I tried them...only time will tell if I'll spend another $150 once these are worn out.
