Brooks Pure Flow 3

Name: Brooks Pure Flow 3
Brand: Brooks
Rating: 4.3 (45 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9 oz · 4mm drop · 22/18mm stack

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

How it ranks

The Brooks Pure Flow 3 trails most daily trainers in our data. Value and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Comfort scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 45 runner reviews and 5 other rated shoes in the PureFlow product line.

Below average

64/100

Overall

Below average 64

Cushioning

Decent 71

Value

Decent 71

Durability

Bottom-tier 56

Appearance

Bottom-tier 54

Comfort

Bottom-tier 52

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

94/100

High 94

What runners say

“Light, close to minimal, but still cushioned enough to get the job done without any injury.”

4/5 Full review 65 mpw 1,412 miles in this shoe training for a half marathon

“Have been injury-free for more consecutive miles of training than ever before.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“The low heel drop is perfect because I have a mid-foot strike.”

5/5 Full review 75 mpw training for a marathon

“Wears out and loses all structure after eight 30-mile weeks.”

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

“Gives me enough cushioning for a marathon without the weight or clunk.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon

“More comfortable and cushioned than a true minimalist shoe but like the relatively small heel lift.”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a marathon

“Great cloud-soft shoes helped me get rid of my plantar problems.”

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

“They have held up really well with about 300 miles or more on them already.”

4/5 Full review training for a marathon came from the Pearl Izumi EM Road N1

“Lightweight enough that I do not feel a need to wear lighter shoes for any workouts.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“The soles seem to be wearing very well, with 200 miles and not much wear.”

4/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

33% 13/39

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Six reviewers call it light with enough cushioning for long runs, one of them for a marathon.
Two reviewers praise the wide toe box and three the 4mm drop.
Four reviewers use one pair for easy, long and tempo runs.

Cons

Durability averages 3.9 out of 5, the lowest of its dimensions, and four reviewers say it wears out or loses structure quickly.
Four reviewers get rubbing, blisters or numb toes from the upper.
One reviewer finds the laces cinch tight and the upper stiff, and another lands on a ridge in the forefoot.

Pure Flow 3 rates 64. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Brooks PureFlow

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

49 2014 64 2014 58 2015 56 2017 61 2017 49 2018

Release year

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

PureFlow 7

2018 · 9 reviews

49 Bottom-tier

89 Confidence
PureFlow 6

2017 · 4 reviews

61 Below average

75 Confidence
Pureflow 5

2017 · 2 reviews

56 Bottom-tier

65 Confidence
Pure Flow 4

2015 · 11 reviews

58 Bottom-tier

89 Confidence
Pure Flow 3 This shoe

2014 · 45 reviews

64 Below average

94 Confidence
PureFlow 2

2014 · 39 reviews

49 Bottom-tier

95 Confidence

Reader Ratings

45 ratings

5/5 16

4/5 28

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 oz
Release: 2014
MSRP: $100
Stack Height: 22mm heel - 18mm toe
Drop Height: 4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Love the feel, at a crossroads with them, thinking I need to buy another shoe for long runs

Anonymous runner · Apr 12, 2015

80 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Glycerin 11

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

uberlegit · Apr 8, 2015

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Sayonara

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

i think it's more true to size than some reviews suggested. I bought 1/2 size up, which is ok, but I think the 10.5 would have been a little better. I've run several 12-15 mile runs and raced a Half Marathon in it. No problems at all. Will probably buy another pair.

Clell Adams · Apr 7, 2015

20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Equation 6

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

The first few runs were rough as I had to put moleskin on the inside of the upper (and wear thick socks) due to a spot that rubbed on both pinkie toes. This was a design flaw more than anything as there was an unnecessary overlay right on that spot. Over time I have been able to remove the moleskin and not worry about the thickness of my socks and have had no more blister issues. It seems it just needed a break in period. I run on pavement and a lot of dirt/gravel roads and the shoe has done equally well on both. I currently have the really bright neon Nightlife colorway which is beneficial since most of my running is early in the morning. I am running about 60 miles a week (although tempos and speedwork is done in another shoe) and they have held up really well as they have about 300 miles or more on them already.

b.crowl · Apr 4, 2015

training for a marathon came from the Pearl Izumi EM Road N1