Brooks Glycerin 12

Name: Brooks Glycerin 12
Brand: Brooks
Rating: 4.6 (27 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 11.3 oz · 29/19mm stack · 10mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Brooks Glycerin 13 replaced it

How it ranks

The Brooks Glycerin 12 ranks among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Comfort and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 27 runner reviews and 12 other rated shoes in the Glycerin product line.

Good

Overall

Good 83

Comfort

Excellent 95

Cushioning

Excellent 93

Durability

Very good 92

Appearance

Decent 77

Value

Bottom-tier 58

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 is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

96 Very high

Very high 96

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Product line track record
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“I've had this shoe for more than 8 months, and it still feels great.”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw came from the adidas Supernova Classic

“Durable enough to last 500 miles, with no negative impact on form.”

4/5 Full review came from the ASICS GT-2000 2

“Heavy and clunky, but great extra cushioning for long and recovery runs.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon

“The uppers have a nice mid-foot feel, with a nice "hug" around the foot.”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw came from the adidas Supernova Classic

“It has been 300+ miles now and they still feel amazing.”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Paradox

“For all the cushioning, it is still a nice light shoe and very flexible.”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw came from the adidas Supernova Classic

“By far the best for the money in comfort and durability.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw came from the ASICS GT-2000 3

“It has great mid-foot to fore-foot transition.”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw came from the adidas Supernova Classic

“Great cushioning. Very good heel to toe transition.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

“Higher arch than most neutral shoes; pressure on arches first week or two with orthotics.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw came from the Brooks Defyance 5

“Comfortable without losing feel of the training surface.”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw came from the Brooks Pure Grit 3

“Very responsive, well cushioned, and zero blisters.”

4/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 7

“Good for downhills; not much traction for trail but good heel support.”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 4

“It could use a little more front foot cushion.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

“While a bit heavier than preferred.”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Paradox

“Last year they changed it to less cushion.”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 15

“Not very responsive.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“Just too expensive.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

“Decent traction on all surfaces.”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw came from the Brooks Pure Grit 3

Prefer this shoe over another

44% 7/16

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Reviewers value the cushioning on long marathon-training and recovery runs.
Three reviewers report hundreds of miles before it feels worn out.
Two reviewers with surgery or injury histories name it as what finally works for them.

Cons

It lists at $150, three reviewers call it expensive, and value is the lowest-rated dimension at 3.7 out of 5.
Two runners call it heavy and clunky at 11.7 oz.
Two reviewers want more forefoot cushioning, and one finds it unresponsive.

Glycerin 12 rates 83. This shoe has very high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Brooks Glycerin

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

76 83 2014 89 86 81 2017 88 91 2019 85 92 2021 94 93 2023 91 95 2026

Release year

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

Glycerin 23

2026 · 4 reviews

95 Excellent

75 Confidence
Glycerin 22

2025 · 4 reviews

91 Very good

77 Confidence
Glycerin 21

2023 · 19 reviews

93 Excellent

91 Confidence
Glycerin 20

2022 · 50 reviews

94 Excellent

98 Confidence
Glycerin 19

2021 · 4 reviews

92 Very good

80 Confidence
Glycerin 18

2020 · 2 reviews

85 Good

80 Confidence
Glycerin 17

2019 · 21 reviews

91 Very good

96 Confidence
Glycerin 16

2018 · 21 reviews

88 Good

96 Confidence
Glycerin 15

2017 · 17 reviews

81 Good

96 Confidence
Glycerin 14

2017 · 3 reviews

86 Good

86 Confidence
Glycerin 13

2016 · 3 reviews

89 Good

84 Confidence
Glycerin 12 This shoe

2014 · 27 reviews

83 Good

96 Confidence
Glycerin 11

2014 · 16 reviews

76 Decent

90 Confidence

Runner Ratings

27 ratings

5/5 16

4/5 11

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: 11.3 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 11.7 oz · Women's 10.9 oz
Release: 2014
MSRP: $150
Stack: 29/19mm
Drop: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

4/5

Overall

midwesta · Sep 8, 2014

45 mpw training for a marathon

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

5/5

Overall

aaronknobloch · Sep 1, 2014

55 mpw training for a half marathon

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

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Aug 29, 2014

50 mpw training for a half marathon

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

5/5

Overall

So comfortable and dependable. No major changes from generation to generation...just minor improvements in durability/looks.

Anonymous runner · Aug 28, 2014

35 mpw

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

5/5

Overall

I've been wearing the Glycerin since they did away with the Radius. It's a bit of a heavy and clunky shoe, but for marathon training, I really appreciate the extra cushioning on long and recovery runs.

lookheremissy · Aug 28, 2014

40 mpw training for a marathon