Type a shoe name, like Pegasus, Clifton or Kayano.

Brooks Launch 1

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.1 oz (men's) · 27/17mm stack · 10mm drop

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

How it ranks

The Brooks Launch 1 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Comfort and value are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 55 runner reviews and 11 other rated shoes in the Launch product line.

Brooks Launch 1

of 2

Excellent

95
Overall
95
Comfort
98
Value
97
Durability
80
Cushioning
79
Appearance
69
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 is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

99 Very high

99

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.

  1. Our ratings
  2. Brand rating
  3. External ratings

What runners say

“Has enough cushion to keep your feet happy during a long run, but is flexible and light enough to be used for fast workouts on the track.”
5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a marathon
“Enough cushioning for marathon training and races but not too clunky for tempo's and speed work.”
5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a marathon
“Just straight EVA. Makes for a smooth ride and natural feeling transition.”
5/5 Full review 90 mpw training for a half marathon
“It is so comfortable and supportive despite being light.”
5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon
“Over time it feels somewhat unstable in the heel, leading to some ankle soreness.”
4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon
“It is light enough for relatively fast training but solid for long training runs also.”
5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Precision 7
“The cushioning is pretty much shot at ~300 miles.”
5/5 Full review 90 mpw training for a half marathon
“Relatively light, good cushioning, fits my foot well, and I don't notice it that much when I run.”
5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Sayonara
“One is 2 years old and still going strong after maybe 1,000 miles.”
4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon
“It's the first shoe I have repeatedly purchased since the old DS trainer.”
5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon
“The launch doesn't come in narrow width, but runs narrow and is comfortable.”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon
“I can get about 700 miles before it develops a lateral tilt that can hurt my ankles.”
4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon
“They seem to have problems with the material wearing out where the little toe pushes on the side.”
5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a marathon
“Perfect fit for my foot (somewhat wide forefoot, narrow heel).”
4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon
“It is wearing out a little on the bottom after only 200 miles running.”
4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GT-3000
“It actually ripped a big hole where multiple toes popped out.”
5/5 Full review 80 mpw training for a marathon
“I can get 300-500 miles per pair.”
5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon
“The cushioning wears out faster than I would like.”
4/5 Full review 75 mpw training for a half marathon
“I can only get about 350-400 miles/pair.”
4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon
“The shoe breaks down rather quickly.”
3/5 Full review 75 mpw training for a marathon
“Replaced due to upper starting to wear.”
5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a marathon
“They seem to wear out a bit quickly.”
5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon
“I get about 300 miles out of the shoe.”
4/5 Full review training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

48% 14/29

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

  • Reviewers use it for easy runs, tempos and marathons alike.
  • At 9.1 oz, runners find it light with usable cushioning.
  • Reviewers buy the same shoe again and again, one on a thirteenth pair and another through ten.

Cons

  • Several runners say the cushioning flattens around 300 miles.
  • Two reviewers replaced pairs because the upper wore through, one of them at over 1,100 miles.
  • Two reviewers say the heel grows unstable over time, one of them getting ankle soreness from it at around 700 miles.

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
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

Launch 1 rates 95. This shoe has very high confidence. 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

Release year

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

  • Launch 12

    2026 · 1 review

    87 Good

    77 Confidence

  • Launch 11

    2024 · 1 review

    87 Good

    76 Confidence

  • Launch 10

    2023 · 12 reviews

    97 Exceptional

    86 Confidence

  • Launch 9

    2022 · 20 reviews

    76 Decent

    89 Confidence

  • Launch 8

    2020 · 3 reviews

    84 Good

    84 Confidence

  • Launch 7

    2019 · 3 reviews

    81 Good

    85 Confidence

  • Launch 6

    2018 · 29 reviews

    88 Good

    97 Confidence

  • Launch 5

    2017 · 37 reviews

    85 Good

    99 Confidence

  • Launch 4

    2017 · 24 reviews

    78 Decent

    96 Confidence

  • Launch 3

    2017 · 11 reviews

    91 Very good

    94 Confidence

  • Launch 2

    2015 · 25 reviews

    69 Below average

    97 Confidence

  • Launch 1 This shoe

    2009 · 55 reviews

    95 Excellent

    99 Confidence

Runner Ratings

55 ratings
5/5 38
4/5 16
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
9.1 oz (men's)
Release
2009
MSRP
$100
Stack
27/17mm
Drop
10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 51–55 of 55 written reviews

4/5

Overall

Best all-around daily road trainer. Light and comfortable. Perfect fit for my foot (somewhat wide forefoot, narrow heal). Only problem is that over time it feels somewhat unstable in the heal, leading to some ankle soreness. I have two pair; one is 2 years old and still going strong after maybe 1,000 miles.

Knacker · Aug 28, 2014

30 mpw training for a half marathon

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

4/5

Overall

Nice low profile but still has cushioning for a lightweight trainer. It held up as expected. Definitely worth the price.

Anonymous runner · Aug 27, 2014

80 mpw 3,128 miles in this shoe training for a marathon

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

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Aug 27, 2014

70 mpw training for middle distance

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

5/5

Overall

The Launch is my every day trainer that I use for pretty much everything that's not speedwork (PureConnect and/or T7 for that). Flexible with a good amount of soft cushioning. It's a no-nonsense, simple trainer with a full-contact outsole and no silly plastic arch bridge or weird cushioning technology in the midsole...just straight EVA (or BioMoGo or whatever Brooks calls it). Makes for a smooth ride and natural feeling transition. My only gripe is that the cushioning is pretty much shot at ~300 miles, but since they're on the cheaper side ($100, though the old colorway was $90 if you can still find that) they get a pass.

Sally Paradise · Aug 27, 2014

90 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort
5/5
Durability
2/5
Appearance
3/5
Value
5/5

5/5

Overall

Great Light weight trainer for anything from the long run, tempo, to easy runs.

scootermynutz · Aug 27, 2014

40 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Alternatives

Other shoes worth considering.

ASICS Novablast 5

Novablast 5

Daily trainer

98 Exceptional

$130

More from Brooks

Brooks Glycerin Max 2

Glycerin Max 2

Daily trainer

91 Very good

$149
Brooks Hyperion Max 3

Hyperion Max 3

Speed shoe

90 Very good

$110
Brooks Glycerin Flex

Glycerin Flex

Daily trainer

90 Very good

$129
Brooks Hyperion Elite 5

Hyperion Elite 5

Racing shoe

88 Good

$180

Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Brooks Launch 1
Brooks Launch 12
HOKA Bondi 8
Launch 1
Launch 12
Bondi 8
Current shoe
Choose a model
Best value rating
Lightest / Newest
Lowest price / Best overall / Best comfort
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
9.1 oz (men's)
8.4 oz Lightest
9.9 oz
Stack
27/17mm
—
40/35mm
Drop
10mm
8mm
4mm
Release
2009
2026 Newest
2022 Q3
MSRP
$100
$120
$165
Best price
—
$115
$95 Lowest price
Ratings
Overall
95 Excellent
87 Good
99 Exceptional Best overall
Comfort
98 Exceptional
86 Good
99 Exceptional Best comfort
Cushioning
79 Decent
75 Decent
99 Exceptional Best cushioning
Durability
80 Good
76 Decent
97 Exceptional Best durability
Appearance
69 Below average
74 Decent
75 Decent Best appearance
Value
97 Exceptional Best value rating
96 Excellent
77 Decent
Specific shoe

Search for the exact model to add to this comparison.

Brooks Launch 1 In Context

More on the Brooks Launch

Compare every Launch version

Reviewers Also Ran In

More from Brooks

All Brooks running shoes, rated