Brooks Launch 8

Name: Brooks Launch 8
Brand: Brooks

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.3 oz · 10mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Brooks Launch 9 replaced it

How it ranks

The Brooks Launch 8’s rating is an early estimate. We’ve collected 3 runner reviews so far, with product line history and external ratings also informing the score.

Current estimate: Good

Overall

Good 84

Value

Exceptional 98

Comfort

Good 86

Durability

Good 83

Appearance

Decent 77

Cushioning

Decent 75

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

84 Moderate

Moderate 84

External retailer ratings

We break apart ratings from mass-market retailers and specialty running shops since they serve different audiences.

The middle of the bar marks the typical shoe at each type of retailer. The dot shows where this shoe ranks in comparison.

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
External ratings
Our ratings

Prefer this shoe over another

25% 1/4

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Reviewers rate value 5.0 out of 5 and durability 5.0 out of 5.
One reviewer has run about fifteen pairs at 70 miles a week and gets 700 to 800 miles from each.
It lists at $100, below the $150 median for daily trainers for sale.

Cons

One of three reviewers so far rates cushioning 3 out of 5, its lowest mark.
One of three reviewers so far says Brooks has not matched it since and hunts for leftover pairs.

Launch 8 rates 84. This shoe has moderate 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

40 60 80 100

95 2009 69 2015 91 2017 78 2017 85 2017 88 2018 81 2019 84 2020 76 2022 97 2023 87 2024 87 2026

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 This shoe

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

2009 · 55 reviews

95 Excellent

99 Confidence

Runner Ratings

3 ratings

5/5 2

4/5 1

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: 8.3 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 8.6 oz · Women's 7.9 oz
Release: 2020 Q4
MSRP: $100
Drop: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Best Trainer Brooks Has Had and I Wish They Brought It Back

5/5

Overall

This is a great value shoe and versatile across workouts and other runs. Later iterations have been okay, but this one holds a special place in my ranking list. Not only is it great for easy runs, long runs, and any other everyday runs on the roads or trails, but holds up just fine in a large majority of track, grass, and road workouts that I've done. Also, the price was fantastic for the product and I got plenty of miles out of several pairs of these. Maybe one day Brooks will release a version that matches up to these again in the not too distant future, but until then, I will keep looking on Ebay to snag any leftover as often as I can.

Dev · Jun 9, 2026

30 mpw avg pace 8:00 400 miles in this shoe training for a marathon would buy again came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34

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

Great all around shoe for the price

4/5

Overall

I've ran in ~15 pairs of these over the last several years and they get me through 70 mile weeks and up to ~700-800 miles per pair without injury. What more can I ask for in a shoe?

Matt · Jul 6, 2023

60 mpw training for a marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 21