Brooks Ghost Max vs Ghost 15 Comparison Running Shoe Review

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The main difference between the Brooks Ghost Max running shoes and the Brooks Ghost 15 running shoes is that the Brooks Ghost Max offers a softer running experience, with a higher stack height, less aggressive heel-to-toe drop and smoother rocker feel, while the Brooks Ghost 15 offers a firmer sensation underfoot.

With "Max" in the name, there's no surprises that the Brooks Ghost Max ticks off the criteria for neutral runners seeking comfort and protection to conquer high mileage running and everyday training.

Both Brooks running shoes offer heel striker and orthotic-friendly engineering, however the Brooks Ghost Max delivers a deeper, more accommodating fit through the forefoot and tighter engineered mesh.

DNA Loft v2 cushioning is featured in both running shoes, however the feel is significantly different between the Brooks Ghost Max and Brooks Ghost 15. The Brooks Ghost Max provides a softer spin on this technology for a more effortless-feeling run, and the Brooks Ghost 15 offers a more resilient and 'traditional' feel that loyal Brooks Ghost fans know and love.

Underneath, the Brooks Ghost Max offers a wider and larger surface area for stability, while remaining relatively consistent in terms of where the flex grooves are strategically placed in the Brooks Ghost 15.

Both the Brooks Ghost Max and Brooks Ghost 15 are available in multiple width offerings, making it easy to find your ideal fit.

"The Brooks Ghost Max is one of the best Brooks shoes that they have ever made. I absolutely love this shoe."

Sportitude Running shoe expert, Josh Willoughby

Check out the review with full transcript below.

Hey guys, Josh here from Sportitude Running. In front of me I have the Brooks Ghost Max running shoes and I also have the Brooks Ghost 15 running shoes.

In today's review we're going to be talking about this new and exciting running shoe from Brooks, the Brooks Ghost Max and we're going to compare it to the Brooks Ghost 15.

We want to breakdown the differences across the outsole, midsole and upper to give you all the information at home that you need to potentially make one of these running shoes your next shoe purchase. Let's get stuck in.

Who Are The Brooks Ghost Max Running Shoes For?

To breakdown the foot type, both the Brooks Ghost Max (above) and Brooks Ghost 15 are designed for a neutral runner looking for cushioning out on the pavement. In theory you would think they're talking to the same demographic, however the engineering concept of the Brooks Ghost Max in comparison to the Brooks Ghost 15 is significantly different.

The Brooks Ghost Max is targeting someone who's looking for a little bit of a softer ride underneath their foot and an element of a rocker feel through the forefoot. The great thing about the Brooks Ghost Max is they've addressed that specific engineering type where they've placed a really, I wouldn't say aggressive, but a smooth rocker which is just after the midfoot as you're gearing towards that exit out of your gait cycle.

The rocker is a little bit further back, but that's a good thing with this running shoe because what you find with the element of a rocker in the Brooks Ghost 15 is it's more pushed towards the forefoot. This is because the Brooks Ghost 15 has a high heel-to-toe offset and that's part of the engineering breakdown which we'll get to in in the midsole part of today's review.

The Brooks Ghost Max 15 is significantly softer underneath the foot and it has a really nice smooth rocker through to the forefoot.

Both these running shoes cater for orthotics absolutely fine, but I find the Brooks Ghost Max to be a little bit more orthotic-friendly because it's on a slightly wider base which we'll get to that in the outsole part of today's review.

Upper

Let's start with the upper, one of my favourite features of any Brooks shoe. They execute the uppers extremely well, so let's start off with the fact that you have multiple widths again with Brooks.

In the Brooks Ghost Max (above), we have three widths available both in the men's and women's model. In the Brooks Ghost 15 we have four widths in the men's and women's model.

With the actual fit and feel of both uppers, you're going to find that the Brooks Ghost Max in comparison to the Brooks Ghost 15 is going to be marginally deeper, especially through the forefoot. You get a little bit more wriggle room in comparison to what the Brooks Ghost 15 has on offer.

The upper is the same technical construction. It's an engineered mesh, however there is a slightly tighter weave on the Brooks Ghost Max around the medial side and the lateral side of the forefoot. Brooks have put a little bit more effort in that construction where that upper meets the midsole in the Brooks Ghost Max than what you find with the Brooks Ghost 15.

The Brooks Ghost 15 still has a great execution of upper through the midsole to upper connection point, however in the Brooks Ghost Max a little bit more construction has been put into play with regards to the upper meting the midsole.

I've said this in many of my Brooks reviews gone by, one of my favourite features is the internal heel counter and collar. With the Brooks Ghost Max we have that really soft material that Brooks have been very well known for regarding the execution of their heel collars and memory foam on play.

The internal heel counter construction is a very similar height with very similar amount of memory foam from the Brooks Ghost 15 to the Brooks Ghost Max, so I wouldn't say one is totally different than the other.

If anything there might be a little bit less memory foam on offer with the Brooks Ghost Max which I think is a good thing because this running shoe is marginally heavier, and that's more due to the midsole configuration.

You get a very comfortable, slightly deeper feel with the Brooks Ghost Max in comparison to what you find with the Brooks Ghost 15.

Outsole

Let's jump to the bottom of the running shoe and talk all things outsole. First things first, in comparing the Brooks Ghost Max (above) to the Brooks Ghost 15, you still have full ground coverage with their outsole. There's plenty of rubber from the back of the heel right through to the forefoot.

The obvious variance is that the Brooks Ghost Max has a lot more width and larger surface area than what you see with the Brooks Ghost 15. In regards to the actual flex grooves through the forefoot, they're very similar to where they've strategically been placed.

In the Brooks Ghost Max they provide a little bit more of a filled out outsole on the medial side of that forefoot which is where the green rubber has been strategically placed. It's going to offer your first metatarsal more structure and support, and not be overly flexible through your exit out of your gait cycle.

We find the same thing with the Brooks Ghost 15. They have filled out that horizontal flex groove in that forefoot to provide a little bit more support for that flexibility through the front half of the running shoe.

Brooks have placed their more durable rubber strategically in the heel strike zone of the Brooks Ghost 15 and the Brooks Ghost Max which is on the lateral side of your heel. That is a different compound of rubber in comparison to the other strategically placed rubber which is their green rubber - a lighter, softer compound.

If you're a heel striker who tends to hit the ground a little bit harder, you want a slightly more durable rubber on that back lateral side of your outsole.

In the outsole of the Brooks Ghost Max you can see a vertical decoupled line. It comes through to the lateral side of the forefoot to provide a little bit more cushioning and to work with that early rocker and midsole which is on a slightly lower heel-to-toe drop.

They strategically place that vertical decoupled line to complement what Brooks have achieved with the midsole engineering which we'll get to right now.

Midsole

Let's talk about the midsole which is essentially where most of our conversation is going to be directed. In terms of stats, we have a 28mm heel and a 22mm forefoot for that offset of 6mm in the Brooks Ghost Max (above).

The offset is doubled in the Brooks Ghost 15. We have a 24mm heel and 12mm forefoot for a variance of 12mm. That's a really big change regarding the stack and the offset, with the Brooks Ghost Max being a little bit higher off the ground and obviously you would expect that with the name.

We’ve gone 4mm higher in regard to the stack height and the heel, however it's not as aggressive regarding the heel-to-toe pitch.

The actual midsole breakdown is technically speaking supposed to be the same - it's DNA Loft v2. Let's have a breather because both midsoles are significantly different with regards to the geometry.

The Brooks Ghost Max is significantly softer underneath the foot and that's where it can be a little bit confusing from time to time where brands put the same badge on a specific engineering feature of a shoe. More often than not, it's the midsole we're talking about.

With the DNA Loft v2 in the Brooks Ghost Max, it is not the same as the midsole in the Brooks Ghost 15. It’s a slightly firmer, more durable midsole I'd probably say in the Brooks Ghost 15.

The Brooks Ghost Max is very soft underneath the foot and you're going to find it to be a little bit smoother due to the 6mm offset, and with the overall transition of this running shoe having a little bit more foam through the forefoot.

In terms of the overall performance of the midsole of the Brooks Ghost Max, as I have said earlier in this review, the rocker is a little bit earlier in its positioning where it's been strategically placed in this running shoe. That is a great thing because it's going to play right to that person who enjoys that nice, easy, effortless release through their entire gait cycle.

It's very similar to the Hoka Clifton franchise which is an extremely popular max cushioned running shoe which has been on the market now for the best part of 9 to 10 years.

However, what I want to talk about is the stack height of the Brooks Ghost Max. We have that 28mm stack. It's a little bit on the lower end compared to a lot of max cushioned shoes. We tend to see them north of 30mm, pushing up towards that 40mm stack height.

That's a really important topic of discussion because what we find when we go higher off the ground with a lot of running shoes, it provides a really soft plush feel right underneath your foot. However, it can actually make a runner hit the ground a lot harder. They try to push through that foam to get more of a proprioceptive feel.

What I found with the Brooks Ghost Max on my run this morning is that I don't have to hit the ground as hard in this running shoe than I do with a Hoka Clifton, a Hoka Bondi or even a New Balance Fresh Foam More for example which are all great shoes and they perform quite well.

I can hit the ground with a little bit more ease in the Brooks Ghost Max running shoe and I like that. I'm not putting as much vertical force through my body but I'm getting all the performance benefits out of a max cushioned shoe that you would expect and want out of a running shoe like this, and obviously with that rocker midsole which is on play.

As I touched on, the Brooks Ghost 15 has a firmer midsole in comparison to the Brooks Ghost Max. That high heel-to-toe gradient in the Brooks Ghost 15 is more targeted towards the runner that hits the ground a little bit harder in their heel. They come down heel first and need that higher heel-to-toe drop to take pressure off their Achilles and calf muscles.

With the Brooks Ghost Max running shoes, you're going to get the same benefit reducing load on the Achilles and calf but that's coming from that early rocker, not necessarily the heel-to-toe offset.

You're probably going to find the ground contact time in the Brooks Ghost Max to be a little bit more in comparison to the Brooks Ghost 15, but the perceived effort is going to be significantly less in the Brooks Ghost Max due to the midsole.

The Wrap Up

In summarising, Brooks have absolutely nailed it with the Brooks Ghost Max. It frustrates me from time to time when brands use the same franchise but confuse us the running community.

You've got a Brooks Ghost franchise that has been around now for 15 years and then they've gone and called a running shoe the Brooks Ghost Max. We saw it with the Asics Gel Kayano and the Asics Gel Kayano Lite or the Asics Gel Nimbus and the Asics Gel Nimbus Lite.

It certainly served a purpose and worked quite well, but it can confuse the market or the demographic of runners out there. What I found with the Brooks Ghost Max is it is one of the best Brooks shoes that they have ever made.

I absolutely love this shoe. It's available in widths, it's very comfortable, it's going to talk to a lot more runners who’ve been searching for a true max cushioned, mileage runner from Brooks with a rocker midsole. It is hitting the brief in every aspect in my opinion.

The Brooks Ghost 15 is still going to talk to a lot of runners, those honest Brooks consumers that have been running in this brand for a decade plus. They know what they get from their Brooks running shoes and the Brooks Ghost franchise is going to continue to do that from the Brooks Ghost 16, Brooks Ghost 17 and so on.

I say this because I've heard a whisper down the grapevine, Brooks are probably going to use the midsole or the mould of the Brooks Ghost Max in another shoe in the mid part to back end of 2024, so watch this space.

They will reuse or repurpose this midsole, and this max cushion theme is not going to stop here with the Brooks Ghost franchise. The Brooks Glycerin will come in a Brooks Glycerin Max and those details will come to you through us at a later date, probably in the back half of 2023 when we find out more information about that running shoe.

But we're here to talk about the Brooks Ghost Max. This running shoe is absolutely fabulous for your easy days and you can also pick up the pace. If you're a runner that's just looking for an honest shoe with an effortless transition I would strongly suggest giving the Brooks Ghost Max a go.

If you're coming from a Hoka Clifton, the New Balance Fresh Foam More or an Asics GlideRide, just to name a few, I'd certainly suggest giving the Brooks Ghost Max a go. It’s a very fun shoe to run in. I like what this running shoe has done for me on my couple of runs and I'm going to keep using it, that is for sure.

If you have any questions on the Brooks Ghost Max or the Brooks Ghost 15 or the comparison between both of them, please contact our Sportitude shoe experts. We'd love to hear from you the running community all over the world.

Until next time stay safe, be kind to one another, happy running and we will see you out the road. Take care.

FEATURES

Brooks Ghost Max

Support: Neutral
Upper: Engineered Mesh
Midsole: Brooks DNA Loft v2
Heel Height: 28mm
Forefoot Height: 22mm
Offset / Drop: 6mm
Sustainability: Certified Carbon Neutral
Similar Shoes: Hoka Clifton

Men

Weight: 306g / 10.8oz (US 10)
Width: D (standard), 2E (wide), 4E (extra wide)

Women

Weight: 235g / 8.3oz (US 7)
Width: B (standard), D (wide), 2E (extra wide)

Brooks Ghost 15

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