In today’s article, we have the Brooks size chart for women, men, and all gender. Then later in the article, we’re going to review Brooks’ budget shoe, the Brooks Launch 9.
Excited enough, let’s dive right into it…
Related:
Brooks Size Chart
Brooks Women’s Size Chart
US | UK | Europe |
---|---|---|
5 | 3 | 35.5 |
5.5 | 3.5 | 36 |
6 | 4 | 36.5 |
6.5 | 4.5 | 37.5 |
7 | 5 | 38 |
7.5 | 5.5 | 38.5 |
8 | 6 | 39 |
8.5 | 6.5 | 40 |
9 | 7 | 40.5 |
9.5 | 7.5 | 41 |
10 | 8 | 42 |
10.5 | 8.5 | 42.5 |
11 | 9 | 43 |
11.5 | 9.5 | 44 |
12 | 10 | 44.5 |
12.5 | 10.5 | 45 |
13 | 11 | 45.5 |
Related:
Shoe Width Comparison
Men’s | Women’s | |
---|---|---|
Narrow | B | 2A |
Medium | D | B |
Wide | 2E | D |
Extra Wide | 4E | 2E |
Brooks Men’s Size Chart
US | UK | Europe |
---|---|---|
5 | 4 | 37.5 |
5.5 | 4.5 | 38 |
6 | 5 | 38.5 |
6.5 | 5.5 | 39 |
7 | 6 | 40 |
7.5 | 6.5 | 40.5 |
8 | 7 | 41 |
8.5 | 7.5 | 42 |
9 | 8 | 42.5 |
9.5 | 8.5 | 43 |
10 | 9 | 44 |
10.5 | 9.5 | 44.5 |
11 | 10 | 45 |
11.5 | 10.5 | 45.5 |
12 | 11 | 46 |
12.5 | 11.5 | 46.5 |
13 | 12 | 47.5 |
14 | 13 | 48.5 |
15 | 14 | 49.5 |
16 | 15 | 50.5 |
Related:
Shoe Width Comparison
Men’s | Women’s | |
---|---|---|
Narrow | B | 2A |
Medium | D | B |
Wide | 2E | D |
Extra Wide | 4E | 2E |
Brooks All Gender Size Chart
All Gender US | Women’s US | Men’s US | UK | Europe |
---|---|---|---|---|
5 | 6.5 | 5 | 4 | 37.5 |
5.5 | 7 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 38 |
6 | 7.5 | 6 | 5 | 38.5 |
6.5 | 8 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 39 |
7 | 8.5 | 7 | 6 | 40 |
7.5 | 9 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 40.5 |
8 | 9.5 | 8 | 7 | 41 |
8.5 | 10 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 42 |
9 | 10.5 | 9 | 8 | 42.5 |
9.5 | 11 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 43 |
10 | 11.5 | 10 | 9 | 44 |
10.5 | 12 | 10.5 | 9.5 | 44.5 |
11 | 12.5 | 11 | 10 | 45 |
11.5 | 13 | 11.5 | 10.5 | 45.5 |
12 | 13.5 | 12 | 11 | 46 |
12.5 | 14 | 12.5 | 11.5 | 46.5 |
13 | 14.5 | 13 | 12 | 47.5 |
14 | 15.5 | 14 | 13 | 48.5 |
15 | 16.5 | 15 | 14 | 49.5 |
16 | 17.5 | 16 | 15 | 50.5 |
Related:
Shoe Width Comparison
All Gender | Men’s | Women’s | |
---|---|---|---|
Narrow | B | B | 2A |
Medium | D | D | B |
Wide | 2E | 2E | D |
Extra Wide | 4E | 4E | 2E |
Now let’s review one of Brooks’ more popular budget road running shoe models. It’s the Brooks Launch 9.
Brooks have four different categories:
- Cushion
- Speed
- Energize
- Trail
… and the Launch line falls under the speed category. Then, under the speed category, they have three subcategories:
- Fast
- Faster
- Fastest
I don’t know what to make out of all these different categories, but they have the Launch 9 classified as fast, which is the slowest category of their speed category.
I realize that’s confusing, but essentially what that means is the Launch 9 is a lightweight shoe designed to go fast but not as fast as some of their other models if that makes any sense at all.
Related:
Brooks Launch 9
So, the Launch 9 is technically their budget model which is about $30 less than the Ghost 14 and the Adrenaline which are their neutral daily trainer and stability trainer respectively.
Essentially, you save $30 by going with the budget version, but I don’t think you give up a whole lot with this new shoe, especially with some of the updates that they made.
The Launch comes in two different configurations, the neutral version and also the GTS stability version just like the Glycerin 19 and Glycerin GTS 19. GTS basically stands for Go-to Support.
The GTS version has some Guide Rails on both the lateral side and the medial side to give you some stability.
In terms of weight, the Launch 9 went from 8.6 ounces down to 8.2, which is roughly about a 4 to 5% savings in the weight department.
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Midsole
Even though the weight went down, the amount of midsole went up 2 millimeters in this iteration.
Now we have 36 millimeters of stack height in the heel and 26 in the forefoot for a total drop of 10 millimeters, which is really nice to get some more cushion in a lower weight package.
The thicker midsole is still made out of their BioMogo DNA foam which is going to be a little bit softer and have a nice level of squish to it for such a lightweight budget shoe.
Again, this is supposed to be a speed shoe for those faster days and so we do get some interesting overall shape and geometry of the midsole that kind of promotes those faster and quicker transitions.
With the heel, you get this bevel towards the lateral side. A lot of shoes have this, but the curve here is going to be a little bit more dramatic.
So if you’re a heel striker, it’ll give you a more natural transition as your foot lands and goes through its gait.
Overall, the midsole gets a little bit softer and there’s a little bit more cushion to it. It feels really good on foot and I think it’s a move in the right direction.
You also get a little bit of rocker in the forefoot for a nice overall flow while you’re running.
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Environmentally-friendly
The BioMogo midsole also has an additive in it that allows it to decompose faster when in a landfill and I think this helps the overall environmental story.
Newtons have the same thing called Eco Pure. Newton say this doesn’t impact the midsole durability and I’m assuming the same thing goes for Brooks.
I guess the decomposing process that interacts with the material or the additive in the midsole doesn’t activate until it’s in a landfill in that environment with all the different factors there.
Related:
Upper
This is where the big change took place and it’s the reason the shoe went down .4oz while still going up 2 millimeters in the midsole.
Overall, I really like the updated upper. It feels really nice on foot and has slightly above average breathability. It’s maybe just a slightly snug fit and so if you want a little bit more room, maybe go up a half a size or try going up half a size.
But overall, I think they did a nice job with the overall fit.
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Tongue
The tongue on Launch 9 also got a lot thinner and a lot lighter. It is non-gusseted, but I think it’s slightly wider compared to your conventional tongue because it has these really paper-thin flaps that wrap around the sides of your foot.
In addition to that, they have two strategically placed foam columns that basically give the foot a little bit more comfort and a little bit of extra padding.
Sometimes on thin tongues, you can feel those laces directly on top of your foot. But the columns on the Launch 9 cushion the blow, pun intended, from the laces and they really do help just the overall comfort level without adding too much weight.
As a fun side note, you do get two extra holes at the top of the shoe if you want to customize the lacing even more. But overall, I think the overall fit is relatively secure.
Related:
Heel
Moving to the back of the shoe, you get a relatively flexible internal heel counter. It’s nothing too overbuilt and nothing too rigid, but it does have a nice level of support to it.
It’s definitely not a minimal shoe that can practically fold flat, but it feels relatively sturdy, especially for a lightweight budget shoe.
Something else that surprised me for being a lightweight budget shoe is how much foam and padding they have on the ankle and Achilles area.
I believe this is increased from the previous version and it feels really nice on foot. It almost feels like that premium material Brooks uses on their premium shoes.
It’s not as quite as plush as the Brooks Ghost 14 or 13, but it does have quite a bit of padding and cushion.
Related:
Outsole
You get full rubber coverage, but this time, it’s made with something called a Green Rubber which is based on silica and not petroleum. This means it’s going to be a little bit more sustainable running shoe and better for the environment.
Plus, the overall setup of the outsole is going to be a little bit thinner compared to something like the Brooks Ghost.
So, according to Brooks, this is supposed to help you have quicker transitions because this is a speed shoe.
Let’s talk about what works well for the Launch 9 and what doesn’t work so well…
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Pros
The first big positive is that the Launch 9 went down in weight while going up in cushioning.
I really think it has a nice level of softness to it especially being a lightweight budget shoe. Typically, with lightweight budget shoes, the midsole is where you sacrifice a lot.
So, I was really happy with the level of softness and the overall ride of the Brooks Launch 9.
Another positive is I’m really happy with the overall construction, materials, and look of the shoe.
Typically, sometimes when you get a budget shoe, it just looks a little bit cheap, it feels a little bit cheap and the materials just aren’t quite there.
The upper feels really nice and it almost feels practically premium. You get plenty of cushion in the ankle and Achilles area.
Overall, the Launch looks a little more like a premium shoe rather than a budget shoe, which I think is a big plus.
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Cons
As far as the negatives go, I don’t have too much to harp on this shoe about other than it’s kind of like a classic daily trainer with nothing too exciting.
The tongue could probably use some more padding if you really wanted it. I know some people like a padded gusseted tongue and this is a thin non-gusseted tongue.
So, if you’re someone who likes a little bit more cushion in the tongue area, that might be an issue for you.
The last thing is maybe just the overall durability isn’t the best.
Again, this is a thinner shoe with a standard EVA midsole. Lightweight EVA midsoles aren’t the most durable over the long term.
So, if you’re looking for one shoe to last you a ton of miles, I’ll probably go in a different direction.
Related:
Wrap up
I think the Brooks Launch is a good shoe. I’m actually really impressed with the overall updates, the styling, and the fit and feel of it.
I really like the cushioning which really does feel nice on foot especially for being a lightweight budget shoe.
If I saw this on the street and I don’t know anything about shoes, I wouldn’t say it feels cheap or anything like that.
Again, the Launch 9 comes with a GTS stability version with Guide Rails on both sides. Overall, I think Brooks did a good job with the Brooks Launch 9.
However, if you’re someone who wants a more durable shoe that’s a little bit more well-constructed and maybe a little bit more exciting and a little bit faster, I’d probably go in a different direction.
That’s it for today. We’ve given you the Brooks size chart and reviewed the Brooks Launch 9 which is their budget lightweight trainer.
I hope you’re staying safe out there and see you in the next one 🙂