Brooks Pure Flow - Independent review

I work in the big city. Unfortunately, after quite some driving on the motorway I would also have to cross the city in order to get to my work place. Since I hate city driving I frequently park my car at the city border and commute the remainder as a runner (10-14 km, one way). Sometimes, I also take the subway in the morning. This reduces the morning run to 3-5 km, depending where I get off.

Most of the commute run is on paved ground. While I really love zero-drop shoes I do not buy into this minimalism fad. Though some aspects are really interesting and may change the industry for good a little bit I do not believe that we evolved to run on paved surfaces. Especially when you carry a heavy backpack.

Before I used the Flow regularly I had Saucony's Cortana for these runs. But I must say I don't like Saucony's cushioning. Too squishy. Not very lasting. I also hated running in the Kinvaras (apart from their excessive lateral wear that really put me off).


Overall impression

Great shoe for forefoot/midfoot strikers on paved surfaces that don't want to sacrifice comfort.

Test conditions

• urban environment, paved surfaces, all weather conditions, runs up to 1 hr
• size: 10 US, 44 EU, 9 UK, 28 cm [my long foot measures 27 cm]
• I'm a natural forefoot/midfoot striker [since ever and not just since it is trendy. Running up a mountain with your heels is quite difficult.]
• added a 2 mm Noene under the insole. However, I cut the Noene half way to level the 4 mm drop of the shoe a little bit.

Positives

• fairly flat with only 4 mm of drop (though I'd like to see them with 0 mm)
• very good cushioning; quite firm but still very comfortable 
• great fit; though slightly narrow in the beginning these get wider by time
• my wife is more a heel/midfoot stiker. This "ideal heel" really makes her land more in a midfoot position. Previously she tried the Cortana. Even I notice that. However, I'd say if it came with 0 mm drop there probably would be no need for such a feature.

Negatives

• not available with 0 mm zero drop
• after 350 km the cushioning deteriorates noticeably. Given the price tag in Eurpe those should hold up longer
   

Brooks Pure Grit - independent review

For my commute run in the city I've used Brooks' Pure Flow for quite a while now. And I must say I really love them even though they don't hold up very well (please wait for later review on them). Out of this satisfaction I decided to get a pair of their trail running siblings, the Pure Grit.

Overall impression

Big, big, big disappointment. Maybe good for running on trails in city parks

Test conditions

• several mountain runs ranging from 1 to 4 hours at dry and moist conditions.
• size: 10 US, 44 EU, 9 UK, 28 cm [my long foot measures 27 cm]
• I'm a natural forefoot/midfoot striker [since ever and not just since it is trendy. Running up a mountain with your heels is quite difficult.]
• added a 2 mm Noene under the insole. However, I cut the Noene half way to level the 4 mm drop of the shoe a little bit.

Positives

• fairly flat with only 4 mm of drop (though I'd like to see 0 mm)
• decent cushioning (for longer distances I could do with more)
• greenish colour fits my Inov-8 backpack

Negatives

• grip and traction is pathetic for a trail running shoe. Slippery even on dry rocks. In wet conditions suicidal on mountain trails. I consider Inov-8 outsoles as gold standard here.
   
• compared to the Flow the Grit seems more narrow and pointy. While the uppers are quite flexible they're still restrictive. Due to the pointy shape of the shoes I constantly caught my foot on rocks and roots. A more anatomical last would do good here [compare to Merrell's Trail Glove]. Especially at the end of longer runs when concentration poor. First I thought that I may have to size down and got a second pair. But these were simply too short and much too narrow.