Our verdict

A shoe that literally launches me forward - the zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5! Easily, it's one of my best picks for speed training shoes that don't break the bank. For a budget shoe, it goes above and beyond in areas of lightness, speed, and durability - something most speedsters don't possess! If you already have an easy-day and race-day shoe, this will complete your rotation. And if you want a light daily running shoe, I believe that it can fit the bill too!

zapatillas de running Brooks hombre trail constitución ligera talla 36.5 Pros

  • Hugs your feet
  • Brooks Мужская обувь Трейл раннинг
  • Breathable
  • Surprisingly flexible
  • Easy to slide into
  • Elf tab
  • Feels light and fast
  • Βιώσιμη Brooks england Scape Small 10-13L Panniers

zapatillas de running Brooks hombre trail constitución ligera talla 36.5 Cons

  • Not for slick surfaces

Audience verdict

90
Superb!

zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5 review and lab test 

This is a simply designed shoe built for speed work and training days that push your times. It works best as a supplementary shoe to someone who already has a race-day and a recovery-day shoe.

  • You should buy this shoe if you are looking for a speed trainer without a high price tag.
  • Don't buy the Launch 8 if you want a shoe with super-modern technology. If you want the best of the best, this is not that shoe. putting it over Brooks right now and Hyperion Tempo would be. 

zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5 pieces of the shoe

Hugs your (wide) feet 

The Launch 8 hugs your foot, and although they seem long and narrow as you hold them in your hand, they worked well for my wider feet. 

Heel doesn’t slip in Launch 8 

The heel counter is medium/firm stiffness, coming at 82.1N on our tests, and although this is higher than the average heel stiffness of 55.5N, the only shoe we’ve tested that was stiffer was the Brooks Glycerin 19 (121.1N). The important thing here though was that I didn’t have any heel slip. 

Breathability 

I love the air mesh upper. It's more breathable than the past model of the Launch, and a little more performance-minded with a bit less padding in the ankle and tongue. 

zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5 upper closeup

Also, on our “light test”, the zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5 passed with flying colours. And yes, the upper is a nice breathable mesh, but because the shoe is neon yellow. The whole shoe glowed in our lightbox. The average LUX passed Weekend a shoe is 64, the Launch read 495.

Transparency test on zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5

I don’t think it's nearly 10x more breathable than other shoes by any means, I think the material and colour of the shoe helped boost this finding. 

zapatillas de running Brooks mujer entrenamiento talla 48

I leave every run wanting more response, more spring, and just some more excitement out of the shoe. 

Brooks needs to step up the midsole Range. This shoe has the BioMoGo DNA midsole and granted this shoe feels better than almost all the other Quiksilver Giacca Brooks Unlined I’ve tried this year, but it’s because it feels light and nimble, making it feel fast. 

Launch 8 cut in half

I will say whatever they changed from the Launch 7 is a good change, the 7 felt like a brick and the 8 has more flex and forgiveness in the midsole, but the big question is why not put DNA Flash on these? 

Surprisingly flexible

Look how it bends! With an average of 18.7N needed to flex it, zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5 comes as our 2nd most flexible shoe so far (the average being 23.8N). 

I wish Brooks boosted this flexibility with more pop. 

Finally, a speed shoe with a proper outsole

The outsole is a hearty 3.7mm (this is an average between front and back, there’s actually a bit more rubber underfoot upfront) of full rubber which I really like. 

Outsole design on zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5

Not all speed-orientated shoes have a full outsole, which should add some durability to this shoe, especially to the non-heel strikers out there. 

You can simply slide into the zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5

I really like the shape of the heel flair, it makes the Launch 8 really easy to slide your foot into. This is another good update from the 7 that was missing this tall, elf-like heel. 

Heel tab design on zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5

I was really unsure about these heel tabs when shoes started coming out with them, but I’m starting to dig them, it’s almost like having a built-in shoehorn.  

The Brooks Ghost 12

One thing to mention, the outsole was not super grippy on slick surfaces in my tests, although most road shoes aren’t built for grip anyway. 

zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5 feels light & fast

They come in at 8.55 ounces or 240g, which is not technically heavy, but competitors in this space like the Skechers Razor + and the the Brooks PureGrit 6 is a are about an ounce to 1.5 ounces lighter. 

Weight of zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5

However, they feel light, which feels fast, and I like that, even if it’s just mental because they are neon yellow.

Skechers constitución ligera talla 27

Most shoes would benefit from extra mid-foot lockdown and the Launch 8 isn’t immune to this. 

The tongue needs to be gusseted, shoes without a gusset don’t get a tonne of my attention as I’m looking at them on the shelves of my local retailer. 

I had to tie them up pretty tight to get the feel I wanted, and they felt a touch tight over the top of my foot because of it, which is why I appreciate they didn’t go too minimal on the tongue (4mm). Any less padding and I would have had some discomfort. 

Disappointing laces

They have a wide (6.4mm) and thick (1.3mm) braided nylon lace and it just feels subpar for a high-performance shoe like this. I know this is a budget shoe but the laces feel cheap and like an afterthought. 

Laces on zapatillas de running Brooks minimalistas talla 44.5

I wish Brooks would have put the laces from the Catamount on the Launch 8, those are ideal for a shoe like this. 

Refreshing colour choices

I absolutely love the neon and black colorway as well, I know colour doesn’t influence performance, but it's loud and simple at the same time, and because of that I feel faster in them.

Budget-super-friendly

Ok down to price and this is a major pro. £100, for a speed shoe, and that’s pretty fantastic!

Conclusion

In the end, if you are looking for a fast trainer, that’s stable and dependable, durable and light enough for race day, the Launch 8 accomplishes all that. I don’t love the midsole, but they feel nimble and they are a nice improvement from the 7. One last thing to comment on is if you are a winter runner, these shoes didn’t fare too well in our freezer test, with the shoe getting 102% stiffer when cold, which may deter some.

For now, I have my fingers crossed that the 9 comes with their Flash midsole, and although I wanted more pep they actually are a nice shoe to run in, and I love the looks, so I may wear them just because of that!