Our verdict

The Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes is a mild stability daily trainer that shines as a rarity in the running shoe world with its splendid price of £110 and a hard-to-believe low weight. It offers a fast, agile, and fun ride, but isn't suitable for extreme overpronators. Though not the most breathable, we consider it one of the top choices in the market for those seeking value in a daily stability trainer.

zapatillas de running Brooks pronador media maratón talla 46.5 naranjas Pros

  • Offers excellent stability with GuideRails technology
  • Priced attractively at only $110
  • Features a durable outsole
  • Incredibly lightweight!
  • zapatillas de running Brooks constitución media distancias cortas baratas menos de 60
  • Brooks Mens Adrenaline GTS 21 Sneakers
  • These shoes from Brooks
  • Brooks Element Notch £22

zapatillas de running Brooks pronador media maratón talla 46.5 naranjas Cons

  • Suffers from lack of breathability
  • Becomes too stiff in winter

Audience verdict

84
Good!

Who should buy

Brooks Paul Short XC Invitational Bethlehem:

  • Have been wanting the non-GTS Launch 10 but need stability as overpronators
  • Are looking for a stable daily trainer that's not heavy at all
  • Enjoy fast and agile runs and want the extra support from the GuideRails technology

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes

Who should NOT buy

If you're a neutral runner, the Brooks Launch 10 might be a better choice for you, as it has a wider upper and an even lower weight. We think that getting the stability-oriented version might not make sense in this case.

Additionally, if you run in extreme climates, you might want to skip this one. The foam becomes too stiff in winter, and the upper isn't breathable enough for summer.

HOKA drop 6 7 mm amortiguación media talla 38 zapatillas de running Brooks mixta constitución ligera minimalistas, which offers superb ventilation and performs better in cold temperatures with the same—or even better—stability features.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes

Cushioning

Heel stack

In comparison to its neutral counterpart, the stack height in the heel has increased by 1.6 mm, as we measured it at 35.4 mm. This extra cushioning is a welcome feature without adding much bulk.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Heel stack
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 35.4 mm
Average 34.2 mm
Compared to 399 running shoes
Number of shoes
22.5 mm
Heel stack
46.3 mm

Forefoot stack

The forefoot stack measures 23.2 mm, which is a bit less than what's found in the neutral version.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Forefoot stack
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 23.2 mm
Average 25.6 mm
Compared to 399 running shoes
Number of shoes
13.7 mm
Forefoot stack
37.1 mm

Drop

More foam in the heel and less in the forefoot obviously transcend to an even higher heel-to-toe drop. The Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes proves this point, coming in at 12.2 mm.

It's a real treat for heel strikers who are fans of high drops, but probably a bit too much for midfoot and forefoot strikers. If you need a stable ride with less drop, check out the Hoka Arahi 6.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Drop
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 12.2 mm
Average 8.6 mm
Compared to 399 running shoes
Number of shoes
0.0 mm
Drop
16.1 mm

Midsole softness

Note: a low durometer measurement equals a soft material, whereas a high measurement means it's firm.

When we move to the midsole, we find the exact same DNA foam as in the neutral version, so there's no difference between the two models in this regard.

This balanced compound aims to provide comfort without becoming excessively plush. The measurement of 19.6 HA, confirms this.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Midsole softness
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 19.6 HA
Average 21.0 HA
zapatillas de running Brooks hombre trail pie normal talla 42.
Compared to 326 running shoes
Number of shoes
8.5 HA
Midsole softness (soft to firm)
35.0 HA

Kilates x Brooks Heritage La Bestia (%)

When we exposed the foam to cold temperatures by placing it in the freezer for 20 minutes, it got firmer, and we measured it at 25.8 HA on the hardness semejante. Despite this change, it still feels great.

The increase of 31.4% is close to the average for running shoes, and this finding aligns with our expectations.

The DNA foam in this shoe, made from EVA, is known to have less-than-stellar performance under cold temperatures.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Kilates x Brooks Heritage La Bestia
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 31%
Average 25%
Compared to 326 running shoes
Number of shoes
0%
Kilates x Brooks Heritage La Bestia
63%

Insole thickness

To enhance comfort, Brooks has chosen a really plush insole for the Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes. We measured it at 6.4 mm, a thickness that adds to the shoe's comfort.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Insole thickness
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 6.4 mm
Average 4.4 mm
Compared to 395 running shoes
Number of shoes
1.5 mm
Insole thickness
7.3 mm

Size and fit

Size

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes is true to size (128 votes).

Owners of this shoe, how does this shoe fit?

1 size small ½ size small True to size ½ size large 1 size large
Compared to 376 running shoes
Number of shoes
½ size small
Slightly small
True to size
Slightly large
½ size large

Toebox width - widest part

Manufacturers have secret tricks to make their shoes more stable, and we're here in the lab to reveal one to you. They often play around with the upper and midsole of the shoe, and the Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes is a perfect example to show this.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes toebox

At its widest part, the upper of the Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes measures 98.9 mm, less than the 100.5 mm in the neutral counterpart. Why is that? If the upper is made narrower, it creates more space on both sides of the shoe, which helps with stability.

While 1.6 mm might not seem like much, when it's combined with the GuideRails, it makes a big difference. However, because of this, the shoe fits more tightly compared to the non-GTS version.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Toebox width at the widest part
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 98.9 mm
Average 98.5 mm
Compared to 370 running shoes
Number of shoes
91.6 mm
Toebox width - widest part
104.9 mm

Toebox width - big toe

In the area of the big toe, we measured the upper part of the shoe at 78.8 mm. This width is generous enough to accommodate most feet comfortably.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Toebox width at the big toe
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 78.8 mm
Average 78.4 mm
Compared to 244 running shoes
Number of shoes
67.6 mm
Toebox width - big toe
89.2 mm

Heel feel

On the positive side, the insole in this shoe is removable, so we were able to easily fit our own orthotics without any issue.

Stability

Being a shoe created to be as light as possible—a goal it achieves—one of the trade-offs is the width of the midsole. That's why we find ourselves with a shoe that, despite being focused on stability, is not excessively wide, measuring at 113.8 mm.

Lateral stability test

The GTS acronym in Brooks represents "Go-To-Stability," and it's an area where this shoe truly excels. We found the shoe to be impressively stable, instilling confidence in us with every stride. 

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes guiderails
GuideRails, featuring multiple vertical white stripes.

The impressive stability in this shoe is made possible by the Brooks GuideRails technology. It consists of two specially designed plastic pieces that work to correct overpronation.

Torsional rigidity

If you try to make a shoe more stable, one of the simplest methods is to make it less flexible from a torsional standpoint. That's exactly what Brooks has done with the Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes.

Brooks Scarpe Running Levitate Stealth Fit 5.

Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 4
Average 3.4
Compared to 378 running shoes
Number of shoes
1
Torsional rigidity
5

Heel counter stiffness

The heel counter surprised us. We were expecting another 4 out of 5 result, but Brooks chose to keep the exact same heel from the neutral version (3/5) because it's really comfortable.

We believe this is a smart approach, as the shoe already has enough stability with this one. So why would they make it less comfortable with a heel counter that's too stiff?

Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 3
Average 2.9
Compared to 362 running shoes
Number of shoes
1
Heel counter stiffness
5

Midsole width - forefoot

Being a shoe created to be as light as possible—a goal it achieves—one of the trade-offs is the width of the midsole. That's why we find ourselves with a shoe that, despite being focused on stability, is not excessively wide, measuring at 113.8 mm.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Midsole width in the forefoot
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 113.8 mm
Average 114.2 mm
Compared to 400 running shoes
Number of shoes
103.3 mm
Midsole width - forefoot
126.9 mm

Midsole width - heel

The heel of the shoe is narrower than most others, but we noticed that it's still 3.6 mm wider than its neutral non-GTS counterpart (86.8 mm).

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Midsole width in the heel
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 86.8 mm
Average 90.7 mm
Compared to 400 running shoes
Number of shoes
73.0 mm
Midsole width - heel
106.6 mm

Brooks Zapatillas Running Launch Gts 8 Blue Orange White

Even though this is a stability shoe, it's meant to be a lightweight daily trainer that focuses on comfort, so it shouldn't feel stiff at all.

We found that to be true, as we only had to use 19.1N to move it to bend it to the measurement point.

Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 19.1N
Average 28.1N
We use an average of four tests. The video shows one of those tests.
Compared to 382 running shoes
Number of shoes
2.2N
Flexibility <> Stiffness
72.1N

Stiffness in cold (%)

Under cold temperatures, the shoe doesn't perform as well as we'd like. We had to use nearly double the force, at 33.2N, to move it to the 90-degree measurement point.

The 73.7% increase is a disappointing figure, resulting in a subpar performance that greatly changes how the shoe feels when the weather gets cold.

Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 74%
Average 33%
Compared to 382 running shoes
Number of shoes
0%
Stiffness in cold
111%

Weight

More foam in the heel and less in the forefoot obviously transcend to an even higher heel-to-toe drop. The Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes proves this point, coming in at 12.2 mm.

It's a real treat for heel strikers who are fans of high drops, but probably a bit too much for midfoot and forefoot strikers. If you need a stable ride with less drop, check out the Hoka Arahi 6.

Weight

At 8.50 oz (241g), the shoe has gained a little weight due to its stability features, but only by 0.4 oz (11g).

This increase is so minimal that we believe you won't even notice it.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Weight
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 8.50 oz (241g)
Average 9.38 oz (266g)
Compared to 400 running shoes
Number of shoes
5.61 oz (159g)
Weight
12.59 oz (357g)

zapatillas de running Brooks pronador media maratón talla 46.5 naranjas | Breathability

The breathability in the Brooks Launch 10 GTS falls right in the middle. We've given it a 3/5 rating in our test, and our lab-based smoke-pumping test shows that the airflow isn't as good as we hoped.

Brooks GTS Adrenaline 21.

But our light test revealed that they aren't as effective as those in other shoes like the womens brooks addiction walker suede.

When we looked closer under the microscope, we discovered the real issue. Brooks used an engineered mesh that, upon closer inspection, is thicker than it appears.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes microscope

There isn't much room for heat and humidity to escape, so the shoe's breathability is just average, like we mentioned before. But can we talk about this picture of the upper? Wow, it looks so different and incredible from that close!

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes mesh

Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 3
Average 3.8
Compared to 329 running shoes
Number of shoes
1
Breathability
5

Durability

Toebox durability

Мужские свитеры Brooks.

In this case, though, it's not all bad news. We've given it a 2/5 rating, which isn't the lowest possible score. However, it's still not what we'd consider a good performance.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Toebox durability
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 2
Average 2.5
Compared to 263 running shoes
Number of shoes
1
Toebox durability
5

Heel padding durability

The heel padding in the Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes is exceptional, providing both comfort and durability.

As for the fabric Brooks uses in this shoe, it's a standout in the industry. This combination of softness and durability is truly great, and it's something other manufacturers might want to take note of!

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Heel padding durability
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 4
Average 3.2
Compared to 259 running shoes
Number of shoes
1
Heel padding durability
5

Outsole hardness

Brooks uses the same outsole in this shoe as in the non-stability version, and we've found that it has the exact same hardness level: 81.4 HC.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes outsole

This gives an average result, which seems like Brooks is trying to find the right balance between grip on the road and the durability of the shoe itself.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Outsole hardness
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 81.4 HC
Average 79.8 HC
zapatillas de running Brooks hombre trail pie normal talla 42.
Compared to 380 running shoes
Number of shoes
57.0 HC
Outsole hardness
93.0 HC

Outsole durability

Thanks to the tough and durable rubber, the outsole stands up really well to our last Dremel test. 

We measured an indentation of just 0.67 mm, and that's an absolutely fantastic result! It's proof that this outsole has what it takes to handle some serious wear and tear in the roads.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Outsole durability
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 0.7 mm
Average 1.0 mm
Compared to 241 running shoes
Number of shoes
0.0 mm
Outsole wear
2.0 mm

Outsole thickness

Brooks has trimmed 0.2 mm off the outsole in the non-GTS version to help control weight. Yet the shoe still retains 3.2 mm, which we think is going to be enough for this one.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Outsole thickness
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 3.2 mm
Average 3.3 mm
Compared to 397 running shoes
Number of shoes
1.0 mm
Outsole thickness
6.0 mm

Misc

Reflective elements

Unfortunately, as we feared, the upper of the shoe doesn't include any reflective elements. This is an area where Brooks has fallen short, and we hope they make improvements in the next update.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Reflective elements
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes No

Tongue padding

Another great feature of the Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes is the padded tongue. Measuring 7.2 mm, it's plusher than most shoes on the market!

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Tongue padding
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes 7.2 mm
Average 5.9 mm
Compared to 397 running shoes
Number of shoes
0.5 mm
Tongue padding
14.2 mm

The Brooks Levitate 2 retails for the same

The shoe comes with a semi-gusseted tongue, a feature that enhances the lockdown. It's surprising to find this feature in a shoe that costs only £110, as it usually doesn't appear in shoes at this price range.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes The Brooks Levitate 2 retails for the same
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Both sides (semi)

Heel tab

Brooks has done the same thing they often do, leaving heel the tab off the Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Heel tab
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes None

Removable insole

On the positive side, the insole in this shoe is removable, so we were able to easily fit our own orthotics without any issue.

Brooks Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Removable insole
Test results
Men's Brooks Levitate 5 Running Shoes Yes