Hoka Bondi 9 vs Brooks Glycerin 23
Two shoes people weigh up against each other constantly. Here is what actually separates them, taken from the same database that drives the Shoe Finder quiz, with nothing added by hand. The short version: the Brooks Glycerin 23 has the higher heel at 8mm against 5mm.
Side by side
| Hoka Bondi 9 | Brooks Glycerin 23 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £160 RRP | £165 RRP |
| Type | Max cushion | Max cushion |
| Support | Neutral | Neutral |
| Weight | 297g | 297g |
| Heel drop | 5mm | 8mm |
| Heel stack | 43mm | 38mm |
| Widths | Standard and wide | Standard and wide |
| Plate | None | None |
What the differences mean
Weight
There is almost nothing in it, 297g against 297g. Weight is not the deciding factor between these two.
Heel drop
This is the real difference. The Brooks Glycerin 23 has a 8mm drop and the Hoka Bondi 9 has 5mm. A higher heel asks less of your achilles and calf and more of your knee, and a lower one does the opposite. If you get regular trouble at one of those, pick accordingly. If you get none, pick whichever is closer to what you already run in, because changing drop suddenly is the most reliable way to give yourself a new problem.
Price
Within about £5 of each other at full price, so this is not the thing to decide on. Whichever happens to be discounted on the day is the better buy.
Which should you buy?
Neither, until you have tried both on. Fit decides more than any specification on this page, and the two shoes above are close enough that a foot shape will separate them faster than a spreadsheet will.
Hoka Bondi 9
About as much cushioning as you can buy. Great if your legs and joints ache.
Brooks Glycerin 23
Brooks at its softest. A pricey but very comfortable shoe for steady miles.
Or let the quiz decide
This page compares two shoes. The shoe finder compares all 104 of them against your width, your weight, where you run, your budget and any recurring niggles, then gives you three and tells you why each one made it. It takes about a minute.