Brooks Ghost 8 provides a comfortable, smooth, and overall soft ride. Saucony Ride 8 delivers lots of forefoot cushioning and comfort in a lightweight package.
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The Brooks Ghost 8 and the Saucony Ride 8 fall in the same category of neutral running shoes for runners who have a normal gait and are supposed to be on a similar level with each other, so each other's counterpart.
And indeed, there are some similarities to be noted.
First off, the Brooks Ghost 8 has an almost completely no-sew upper with light welded-on overlays on the toe box.
The Saucony Ride 8 also has light welded-on overlays running over its toe box, but unlike the Brooks Ghost 8, the Saucony Ride 8 also implements sturdier stitched-on overlays on the medial side of the shoe.
This is typically where support is needed most. However, this is not to say that the Brooks Ghost 8 is less supportive, since it offers enough support around the midfoot with its no-sew overlays.
What's common between the two running shoes is that both provide comfort in the toe box, but the Brooks Ghost 8 provides perhaps a bit more since its bunion window is free from overlays, while the mesh still provides enough structure to keep everything together, so good for runners with somewhat wider forefeet.
Both running shoes have sturdy stitched-on overlays at the back of the shoes to keep your heel in place.
All in all, you should get a comfortable fit with little to no irritation points from either running shoe and enough support to keep your foot on the running platform.
The midsoles of the Brooks Ghost 8 and the Saucony Ride 8 provide heel-to-toe cushioning, but in different degrees.
The Brooks Ghost 8 tends to have a more uniform distribution of cushioning with neither its heel nor forefoot being too cushy.
And running shoe lab tests confirm this, since the Saucony Ride 8 has a super cushy forefoot, while its heel cushioning comes closer to the amount provided by the Brooks Ghost 8.
However, for women, the Saucony Ride 8 turns out to be overall very cushy and displays a more uniform distribution of cushioning than the Saucony Ride 8 for men. For men, the Brooks Ghost 8 has a slightly more cushy heel than the Saucony Ride 8.
Both running shoes are for neutral runners so do not have a medial post that provides support. However, they do have a crash pad under the heel for stability at impact and softer landings.
However, while the crash pad of the Saucony Ride 8 runs from the back of the heel till the midfoot, the crash pad of the Brooks Ghost 8 runs along the entire outer length of the shoe, so you can expect to get slightly smoother transitions from heel-strike to toe-off as well as a more stable ride from the Brooks Ghost 8 compared to the Saucony Ride 8.
Another similarity is that the Saucony Ride 8 and the Brooks Ghost 8 provide a good amount of ground contact including under the arch. This adds to the smoothness and stability of your ride.
While the outsoles of both running shoes are quite different, they are similar in that they are very well-segmented, so should provide good shock absorption and dissipation not to affect your stride too much.
However, despite all this separation which should also add a bit to the flexibility of the shoes, running shoe lab tests show that they are not super flexible running shoes.
The Brooks Ghost 8 is in fact quite stiff for both men and women, while the Saucony Ride 8 is more flexible than the Brooks Ghost 8 for both men and women, but still above average stiff for men. However, the women's Saucony Ride 8 offers a good amount of flexibility.
The women's version of the Saucony Ride 8 weighs approximately 8.2 oz (232 grams), while the Brooks Ghost 8 weighs approximately 8.5 oz (241 grams). The men's version of the Saucony Ride 8 weighs about 9.7 oz (275 grams), and the Brooks Ghost 8 for men weighs 10.9 oz (309 grams).
Either the Brooks Ghost 8 or the Saucony Ride 8 could satisfy your need for cushioning. However, if you prefer a lighter running shoe that provides a comfortable fit and has a very cushy forefoot, then the Saucony Ride 8 would fit the bill.
If on the other hand you are looking for a stable and smooth ride from a running shoe that provides a good amount of cushioning that is quite evenly distributed along the entire length of the shoe, then the Brooks Ghost 8 would be the one to look into.
Note: The weight of a running shoe depends on the size of the running shoe, so any weights mentioned in this review may differ from the weight of the running shoe you choose to wear. Running shoes of the same size were compared for this review.
This review falls under: Brooks | Saucony
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