Ghost 16 vs 880 14

The Brooks Ghost 16 is a neutral daily training shoe built to do one job well: soak up the miles without asking anything of you. It is the running shoe you reach for on an easy day, a steady midweek run or your first proper training block, and it rarely puts a foot wrong. The ride is soft but composed, with a tall 12mm drop that rolls you forward gently and takes some load off the calves and Achilles. At 269g it is not light and it is not built for speed, so do not expect it to snap back when you push the pace. That is not the point. What you get instead is a reliable, cushioned, forgiving running shoe that suits new runners and high-mileage regulars alike. In our view it is one of the safest daily trainers you can buy, and the newer Ghost 17 only sharpens the same recipe.

The New Balance 880v14 is the definition of a do-everything neutral daily trainer, and that is exactly the point. This is the shoe you reach for on Monday when you just want to run, not think about your shoes. It is not light at 304g and it is not flashy, but it gives you a dependable, cushioned running shoe that soaks up easy miles, marathon-block base runs and the daily commute-jog without complaint. New Balance pitches it against the neutral-daily benchmarks, and it holds its own next to the Brooks Ghost 17 and the Pegasus. The 8mm drop and generous cushioning suit heel and midfoot strikers who want protection over pop. If you want a softer, more premium ride from the same brand, the Fresh Foam X 1080v14 sits a tier up. But for a no-drama workhorse at £140, the 880v14 is an easy shoe to recommend.