Glycerin 23 vs More 5

The Glycerin 23 is Brooks at its plushest: a max-cushion daily training shoe built for the soft, unhurried side of your week. This is not a shoe chasing a personal best. It is the one you reach for on recovery days, easy miles and long relaxed runs when you want your legs coddled rather than told to work. The DNA Tuned midsole is deep and forgiving, with a tall 38mm heel stack and a moderate 8mm drop that suits heel and midfoot strikers alike. At 300g it is not light, and it never pretends to be fast, so if you want a snappy tempo shoe look elsewhere. What you get instead is comfort you can rely on, mile after mile, in a neutral running shoe that feels like it was tuned for pure cruising. If you want the same plush ride with a touch of support, the Glycerin GTS 22 adds guide rails. We rate it as one of the most dependable soft daily trainers going.

The New Balance Fresh Foam X More v5 is a max-cushion running shoe built for one job: soaking up the miles with as much soft, protective foam under your feet as New Balance can sensibly stack. This is not a speed shoe. At 309g it is a proper heavyweight, and the payoff is a tall, plush platform that keeps your legs fresh on easy days and long runs. With a low 4mm drop and a rockered shape, it rolls you forward smoothly once you settle into an easy rhythm. We rate it as one of the more genuinely comfortable daily training shoes on the market, and a strong pick if your priority is cushioning and leg protection over pace. If you want a plush max-cushion trainer for high-mileage weeks and recovery running, the More v5 is squarely aimed at you. Just go in knowing it trades away lightness and pop to get there. The lighter Fresh Foam X 1080v13 is the more versatile stablemate if you want a bit more range.