There’s a lot of spirit(s) at Brooks nowadays. I’m not just talking about their energy and enthusiasm for the running community, but for their Ghost line – with the addition of the new Brooks Amp, joins the standard Brooks Ghost and Brooks Ghost Max in this ghoulish line-up.
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Looks:
A Ghost is a Ghost is a Ghost.
The Ghost Amp is a good-looking shoe, with multiple colorways across both the men’s and women’s versions. It feels modern without trying too hard to look like a spaceship, and you can still look at it and immediately know it’s a Ghost. The new warp knit upper adds just enough visual change to make it feel fresh without losing the identity of the Ghost line.
And honestly, Brooks did a nice job with the colors. There are some more traditional options if you want your running shoes to fly under the radar, along with brighter (though not chaotic) choices if you want your feet to announce that you’ve arrived.
I’m a fan of the overall look. It’s clean, modern, and versatile.
Construction:
We won’t bother comparing the Ghost Amp to the Ghost Max 4. Aside from sharing “Ghost” in the name, these two shoes are really built for different jobs. The Max 4 is designed as a highly cushioned, supportive daily trainer for piling up miles, while the Ghost Amp is a lighter, sleeker daily trainer that feels a little more ready to pick up the pace.
The more natural comparison is the Ghost 18, and if you’re looking at the Amp, you’re probably wondering what exactly you’re getting that is different.
In truth, I view the Ghost Amp as mostly taking the Ghost formula and making it lighter and a little more streamlined. The Ghost 18 is the dependable daily workhorse, while the Amp feels like the Ghost that had somewhere to be.
The Amp uses the same heel stack height as the Ghost 18, but adds 4mm of material under the forefoot – changing the drop from 10mm in the Ghost 18 to 6mm here. It also comes in about 1.4 ounces lighter, which is noticeable when you have the two shoes in your hands — and even more noticeable once you start running.
There’s a difference in the foam too. The Ghost 18 uses a single EVA-based foam, while the Ghost Amp mixes PEBA into its EVA platform. The result is a shoe that feels a little more responsive and energetic. It’s not a radical departure from the traditional Ghost, but it does give the Amp a bit more amplified personality.
And I think that’s really the point of the “Amp” name. I get it now, Brooks.
The two also share the same price, so the decision really comes down to what you want from your shoe. If you like the accessibility and familiar feel of a traditional 10mm-drop daily trainer, the Ghost 18 is the easy choice. If you want something lighter, sleeker, and with a little more pep in its step — plus a 6mm drop — the Ghost Amp is the more interesting option.
Specs
- Weight: 8.8 oz (Men’s size 9) / 8 oz (Women’s size 7.5)
- Stack Height: 36mm heel / 30mm forefoot
- Drop: 6mm
Upper:
I was a little concerned about the Warp Knit upper, which has been a bit hit or miss for me. Sometimes I find knit uppers a little less accommodating than more traditional constructions, but the Ghost Amp lands somewhere in the middle. It’s comfortable and accommodating without feeling loose or sloppy.
The gusseted tongue definitely helps with the lockdown. I didn’t have to crank down on the laces to get a secure fit, as is sometimes the case for me. Once I have the shoe tied, everything feels nicely held in place without creating any pressure points.
It’s also surprisingly breathable. Looking at the upper, I would have expected it to hold a little more heat, but that hasn’t been my experience. Even on warmer runs, the Ghost Amp does a good job letting things breathe.
I have pretty accommodating feet, at least for now. How much longer until my age and years of running finally decide to make that not the case? But even with that caveat, I’d say the Ghost Amp runs a little narrower than some of the other daily trainers I’ve been wearing. That doesn’t mean it’s uncomfortable — I had no issues with the fit — but runners with wider feet may want to try these on before buying.
Midsole:
The DNA Hype midsole, which blends PEBA into nitrogen-infused EVA, is a really nice-feeling combination. It’s lightweight, cushioned, and has enough energy return to keep things moving without feeling overly aggressive. Add in the SpringRamp forefoot technology and you get a pretty solid roll through the stride and a nice little push off the toes.
For someone looking for a day-to-day lightweight tempo shoe, I think this is a really good option. At normal daily training paces with a little push, the Ghost Amp feels smooth and easy to run in. I found it to have plenty of cushion for these sorts of runs, and the energy return gives it just enough life to keep the shoe from feeling flat.
Where I found it a little less impressive was when I started pushing the pace. Once I got down around 6:30 per mile or faster, I had a harder time getting the responsiveness and assistance I was looking for. It wasn’t bad by any means, but I felt like I was putting in a little more effort than I expected for the pace.
The feel of the midsole may also take a little getting used to depending on what you typically run in. I found it to be fairly flexible overall. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re used to a shoe with a little more structure or firmness underfoot, the Ghost Amp is going to feel different.
For me, that makes it more of a middle-of-the-road daily trainer than a shoe I’d reach for on long-run days or when I’m trying to hammer a speed workout. But that’s not really a knock on the shoe — I feel it knows what it wants to be.
Outsole:
Not much to say here, which is probably a good thing.
The outsole is solid and does its job without adding a bunch of unnecessary weight. I wouldn’t call it minimalist, but it is definitely a little more dialed back than some shoes, which helps keep the overall weight of the Ghost Amp down. I had no complaints with the traction or coverage during my runs.
Overall:
The $150 price range has become one of the most competitive parts of the running shoe market. A lot of companies are putting some serious effort into this price point, and it shows. The days of the $150 shoe being the basic, stripped-down option in a brand’s lineup are pretty much gone. There are some legitimately good — and in some cases, downright great — shoes living in this range.
I think the Ghost Amp is Brooks’ answer to that market, and with the Ghost 18 also sitting at $150, Brooks now has two pretty different options at the same price.
At $150, it’s a solid value for someone looking for a lightweight, approachable daily trainer without stepping into premium-shoe pricing. If you want the traditional Ghost workhorse, there’s the Ghost 18. If you want that Ghost DNA with a little less weight and a little more pep, the Ghost Amp is very solid.
