Do you want to know about Brooks, why they are superior, how to find a perfect fit, and save money? Here is the info from two insiders:My husband and I both used to sell high end athletic apparel and shoes, so we are quite familiar with the confusing amount of options out there. Virtually everyone has a clever gimmick or marketing campaign that sells an idea more than the shoe, but not really Brooks. They don't need to sell their shoes because they are the best. They do quite well on reputation and word of mouth alone because of their excellence year after year.If you ask virtually any Podiatrist or Orthopedic Surgeon, they will all tell you that if you have any problems with your back, hips, knees, or feet, you should invest in Brooks. When our feet are unhappy, the pain tends to travel up. They ARE an investment compared to most competitors; however, you are investing in your health and they are excellent for athletic performance where it matters too. I can't begin to tell you how many we have owned in our home.While most athletic shoes breakdown (Salespeople call it breaking in) rather rapidly and you begin to feel that "comfort" level we are taught shoes should have, you are loosing the form and function of the shoe. It is becoming worthless and can cause issues later that cost thousands of dollars in medical expenses, lost wages, and it is just plain depressing. Painful blisters are the least of your worries at this point when faced with surgical options because you wore the wrong shoes.Our feet take us everywhere. We should give them the best! Oh, and those memory foam shoes you like, I am sad to say are bad for your feet. If we had a quarter for every time someone said, "BUT they have memory foam." It breaks down too. Brooks is right in the middle. They don't sacrifice what you want -or- need. Plus, chances are, they even added some items in that aid in comfort as well which will ultimately remove stress and aid in comfort.While Brooks boasts many styles and colors, the Ghost has consistently been my favorites throughout the years. They have a shoe that is sure to meet anyone's needs. I like that most of their styles are unisex because it is more efficient with athletic shoes, but then they will add in a "girly" color to the mix for the divas. They come in leather, canvas, and a combination of uppers. I haven't ever had any issues with mine discoloring, but I thoroughly waterproof them twice prior to wear and after each cleaning. I do not recommend putting them in the washing machine. They spot clean well and you can use a denture brush to get tough spots in the sink or use a Magic Eraser on tough spots as well.Whether you have severe orthopedic issues, arthritis, gout, diabetes, bone spurs, plantar fasciitis, corns, claw toe, mallet toe, hammer toe, metatarsalgia (stone bruise), neuroma, neuropathy, sesamoiditis, calluses, or are a competitive athlete looking to improve your game, we have sold all of you Brooks for this very reason. They are phenomenal.I won'r wear anything else and neither will my husband unless it is semi-formal attire.** If you enjoyed my extremely long and in depth review, please click "Helpful" to motivate me to write more! **If you want to save some money when you buy Brooks, they usually role out a new "version" of the same model annually, so prices drop on the older ones significantly. You can also save on the less popular colors. Depending upon wear and athletic activities, our typical buyer would wear a pair for three months to three years. While the uppers are still in pristine condition three years later, these shoes go by the mile. Thus, the more mileage you put on them, the faster they will need to be replaced. If you are having difficulty finding a perfect fit, hop into your local retailer, try some on, take a photo of the info of the box, and come back here. You can save a lot of money. If you add the prior years' models to a Wish List or setup alerts, it will even alert you when there is a price drop. Every penny counts!Happy shoe shopping!!!*** If you liked my review, please hit "Helpful" to motivate me to write more. ***I bought my first pair of Brooks (Launch 4) in 2017 and have put a loooooot of miles on them in that last 3 years. The tread is basically gone, so I decided it was time for a new pair. I loved the Launch 4's and the brand so I decided to try a different shoe in the family and went with the Ghost 12. One of the reasons I chose this shoe was honestly because I ADORE the color scheme of the navy/beetroot. That may seem silly to some, but I find the color combos and design of MOST running shoes totally hideous. I love having a shoe that pops but doesn't draw unnecessary attention and that I can actually wear with jeans if I wanted to. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the colors of this shoe. In terms of comfort, they are super soft and cushy for sure, but strangely the Ghost 12's took breaking in while the Launch 4's felt perfect right out of the box. The Ghost's chaffed and blistered my right heel for about 2 weeks before they were fully broken in. Now that they are, I love them, but I very nearly sent them back in that first week. I probably kept them because I loved the color so much haha. I think sometimes, too much cushion in a running shoe actually causes more problems than it solves (read Born to Run if you don't believe me). The Ghost 12's may suffer from this issue a little bit. Now that they're fully broken in, I love them, but it definitely was a bummer and not what I was used to from Brooks to have any hot spots at all. I do my walking, running and weight training in them and I find that they are good for all of the above. The quality is definitely there, true to the Brooks brand, and did I mention I love the color? :) Honestly, I think I would still recommend the Launch line of shoe if you're new to Brooks and want a winner straight out of the box, but the Ghost 12's have grown on me. And yes, I paid full price for them! Oh and I wear a true size 8.5 in womens shoes and these 8.5's fit perfectly.I sincerely hope this review has been helpful! Feel free to ask any questions.These are my first pair of Brooks shoes and I plan to purchase more in the future. These are very lightweight and also has a good amount of stability. Cushioning is perfect and like walking on a cloud.Fit.....ugh it's hard to really give an accurate sizing here. So I normally wear a 8.5 in Nike's, Under Armour, NB, etc. I read on Brooks website to go up 1/2 a size for swelling while running. Now , I do not plan to run in these. I needed a good casual shoe to go out in for grocery trips, doc appts, etc. Now my feet do not swell bad. My feet are also narrow. I am also more flat footed. So with all those things combined, I read reviews and decided to get a 8.5 because they said they are true to size. They do fit well. I do not get a good thumb width though like my Inov-8 shoes have (tho these are my working out shoes). It's more like 1/2 a thumb width. Because I do not plan to workout in my Brooks or do much running, the shoe fits good. However, if your normal size has 1/2 a thumb width, size up 1/2. I'd you have wider feet, get the wider size. Length wise I do believe they are off about 1/4-1/2 a thumb width. For me though, these shoes are good for sizing. I would return to get a size 9, but I'm afraid they might be too big. Not sure. I do plan to purchase the Adrenaline GTS 20 line in the future and will go up 1/2 a size on those just because I do plan to workout with those. The cushioning on the heel is very well made and I don't know if they wear over time. As long as my heel is all the way to the back of the shoe and it doesn't slide around, it seems good. Which it hasn't yet and I haven't had any discomfort, which is why I have not returned them yet. I'm still debating whether or not to get a 1/2 size up. Until then, Good luck!When you look at these Ghost 12 they look white. I want some white tennis shoes. So I ordered them. Will their not white, their Oyster, with white detailing and silvery trim. I really liked how they fit. They were very comfortable as I walked through my house testing them out. Good looking style. But I didn't like the color. So I returned them. They run true to size.I bought these in May, having been recommended Brooks Ghosts by a lot of fellow runners (I’ve been an Asics Nimbus wearer for years) and at first I was very happy with them, but after five months, the inside has ripped apart on BOTH shoes, in exactly the same place. For this to have affected both shoes it has to be a manufacturing ordesign flaw, rather than me having unknowingly caught it on something. I usually get a year of wear out of my other running trainers, and five months for over £100 is poor value. Very disappointing.This is my second pair of Ghost 12 shoes. From the first time I wore my first pair I knew they were the running shoes for me. I run 25+ miles per week, up to half marathon distance and these shoes have never caused me any pain or problems. They are more comfortable than any other running shoes I've owned. They might not be a cheap option but they are worth every penny. My first pair lasted for over 6 months and did more than 500 miles on my feet. I wish I'd known about Brooks when I was just starting out as a runner. I could have avoided a lot of the very nasty blisters I got wearing other shoes!I prefer plain black running shoes because I wear all sorts of running clothes and these go with everything, but there are plenty of other colours if you like your shoes a bit more flashy. This pair arrived very quickly after I ordered them and the seller had included a pair of free running socks which I thought was a lovely gesture.I cannot gush enough about this footwear. They were product-recommended for underpronation and are the second style of shoe I have tried (previous being ASICS). They are so comfortable to wear, they are supportive, lightweight, easy to don and doff (the ASICS have to be fastened really tight to provide support and then need undoing in a similar manner). They feel sturdy underfoot, much like my heavy duty walking boots without the weight. Just need a range of colours now!I was very worried about buying new running trainers online but as I can’t pop to the shops at the moment, and my current trainers falling apart with all this daily exercise, I took the plunge and absolutely have not regretted it. I did do a lot of online research as I suffer with plantar fasciitis in one foot, Brooks Ghost came out as the top recommendation for female neutral runners like me who do 3 or 4 5 mile runs a week. I found this supplier on Amazon was offering the best price and fastest delivery and that certainly proved to be the case. The trainers arrived on time as described and I’ve since done 4 runs and a daily workout and they are absolutely brilliant!Love these. Very comfortable. My shoe size is 3, so I will recommend to go 1 size up or 1.5 size up. I use for running and they are fantastic. Only downside is the grip on wet surfaces is somewhat lacking.