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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Brooks PureFlow 3 5 Review}}Like others in I liked the [[Brooks Pure rangePureFlow 3]] enough to give it a "recommended" rating, so I looked forward to the fifth version. Sadly, while Brooks have made a few improvements they've also made some significant mistakes. The biggest problem I found with the PureFlow 5 is neither that it's one of the more uncomfortable shoes I've worn recently. There's the poorly designed tongue that dug into the crook of my ankle, the odd cushioning, the stiff upper, the heel counter that's intrusive, all adding up to a minimalist shoe or a massively cushioned [[Minimax]] shoethat I dislike putting on. Like the previous version, but part way between the two extremes. I found the PureFlow 5 to have less cushioning than I expected given its weight. It's not a bad shoe, but you You can get the same cushioning with less weight, or the same weight with more cushioning, and either would be better. The flexible sole is nice, but has the downside of being a magnet for stones that get trapped and have to be removed. This review has taken me a long time to write as I was surprised how quickly the foam put off running in the PureFlow broke down and became softerit until I finally forced myself. Overall, though I generally found the was torn between waiting this shoe better once as "not recommended" or being a little generous and saying that it had started to wear's "worth considering. " In the end I found no significant problems with felt that the PureFlow5 is just about "worth considering", though I'd advise cutting away the 'Nav Band' that puts pressure on the top of your footbut it was close. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}

|[[File:Brooks-Pure-Flow-3PureFlow 5-top.jpgJPG|none|thumb|150px250px|Brooks Pure Flow 3 PureFlow 5 top]] |[[File:BrooksPureFlow 5-Pure-Flow-3-bottomoutside.jpgJPG|none|thumb|150px250px|Brooks Pure Flow 3 bottomPureFlow 5 outside]] |- valign="top"|[[File:BrooksPureFlow 5-Pure-Flow-3-insidebottom.jpgJPG|none|thumb|150px250px|Brooks Pure Flow 3 insidePureFlow 5 bottom]] |[[File:BrooksPureFlow 5-Pure-Flow-3-outsideinside.jpgJPG|none|thumb|150px250px|Brooks Pure Flow 3 outsidePureFlow 5 inside]]

* {{H:WhyBuycushioning}}. The PureFlow could make a good shoe for someone looking to transition from a more traditional shoe, though I prefer the [[Saucony Kinvara]] as it's lighter and more softly cushioned. If you're not looking for a transition shoe, then the [[Hoka Clifton]] is lighter and much better reasonably cushioned, or the [[Altra One2| Altra One²]] that's but it can feel a lot lighter little odd and more softly cushionedoverly firm occasionally. For a faster shoe, try This might be because the [[Asics Gel Hyper Speed]] midsole contains Brooks "DNA" which provides similar cushioning at contains a non-Newtonian fluid. Without going into too much lower weight. * {{H:cushioning}}. The PureFlow is reasonably cushionedscience, but I've been surprised how rapidly this means that the midsole became is softerwhen you landed gently, but harder if you land harder. Overall To my mind, this seems to be the PureFlow is exact opposite of what you'd want. If you have a misstep and land a little on harder, the shoe will compound the firm side given its weight, though this firmness breaks downerror and make your landing even more punishing. As noted above, The other concern is that you can get the same cushioning with less weight, or the same weight with much better cushioning. * {{H:drop}}. The PureFlow has 5mm of drop, which did not impact my foot strike unduly. Swapping between the PureFlow and is a zero drop shoe highlights the tendency for the heel raise to move your foot strike back towards the heellittle more than I'd like, but this is fairly minor in this shoenot enough to cause me problems. * {{H:structure}}. The PureFlow uses a single density doesn't have much in the way of foam structure that would interfere with some slight grooves to improve flexibilityyour natural biomechanics. The area under the arch is only slightly raised, which could put pressure on the arch and cause problems as arches are strong when loaded from above, but can be broken easily by pressure from below. The Pure range of shoes includes a "Toe Flex", which is a thinning of the midsole at the front that Brooks claim "allows the big toe to function independently", though I couldn't nice any effect. The heel of the Pure shoes PureFlow is more rounded than most traditional shoes, which is a good thing. There is little if any of the "snowshoe" affect that can create excessive torsional (twisting) forces.

* {{H:outsole}}. The hard rubber outsole covers most of the underside of the shoe, with just a bit of exposed foam under the arch of the foot. This outsole improves longevity and grip, but adds to the weight. As you can see from the pictures, the outsole is in patches which help keep the shoe flexible. The outsole rubber used here is I found that the gaps in the sole were something of a nice combination of hard wearing and grippystone trap, and is fairly thick. This outsole increases the weight even small patches of the shoe, gravel meant I sometimes had to stop and pick the longevity it brings probably won't help much given the way the foam midsole breaks downstones out.* {{H:shape}}. The shoe of the shoe PureFlow, like most running shoes, has a toe box that is closer to the human foot than many designs, but it's not right and designed for humans. I'd recommend you [[Shoe Modifications| cutting cut open the toe box for comfortopen]]to prevent toe problems.{{H:TryCuttingShoes}}* {{H:upper}}. The upper is inflexible and there are seams that could rub and create issues for some runnersquite thick, but mostly seamless. The ankle opening is well paddedI found it's not very breathable, nor as comfortable as I'd expect, but mostly because the rest material is thin and breathes reasonably wellrather stiff. The PureFlow has Brooks' Thankfully Books have not included their "Nav Band" which is an elasticated band over the middle of the shoe, going from where the upper meets the arch of the footprevious versions, over the top and down to the outside edge which was a poor bit of the midsoledesign. This elasticated band There is intended to keep a reasonable amount of cushioning around the shoe secureankle opening, but it just puts extra pressure on not enough to offset the top of the foot. I strongly recommend cutting this band where it crosses the tongue. Overall the shoe is slightly less comfortable than averageoverly stiff heel counter (see below).* {{H:tongue}}. The PureFlow has tongue is a real weak point in this shoe. The tongue that is attached nicely padded and stiff so it's unlikely even the most sensitive runner would be able to feel the laces pressing on the inside top of their foot. However, this stiffness means that the top edge of the upper, with tongue dug into the outside free, a combination crook of my ankle and caused me problems that limited how far I like. It keeps the tongue could run in place without the problems of a sock style upper. The tongue has a slight degree of soft padding which should be enough for most runnersshoe. * {{H:lacing}}. The laces are bumpyslightly round, which helps them stay but stayed tied, but also makes it trickier to get the tension right when tying the shoe. The laces also have an asymmetric pattern, which I didn't find made any difference when compared with other shoeswithout a problem. * {{H:heelcounter}}. The heel counter is quite large and solid, adding to the overall discomfort. Mostly the heal counter in a shoe is isolated enough by padding to be harmless, but with hard edges that might cause some people problemsthe PureFlow 5 it was slightly noticeable. If you twist your angle, I think the PureFlow heel counter would dig in and make things worse. {{BuyShoesFastBlr|RW=Tbrooks/pure-flow-4-1002|RRS=T1002|AZ=T|ZP=TBrooks Pure Flow 5}}