Customer Reviews Brooks Ariel '18

I’ve worn various versions of this shoe. They’ve all been good, but I think I like this one the best. Plus they’ve finally gotten some updated colors so I actually like the style! Well done by Brooks.

Super hard to fit flat and wide foot, severe overpronation. These fit my custom orthotics while supporting my feet, without looking like an old lady!

Love the roomy toe box and cushioned insole! I wear custom orthotics so I replaced the cushy insole. I only gave it 4 stars for style because I am not a fan of pink.

My feet are wide in the toe and narrow in the heel. I have flat arches and overpronate. As you may guess, I have trouble finding comfortable shoes. I was always happy with New Balance 940v2, but the model is no longer available. The later version is not right for me. After much searching, I found the Ariel '18. The model was comfortable out of the box. After adding my custom orthotics, I can wear these shoes all day. The construction is sound and I anticipate that they will last well. My only complaint is that there is no choice of colors.

Great shoe for the gym and walking. I have very wide feet with bunions and these do the trick! I suffer from pronation and the ariel model works to correct that. Been wearing ariels for the past 15+ years and wont buy anything else. I do wish that Brooks would improve the styling and add some bright colors besiodes the grey with a colored decoration. If another company came out with a sinilar xxtra wide with sgood support but had bright colors I'd switch. Please hear us Brooks, several people ask for the same thing!

The toe box is generous and comfortable. Good motion control from a heavy promotor.

I am a die hard fan of Brooks shoes. I suffer from plantar fasciitis and my doctor recommended Brooks shoes. Like my other Brooks, these are so comfortable right out of the box because of their plush padding. I wish they would brighten up their colors, but comfort trumps style. One other suggestion would be to continue the toe guard further down the shoe. I like that the shoe is lightweight, but have put my toe through the mesh on shoes that are only a couple months old.

These sneakers did not work for me. While cute, the pronation support was not enough for my issues and the arch support was only okay, not great. This made my gait misaligned. The sneakers felt like cement slabs with a layer of cushy insole over the top. Also, I have narrow feet so my heel was slipping out of the back and my socks slid down. I returned them. If you need “hard” feeling support, which many foot issues require, these would be great for you.

I love this shoe for the arch support and stability. The problem I have is that my heel slips and my socks work down into the shoe which is unique to this style. I don’t have this problem with other shoes. My feet are wide across the ball and toes but I do not have a wide heel. I also have a high arch. I tried a wide in these and they were too narrow across the toes and my heel slipped. The extra wide has the space I need in the toe box but my heel slips badly. I tried going a half size down but they were too short. I also tried the Brooks Adrenaline. The heel doesn’t slip and the toe box is wide enough but they don’t have the support the Ariel has.

I have several issues with my feet including large bunions, Morton’s Neuroma and Metarsalgia. This shoe in the extra wide does accommodate my bunions. The support is just okay and it has a firmer feel. The Brooks Ariel and Adrenaline GTS 19 are the only shoes that work out well for the wide width of the ball of my foot and relatively narrow heel. However, the Ariel slips on my heel and my socks work down into the shoe. Wearing ankle socks alleviates the issue but it is annoying. I don’t have that issue with the Adrenaline.

What an ugly shoe. The shiny brooks logo looks cheap. I might expect to see this on a kids shoe. Otherwise it appears rather comfortable.

I have found this shoe somewhat disappointing. I purchased Ariel '17 the last time, and it fit like a glove from the beginning ~ great fit and fabulous support. I was expecting the same experience with '18, but instead found the shoe tight. I've been wearing them around the house daily for the past 2 weeks, starting at 2 hours at a time, and am now up to 4-5 hours. However, my feet are "screaming" at me when it's time to remove them. I had to throw my last pair out because I literally worn them out....they were falling apart ~ I'd like to retrieve them now! On the positive, I will continue to look to Brooks Ariel as my first choice ~ they are the best on the market in my opinion. And I will continue to recommend them to friends and family, especially those who need good support and a wider foot bed. I really like the charcoal color. Please continue making the darker shades; much preferred over the lighter gray shade.

I’m sure this shoe would be very comfortable if I could keep them on my narrow heel. They have a nice toe box and are very well-cushioned - they just don’t work for me.

Fit well and are reasonably comfortable. Wish they had more cushioning in the front where the ball of my foot is. I have difficulty with my feet and need this cushioning to make a shoe more comfortable. Like the soft toe because I need a high toe boot since my big toes turn up slightly so a hard surface is generally not comfortable.

I buy this model for the arch support which is better than most I've tried. The shoe is comfortable, and lighter weight than the earlier editions . . . but overpriced given the materials and quality. It appears that each successive edition uses inferior components which accounts for why each edition wears out more quickly than the preceding version. Also, the laces on the Ariel '18 will likely not even last as long as the shoe.

These are now my brooks shoes. I have worn the Adrenalines for over a decade. The 18 model, while I thought it was fine on first blush, turns out to offer almost no support as an over pronator. This Ariel seems better. But it has little arch support, so store orthotics, Superfeet, are a must. I purchased both medium and wide, and the wide seems to offer more toe room. So disappointed that Brooks changed the Adrenaline so drastically.

I have worn Ariel for a decade, but stopped when Ariel 16 came out. It was so uncomfortable. It made my arches hurt. When I tried on the Ariel 18, I was ready to return it immediately. It felt the same as the 16. However, desperate for any shoe, I cleaned my house while wearing the 18. It felt much better after the "breaking in." I went 3 miles this morning without any problems. Glad I gave it a second chance.

I loved these shoes and wish I could have kept them. I have very high arches and this shoe doesn't have enough arch support. If it weren't for that, I would give the shoe 5 stars and would have kept them.

Overall an OK fit, a little less support than I would expect from brooks, my biggest issue with fit is that it is quite wide in the heel, far too much slipping happening otherwise feels fairly true to sizesd width

There seems to be some conflict in reviews for the Ariel18. I believe the controversy is justified. I wear a 9M but am medium tending toward narrow, so, I found the toe box to be a bit wide. I have a lot of arthritis in both feet and my ankles over pronate, thus the Ariel. While the toe box is a bit wide, the instep area is narrow. This causes discomfort after an hour or so of wearing. When I first tried the Ariel 16, I could wear them for hours right out of the box. But, Ariel 18 will require breaking in. Also, I dislike the color. It is the light grey version of beige. Blah! If I weren't in need of supportive workout shoes, I would return these. As it is, I will keep them and work to break them in.

I really wanted to love these runners. But the back heel width is too big. The rest of the shoe felt great.

Very nice shoes but much smaller than expected.

It's a crying ass shame that Brooks and Zappos have dropped their quality. They've put money over customer satisfaction. I've been a customer for over 20 years and the quality has declined every year. Zappos are you even listening?

I usually wear the Brooks Addiction 13 and absolutely love them. Sadly, my dogs destroyed my current pair, so I found myself having to track down new ones. My size in the Addiction 13 is not available anywhere (they must be getting ready to transition to the Addiction 14) which meant I needed to find another style of Brooks. I have a duck feet (narrow heel, wide at toes), wide feet, and a very long, high instep. I need a very straight last as well which is why I have liked the Addiction so much. Well, in terms of length and width, this shoe was great. It’s also a really nice color. My problem is the instep. I don’t know why manufacturers don’t allow more sidewall on wide shoes. They use the same sidewall that they use for regular shoes which means a huge gap at the top when lacing. Add a high instep and it’s even worse. In this case, the sidewall didn’t meet the tongue for most of the way down the shoe. That’s no good, so back they are going. So sad.

I always need 10.5 wide width with Brooks because of problem feet. I could slip in fine, with orthotics but after a while, I felt the sides collapsing. No infrastructure as other Brooks in past. Then it began to hurt. Everywhere. The sides of my foot, ankle and heel. For the money, it should have support. And I have a sock to cushion as well. So, I was recommended to look at the Hoka's and will go for that, keep the Brooks until I know for sure Hoka works and then send back. I am disappointed.