Customer Reviews Brooks Ariel '20

I am extremely disappointed with these shoes. I bought the Ariel because my podiatrist recommended this style for my continued issues with plantar fasciitis. I have bought several Brooks shoes in the past with no issues. They were always my favorite workout or daily shoes. With the Ariel, my heals feel like they go straight to the bottom of the shoes, like there is no support at all. After an hour of wearing them my feet hurt so bad that I can't walk just around an office. I do not recommend these.

I haven't been able to wear them because the shoe laces I have won't fit in them. I need the curly ties because I broke my hip and can't tie my left shoe.

I have been buying your 2018 version of the Ariel which are far superior to the 2019 and 2020 that I have received. The 19 & 20 are not as supportive of the ankle, the material seems to be of less quality, and do not provide as much support. As such, I have returned the shoes and was able to get, via EBay, the 2018 version. Which again fully supports my needs. I don't know if you are receiving similar concerns but perhaps you can check on why the 2018 is better quality then the 2019 and 2020. I gave the 2019 pair away and have returned the 2020. Thank you for your excellent customer service.

These are the worse Brooks Ariel shoes I have ever owned. Completely disappointed!! I loved my ariel 18 but the 20 is really worthless! Absolutely no support. My feet, knees, and ankles are sore 2 hours into my shift. These shoes are completely useless to wear and I paid a lot of money for them! I don't understand why they would want to mess with and cheapen a perfectly good pair of shoes. I went back to wearing my worn out Ariel 18 shoes until I can find a different kind of shoe

Poor fit. Not comfortable at all.

I love Ariels!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are perfect for my needs. However, I needed a light color shoe and the Oyster Ariel '20 was not produced in 8.5 EE! This was very disappointing and I had to buy another brand which does not work well and now I'm trying the Addiction which runs 1/2 inch longer than the Ariels. So this is causing me a lot of time, money and stress. Please make both color in all sizes.

Bring back Ariel 18! Just purchased Ariel 20 and they are awful! My feet are so painful wearing them! I can't return them either! Very disappointed!

I am a heavy pronater and have depended upon Ariel for maximum support. I thought I struck gold with Ariel for my feet until the huge disappointment with the 2020 model. A weak bridge and the inner sole is no longer dense so the 2020 does not offer maximum support for heavy pronators. Very disappointed with Brooks for reducing the specs that made Ariel a leader in maximum support.

I have loved your Ariel '18s. The new Ariel '20s however did not work for me. I was advised by your amazing customer service team to try a different style. I am looking forward to receiving then and giving them a try!

I have worn the Ariel shoe for years and buy them every few months. With my foot problems they have been so wonderful but the Ariel20 the arch changed and the sole is more cushion not as firm as the previous ones. So now I have to move on to find a more firm sole in the arch. I wish I could find a pair of the Ariel 18 to get me by till I find something in comparison.

I've been running in the Ariel for years, as I significantly pronate. I started running in the newest version of the Ariel and not only am overpronating in them, but have been struggling with a knee injury for weeks. Apparently Brookes removed the posting on the inside that helps with motion control. This is very disappointing. I am back to the drawing board and having to look for motion control shoes from other brands now. Again, very disappointing about this new shoe revamp.

The shoes were alright but after 3 weeks the top where your big toe is I got a hole. very disappointed.

I have Very happily worn the Brooks Ariel over 15 years which was the best running shoe on the market for me but could not be more disappointed with the Ariel 20. Brooks has really cheapened the quality of this shoe by eliminating the vinyl on the sides, front of shoe and around the laces. The laces are super cheap on the Ariel 20 - not the better quality laces of previous versions and are way too long. It is not supportive for my foot as previpus versions and doesn't provide the motion stability the Ariel 16 provided. It's like wearing a totally different shoe. I will not be buying this shoe again. Brooks - why did you let us loyal long time customers down like by radically cheapening what was a great shoe?

I have Very happily worn the Brooks Ariel over 15 years which was the best running shoe on the market for me but could not be more disappointed with the Ariel 20. Brooks has really cheapened the quality of this shoe by eliminating the vinyl on the sides, front of shoe and around the laces. The laces are super cheap on the Ariel 20 - not the better quality laces of previous versions and are way too long. It is not supportive for my foot as previpus versions and doesn?t provide the motion stability the Ariel 16 provided. It?s like wearing a totally different shoe. I will not be buying this shoe again. Brooks - why did you let us loyal long time customers down like by radically cheapening what was a great shoe?

I'm a long-time Ariel runner/walker following foot surgery 11 years ago. I am an extreme over-pronator with high arches that collapse, forcing the severe pronation. Ariel became my holy grail after surgery, enabling me to walk 10 miles at a time with zero foot pain. Unfortunately the new Ariel '20s are not the same, and after a couple of uses over 8-10 miles across different days, the pain returned. When I gave it a couple of days and went back to my worn-out Ariel '18s, I was able to go five miles with zero pain. I am not sure what the exact difference is in the redesign, but the Ariel '20 definitely feels cushier and less rigid, enabling me to pronate more. Please bring back your old design, it was amazing.

I have been wearing Ariels for the past ten years. This is the first pair I have returned. I did not like the all mesh front of the shoe in place of the tougher rubber. More annoying was the fit. My big toe constantly rubbed against the top of the toe box. That has never happened before. Stop messing with a good thing. Stick to changing colors and appearance and leave the structure alone.

There are only 2 good things about this shoe. Lots of cushion, and lots of toe room. The downside is my heels slide around and it has zero arch support. That's coming from someone who has really really low arches.

The lst pair I bought were so nice fitting and felt good on the foot. Really nice shoe. This last pair they changed to a new design or whatever. Laces are stretchy and so long for shoe. Shoe does not fit nice. You can't snug up nicely. They don't even look nice on your foot. I just don't like them at all. I don't know why when they have a nice shoe, they don't leave them alone! Sorry, but I do not like them

This shoe is not working out for me

I was very disappointed. This is my fourth pair of Brooks (Ariel) and has the least amount of support of all. I did not feel like I was wearing a brand new pair of Brooks. My podiatrist recommended this particular shoe because of my plantar fasciitis. I guess I?ll be shopping for something else.

I was excited to hear that the new Ariel 20s are out. I would really like to try out the new technology in these shoes. But... when I looked at the color choices... it seems like you're designing these so women WON'T want to buy them!!! I refuse to spend that much money in this economy for downright ugly, depressing-looking shoes. Please, please, please... use your creative genius to select color combos so people with foot issues can look stylish, too!! Until you do, I will search the internet for Ariel 18s... :-(