Which should you buy?
Choose the Glycerin Max 3 if you want the tallest stack with a bit more rebound for long, easy runs.
Choose the Bondi 9 if you want a cheaper max-cushion shoe or need a wide or extra-wide fit.
The Glycerin Max 3 is 6 g lighter than the Bondi 9. It has 2 mm more foam under the heel. Its drop is 6 mm against 5 mm. It costs £20 more at full price.
Side by side
| Spec | Glycerin Max 3Brooks | Bondi 9HOKA |
|---|---|---|
| Review score | Not enough reviews yet | 90/100 (2 reviews) |
| Type | Max cushion | Max cushion |
| Weight (men's UK 8.5) | 297 g | 303 g |
| Heel stack | 45 mm | 43 mm |
| Drop | 6 mm | 5 mm |
| Cushioning | Soft | Soft |
| Bounce | Calm | Calm |
| Plate | No plate | No plate |
| Support | Neutral | Neutral |
| Fit | True to size | True to size |
| Widths | standard | standard, wide, extra wide |
| Waterproof version | No | No |
| UK RRP | £180 | £160 |
Weights are for a men's US 9 / UK 8.5. Prices are UK RRPs; shops often sell for less.
What the critics say
The reviews comparedReviewers rate both as soft shoes for easy and recovery miles. Northern Runner's reviewer found the Brooks Glycerin Max 3 lively and stable, but bulky on corners, with a narrow, pointed toe box. Road Trail Run's Sam Winebaum and RunRepeat's Carlos Sánchez liked the HOKA Bondi 9's lighter, bouncier foam, though Sánchez found it clunky at faster paces and fairly tight in the toe box.
Glycerin Max 3
- Soft, forgiving cushioning that takes the sting out of easy and recovery miles
- Lively rebound for such a tall shoe, with a rocker that rolls you forward
- Feels stable despite the high stack
- Very little ground feel, which some runners will find too much
- Bulky and clumsy on tight corners and hills
Bondi 9
- Softer supercritical foam
- Secure heel and midfoot
- Lighter than the Bondi 8
- Slow, clunky transitions at faster paces
- Snug heel counter can bother sensitive heels
Scores from RunRepeat, Road Trail Run.
Paraphrased from published reviews.
What's new in each
Brooks Glycerin Max 3: Brooks swaps DNA Tuned for nitrogen-infused DNA Rise Tuned foam, which it says is softer and lighter; Northern Runner found the midsole softer and slightly more flexible than before, with stack heights unchanged.
HOKA Bondi 9: Swaps the Bondi 8's EVA for a supercritical foam, adds 4 mm of heel stack and 3 mm up front, and still sheds about 14 g. Wider forefoot, snugger heel.
About each shoe
About the Glycerin Max 3
Replacing the Glycerin Max 2, the Glycerin Max 3 is the shoe Brooks uses to introduce DNA Rise Tuned, its newest midsole foam. Brooks describes it as an evolution of DNA Tuned: a nitrogen-infused, supercritical foam with two cell sizes, larger for softness and smaller for responsiveness, made without extra layers, plates or glues. The brand claims it is 7% softer, 8% more responsive and 15% lighter than DNA Tuned.
The shoe is designed for maximum cushioning on the road, for daily, long, easy and recovery runs as well as walking. GlideRoll rocker geometry shapes the heel and forefoot, and the upper uses a flat-knit collar and tongue. It keeps a 45 mm heel stack and a 6 mm drop, against 8 mm on the Glycerin 23, and it comes in a standard width only. The Ghost Max 4 is the high-stack alternative built on DNA Loft v3.
Specs and features from brooksrunning.com, fit2run.com and our own spec data. A factual overview, not a review.
About the Bondi 9
Maximum cushioning is the brief for HOKA's Bondi, the brand's most heavily padded neutral road shoe and one it also lists for walking and all-day wear. Version 9 replaces the compression-moulded EVA of the Bondi 8 with a supercritical EVA foam, and the stack grows at both heel and forefoot.
Compared with the Clifton 11, it offers a deeper midsole on a broader base, while the Skyward X 2 adds a carbon plate at a similar height. Raised midsole sidewalls, which HOKA designed to centre the ride, and a wide platform sit under a knit upper with a 3D-moulded heel counter, and a moderate rocker shapes the sole. Rubber covers the high-wear zones, with cutouts elsewhere to save weight. HOKA lists a 43 mm heel stack and a 5 mm drop. Wide and extra-wide fittings are offered, and the brand's own specs describe it as suited to heavier runners.
Specs and features from runrepeat.com and our own spec data. A factual overview, not a review.
Glycerin Max 3 vs Bondi 9
In short
Two maximal-cushion road shoes for easy and recovery miles. The Glycerin Max 3 is taller (45 mm heel against 43 mm) and 6 g lighter, and Northern Runner found it soft but lively, if bulky on corners, with a narrow toe box and no wide option. The Bondi 9 is £20 cheaper, has a 5 mm drop and comes in three widths, and reviewers found it soft and secure but slow at faster paces.
- LighterGlycerin Max 3
- CheaperBondi 9
- More foamGlycerin Max 3
- More widthsBondi 9
Get the full story
BrooksEverything on the Glycerin Max 3What critics loved and didn't, fit and sizing advice, full specs and today's prices.Explore the Glycerin Max 3
HOKAEverything on the Bondi 93 video reviews, scores from 2 published reviews, what critics loved and didn't, fit and sizing advice, full specs and today's prices.Explore the Bondi 9More comparisons
- HOKA Bondi 9 vs ASICS Gel-Nimbus 28
- HOKA Bondi 9 vs New Balance Fresh Foam X More v6
- Brooks Ghost Max 4 vs HOKA Bondi 9
- HOKA Clifton 11 vs HOKA Bondi 9
- Brooks Glycerin Max 2 vs Brooks Glycerin Max 3
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