Customer Reviews Brooks Levitate 3

I've owned a pair of the Levitate 1 and two pairs of the Levitate 2's. When my most recent 2's wore out I decided to purchase the 3's, although I looked at getting another pair of the 2's because they really work for me. I'm a recreational runner, daily dog walker, and boot camper. The Levitates have been my go to shoe for all these activities. Sadly, Brooks got it wrong with the 3's. The first thing I noticed is that the toe box looks different. It's ugly. It may just be the color scheme of the shoe (I got the black/silver) but it's not attractive. Second, the tongue and trim area around the ankle have been redesigned. They're more snug around the ankle (there's an extra hole to make the laces super tight) and the tongue is flat (no padding). Although I didn't like the look of them right out of the box, I decided to go for a run. I wore my usual Balega lower cut socks. (I wear them all the time.) By mile 2, I could feel that I had a blister forming on the back of my heal. I tried wearing them 3 other times including once to boot camp where we mostly lifted weights and again, a blister formed on my heal. I think Brooks messed up the shoe with the new sock like fit around the ankle. It's not comfortable. The shoes don't fit like the earlier versions of the Levitate. They're going back to Zappos.

The area around the ankle feels like an animal trap, the only thing that is missing are some metal teeth. It is rough, uncomfortable, and digs right into the back of your heel. Why would anybody go for such an “improvement” especially because the last version worked just fine?

I had to send these back, because the toe box wasn't as soft as the Levitate 2. I was a tiny bit disappointed that Brooks changed the shoe. The material isn't as stretchy, for lack of a better word to use, so it felt a bit more constricting. I returned them and bought another pair of last year's model. I may order another one just to have on hand!

The ankle is awkward. I have small ankles and it still didn’t work for me. Loved the look, but not the fit.

They fit felt true to size. The problem I had was the fit around the back of the ankle/Achilles- they way the seam was rubbed wrong and caused blistered. There was not enough padding to avoid blisters.

I really love the look of these shoes however I am not impressed with the fit around the ankle. They do not have the padded support behind the ankle so unfortunately they just dig into the achilles when walking or running. I thought it would be a matter of just breaking them in, but with the seam being where it is, I think they will always be blister causers. So sad because they are so cute!

If you previously had the Levitate 2, these are not an upgrade. They are cut slimmer and curve at the toe resulting in less room for your toes. I am returning these and will find another Levitate 2 if possible. It felt as though the size was wrong, but turns out it’s the design. I put this sneaker toe to toe with my Levitate 2 and it is easy to see it is cut smaller.

I feel absolutely amazing when I am wearing them! I don't need to wear my insoles anymore. Back, knees, hips, don't hurt. So happy to have these recommended to me!

As many others have noted - and we should have listened! - "the fit around the back of the ankle/Achilles- they way the seam was rubbed wrong and caused blistered. There was not enough padding to avoid blisters" The back of the shoe simply curves into your achilles tendon (where back of shoe meets above your heel) too aggressively... poor ergonomics except for someone whose heel sticks out 1.5 inches further than the back of their achilles... love Zappos and love Brooks - just not this shoe.

The tongue is extra long which causes it to rub against your ankle with every step

The shoe is attractive. Narrower toe box than what I am used to. I am going to order a 1/2 size larger. Brooks is my go to shoe.

Didn't like these at all. Too stretchy & scratchy. Toe box was weird. Love my Brooks so purchased Brooks Glycerin 17 instead. Perfect!

I have been wearing the Levitate model for years and have loved them. However, the Levitate 3s are all wrong. I have gotten blisters on both of my heels from a few times running. The rest of the shoe is great. I will return them.

These are terrible. The material rubbed the back of my ankle and was just generally uncomfortable. These did have more room in the toes than the previous version and the soles felt good , but due to the rubbing and general weirdness I returned these.

The shoe fit well and was comfortable with my orthotics inserted. The problem is getting the shoe on in the first place. They are very difficult to put on. First the lacing system is very odd as is the design of the tongue. The tongue from toe to about 2/3's the way up is mostly standard and attached to the sides of the shoe. The last 3rd of the tongue is flared out to a wider rectangle - it's more like a thin flap than an extension of the tongue. The placement of the holes restricts the lacing to just one way. Loosening the laces is a two-handed process that even then does not let you loosen them enough to get an opening large enough to insert your foot, even a slender on like mine. While I like the different shape of the heel once it's on because of the lacing and tongue issues there's almost no way the heel structure will hold up since you end up pressing down on the outside of the heel to get your food in and then popping out the heel once your foot is finally in the shoe. It's really to bad since the shoe fit so well once my foot was in.

My new favorite sneaker. Great support, great feel all around my feet. Brooks did an awesome job, I have 3 other Brooks and these are my favorite pair now.

Fit true to size, get so many compliments on them!!

Love them! Great support!

The back of the shoe is very high & rubs against the skin as I walk. This is the first shoe that has given me a blister. The solution may be wearing longer socks, which doesn’t thrill me - I liked that the no show socks are truly invisible in this shoe. The shoe has a heel cushion, but it does nothing to prevent the top of the shoe from rubbing on the back side - it’s just too high. It’s a disappointment for me - this is the most expensive shoe I’ve bought & I can’t wear them without dorky looking socks. All other areas of the shoe are comfortable and the overall look of the shoe is super cute.