Nike Vomero Plus vs Brooks Glycerin 23:
Which to Choose

Start with the foam, because that's where these two diverge most. The Vomero Plus runs a full-length slab of Nike's ZoomX (TPE-based) foam under a tall 42 mm heel / 33 mm forefoot stack, and it earns a 5/6 for responsiveness — soft but genuinely lively, with a gentle bounce that keeps long miles feeling energetic. The Glycerin 23 uses Brooks' nitrogen-infused DNA Tuned foam over a lower 37 mm heel / 29 mm forefoot stack, with zoned cells (larger and plusher in the heel, smaller and firmer up front) that produce a softer, more balanced landing but a medium 3/6 rebound — comfort-first, and honest about giving back cushion more than energy. So both are "max cushion" (6/6 vs 5/6), but the Vomero sits higher off the ground and feels springier, while the Glycerin feels lower, more planted, and more damped. Weight cuts the way the stacks suggest but not the way you'd expect from the numbers: the taller Vomero Plus is actually the lighter of the two at 285 g (men's US 9) versus roughly 303 g for the Glycerin 23, so the Nike is the one that feels marginally more willing when you nudge the pace, even though neither is a fast shoe and both punish real surges. Drops are close enough to be a non-factor — 9 mm for the Vomero, 8 mm for the Glycerin — and both are neutral with the same broad, moderately stable 4/6 platform and no added support. The one meaningful use-case gap: the Glycerin 23 is tuned to carry all the way to the marathon at conversational effort, while the Vomero Plus is happiest capped at 10K and half distances. In short, same mission, two philosophies — the Vomero is the taller, lighter, more energetic cruiser; the Glycerin is the lower, softer, longer-legged workhorse.