Hopefully, Saucony won't listen to the Kinvara haters. The Kinvara has its own unique place in the shoe world. A light weight, affordable shoe that allows you to run the way you're meant to. I hope they don't change it as there are a ton of heavily cushioned, bouncy shoes out there for those who need it.
The OG Kinvara official died at version 5-6. (where it was enough to cut out that shitty pro-lock bs to get a good experience). Everything after that was just a sequence of fails.
bro your channel is criminally undersubscribed... not only referring to this specific video, everything from your trail runs to your documentaries are super special and mean a lot to the GLOBAL running community. Thank you
I actually like the plate-less, no-frills nature of the Kinvara's midsole. Unlike the E.-Speed with its Nylon plate, I feel more in-control on all of my runs with the Kinvara (even the fast runs). There's a certain freedom to that, which I enjoy.
My kinvara never last long. The midsole always worn out at certain places because of my running style. But it's the only shoes that makes me enjoy my run the most😁
My first Kinvara was the 12 and they are probably my favourite shoe I've ever run in. I've got 650km (400miles) in them, the outsole is definitely showing the miles but I plan to take them to 800km (500miles). I like that they are just a solid no frills shoe. I picked up the 13s on sale to start adding into my rotation as I phase the 12s out. The 13s are not as good (in my opinion), the laces come undone too easy and too much tung padding. It also feels like the toe box got a bit more narrow between the 12 and 13 but that might just be my foot changing. I do like that Saucony is keeping the new Kinvara relatively true to its routes and not trying to reinvent the shoe.
Well said! The 12 was my first pair of Kinvaras. I purchased the 13s and they are not good at all. I can walk in them. Run? No, thanks! I'm hoping the 14s are better.
Same. Found #12 uncomfortable at first, even had to remove parts of the tongue but its midsole won me over - amazing material stayed bouncy after 350 miles, by that point Cliftons get destroyed. However, #13 felt very different, maybe i was sold a fake ( Looking forward to #15 release so i can grab #14 at a discount
The 12s were the Kinvara killer. By far the worst iteration to that point. I was living abroad and stocked up on 5 pair. I now have two in a box and three pairs of lawnmower shoes. It was the first step to force us into the overpriced Endorphin.
I just bought these shoes and bought them specifically for the tight/narrow fight. It drives me crazy that a tight or narrow fit is always listed as a negative on shoe reviews. Just because the shoe doesn't fit your foot well doesn't mean it's a bad shoe, and it might fit someone elses foot perfect! Every time I find a shoe that fits well, people with wide feet wine about it and give it bad reviews prompting the shoe maker to adjust the shoe in the next version ruining the fit for low volume foot people. Can we just leave a few shoes for narrow foot people?!! I really don't want to have to find a new shoe again when the 15 comes out!!
Ethan, you forget that when you ran in the first version of these shoes the feeling was relative to the other shoes on the market. So of course, then, it’ll feel softer in your memory bank than it actually was. I highly doubt it was softer than the new ones.
Oh absolutely! But I do remember just having more “bounce” and marathon comfort in those. It’s funny, I have visceral memories of different shoes and the races I ran in them. I remember so much about how a shoe felt (I still remember the Clifton 1s, the sense Rides, the puregrit, the Kinvara and so many others from 10+ years ago). I also know exactly how foams have changed and what was cushioned then is certainly not as cushioned as what’s available now.
I've tried all different shoes over the last few years, but I keep coming back to the Kinvara. I've had Kinvara 7,9,10 and 13. I Love them, they just work for me. I also do loads of miles in them and they last me ages.
To me this channel and the Kinvara go hand in hand as its your review of the Kinvara 5 many moons ago that convinced me to buy a pair when I started out running.
All fair points, but why can’t both the Speed and Kinvara exist in their own lanes? The Kinvara always struck me as a shoe that was rooted in the minimalist movement, so comparing it to the Speed seems like apples to oranges a bit.
Sure, that makes sense. I think back to how I used Kinvaras in the early days and have found the Speed to take over that role in comparison. That’s sort of pushed me to ask the question of WHY someone would choose the Kinvara OVER the Speed, for example. There will certainly be some runners who prefer the Kinvara :)
I've only come to the kinvara 13 and my main reason was 4mm drop and a low stack height. It is a bit narrow (I use barefoot shoes daily), but so far it's great for me. The 14 worries me as the stack height seems taller, and the others either have too much stack height and/or too much drop.
A Kinvara with rubber would be my preferred daily trainer. I recently got a pair of Saucony Ride 16s. The Ride 16s feel a lot like the Kinvara… just a bit firmer, a little heavier, and way more padding (too much IMO). The Ride 16 outsole would be fantastic on the next Kinvara - similar to Endorphin line, with just enough rubber to get to 600+ miles.
I’m super excited for this new Kinvara! My first evah running shoe was the Kinvara 2 and I loved it. Thanks, GR, for your insightful review and breakdown of the shoe.
Most shoe companies now have so many weird overlapping products it is hard ot figure out why a shoe exists compared to the shoe you like. Saucony was the King of the 4mm drop for along timew, so I am glad at least one of their shoes is staying there, as the rest all seem to be headed to 8mm drop. I like variety so the Kinvara (if it fits) will be a nice option to change things up from the Speed or other options. Also in Canada the Kin vara is $60 less than the Speed. Our shoes are hella expensive up here.
Starting the year on a Saucony kick, love it!! The Kinvara has always been an odd duck for me: not quite a workout shoe, not quite a daily trainer, not at all a long run shoe, not a recovery/easy day shoe. Yet, I can't quit you Kinvara and I don't really know why. I grab the 13 maybe once a week for a normal run when my legs aren't too tired and I'm going for 4-5 miles. The narrowness of the 14 concerns me a lot because the 13 is pointy too, but it feels roomy and my foot has plenty of space to splay and spread out. I, too, reach for the Speed 2/3 more often than the Kinvara, mainly because of the comfort. It can be a stiff, mildy responsive ride, but lacks pop. Anxious to see the Kinvara Pro later this year. That said, I worry Saucony's line is gonna cause more whys than trys this year.
I replaced my Kinvara 13's with this shoe and I have got to say, not impressed. The narrowness turned out to be a big issue for me and it showed up quickly in the upper. Within 2 months I was experiencing significant wear on both shoes right at the knuckle of my toes. It was worse on the inside of the shoe but there was wear on both the inner and outer edge of the shoe. This quickly turned into a complete blowout on both sides. My 13's lasted a year. They were showing their age after that time but no where near as much wear as I experienced in 2 months in the 14's. (Weekly mileage is about the same in both) The midsole is great on the 14's. I enjoy the ride and it is still in great shape. It is too bad the upper can't keep up. So the search begins for a new ride that will last more than a few weeks.
Always going to watch a GR kinvara review. You put me in my first pair and its the shoe line I've run the most miles in. The K12 was when I really noticed how thin and not responsive it was. Switched over to the Endorphin Speed line around then...real nice!
I have a lot of Kinvara nostalgia. Ran in the 8-11s… I wish the speed was a lower drop shoe. The K14 is tempting, but I’ve been reaching more for shoes like the Mach 5 and Rincon.
Versions 4-6 were the heyday of the Kinvara. I still wear them. Probably 20 plus pairs since v5. Always the previous year's version for around US$50. I've got two versions of v11 in my closet waiting to go.
I came from the NB1080v12, which ruined my shins. I switched to this and ran super easy. The cushion on the forefoot and the lower drop and stack definitely help shift the work to the calves more. I love it for daily running.
Not a critique of GR specifically, but I do feel like all reviewers have changed their preferences based on what companies have been producing. The Kinvara 12 was the first Kinvara that seemed to get mostly negative feedback based on the YTer community. I'd run in the 9 and 11 (love the former, not the latter), so I was apprehensive about the 12s. Well I just finally opened my 12s a couple weeks ago and I love it! It felt very much like the 9s I liked (which generally got positive reviews from the same reviewers), just with a different-but-similar foam. It's a shoe that's just soft enough and firm enough for any kind of run, including ripping track repeats to running a marathon. I am a little hesitant about the 14s because they have higher stack, and now employ a little bit of a rocker technology - but I'm willing to give them a shot. I just feel that most reviewers nowadays are used to super foams, and that leaves natural feeling shoes like this under-appreciated.
I´ve got a pair of 12´s and those are the worst Kinvara´s I ever had. Never had blisters on the inside of my midfoot, untill the 12´s came along. I only use them for walking short distances now.
@Terrence Huey Hi Terrence! I tried these on today and liked them immediately-and thought of you. I never had a Kinvara but to me this one has plenty of cushion, yet it’s stable, incredibly light, responsive enough, and my medium width feet had plenty of room to spread out. As I wrote in an overall comment, I’d have bought them if I didn’t already have several shoes with moderate or low stack and ground feel. But I may pick them up later. With the club discount I get at my SD indie running store, they’ll be under $100!
@@levandmarthapolyakin-aaron2183 Funny thing is I just ordered a pair of K13s for 50% off! Can't beat that! I still will try out the 14s, but all in due time...
Was liking this until you said "Narrow" and then that killed it for me 😢 really cool to see your perspective of the same shoe through its iterations, love that content! P.s. so hard to watch the North Face version of the High Route because I know your directors cut will be SO GOOD (like last time!) But if I wait for it I can't watch what's there now...ahh the dilemma!
Fantastic review Ethan! This answered a bunch of questions about the shoe that I had. I'm ok with lower stack and snappy but narrow is a no go. I got the Noosa Tri 14 recently instead of waiting for this and LOVE them so far
I have a new pair of kinvara 11's still in the closet. I have over 200 miles on my speed 1's now. It's a fast shoe, but the kinvara 11's I like way better. Night and day diff. I'm curious to take them out and see how they are now that I'm used to the speeds.
I have a medium width foot and tried on the Kinvara 14 today and I can spread my toes in it so didn’t have any problem with the toe box. This is the first Kinvara I’ve tried on that I like, but I wasn’t even a runner yet when the OG or earliest versions came out so have no point of comparison to any besides the last few versions. I didn’t buy it only because I have plenty of shoes at the moment but it fit great, I love the super light weight and breathability, the lockdown, and to me it’s very comfortable and quite responsive. I also like the flexibility which the Speeds barely have due to the plate. I have a brand new pair of Speed 2’s bought at discount, the (formerly Hyperion) Tempo, and the new Hyp. Max, so I’m pretty set for this category.
I love the Kinvara 12's and 13's because they're no-frills and lightweight. Not everyone loves the plated shoes--for me, too much mileage in them causes a flare-up of PF. Never had that issue with Kinvara's.
Still running on some new old-stock Kinvara 11s, don't think they were as bad as reviewed, but they do feel stiffer than earlier versions to me. Definitely not my favorite of the series so far... random calf injuries too, probably due to over training on shoes with different drops (and Kinvara is a little lower). Hopefully when I get some 14s on sale next year, they'll be better :)
I loved my Kinvara 12… I bought and bought until I couldn’t find them any longer. I got the 14 and don’t love them because the rubber cushioning they added actually digs into my heel now. Gah! I just wish all the shoe manufacturers would quit changing up the shoes. It’s so hard to find shoes that fit my foot.
Can you compare it to Hoka Rincon? Sorry cause I am checking this shoe out lately and there are no Saucony store in my area so most feasible way to buy is online. Thanks for the review!
Thanks been a Kinvara junkie but the 12 was way to firm or too different. Might try these I did send them a email telling them just to make to converse six again but then I sound kind of like to bring back the Clifton one. But truthfully, with the endorphin and the ride, I guess they’re just looking for a place and keep changing it again bring back number six was my favorite out of them all
Funny, I was just at the run store and put a foot in these just to see, as I liked the Kinvara from 6 years ago. Honestly I almost grabbed them but the color kinda sucks and I had also just popped a foot into the puma deviate, which of course instantly took all my attention off of the nostalgia and the booger yellow Kinvara. Maybe someday i will go back and give it a try though
I have a Kinvara ...13, maybe it's a 14. No. It's a 13. Yes, 13. Maybe I should go check the box again. I like it. It's for the style. I'm not a running so ....there's that. :)
The original Kinvara was a cushioned minimalist shoe, so it felt great compared to where the market was. Now, this shoe, even with a few more mm of height, is one of the least cushioned shoes on the market, so it doesn't feel as comfortable. It's all relative. I'm sure if you put the original shoe on, your opinion would change. We all remember the good old days, and they cloud our judgement.
Answer to your first question: no it will never be great again. They need to add an inner puck of pwrrun PB, similar to the Tempus, but in a lightweight neutral package. Then, it will be great again.
This isn't really a review it's an opinion. Plenty of people will be interested in this shoe. The Endorphin Speed isn't the only shoe to buy even if a lot of RU-vid "reviewers" want us to think it is
I think there’s decent room in the midfoot. I have an average width foot and had to cinch them a fair amount for midfoot lockdown. But I wouldn’t say they’re extremely wide in the midfoot.
I've been disappointed by EVERY shoe that has exposed outsoles. HOKA (returned pairs), New Balance (returned pairs), etc. I will never buy another running show without runner outsoles.
Although I've been wearing Kinvara's for years (since the 5), this version has ruined it for me. I have never gotten blisters or black toe nails from the Kinvara and with the 14, now I do. And, the tongue has so much lateral tongue movement that it slides down into the side of the shoe. This cause the pointy part of the tongue to cut my ankle. And in case you might suggest that I didn't lace them up properly, I sent pics to Sauncony and they said, ok, you're lacing them correctly so we'll send you a different shoe to try. So sad about this model. Now I'm on the hunt for a new "shoe love"!
