Review: Saucony Kinvara 5

This is the 5th version of a shoe I have loved over the years, and like any shoe that has come this far, I was worried the Kinvara 5 (runningshoes.com/saucony-kinvara-5-slime-orange-citron) would be significantly different than it’s previous versions. I am happy to announce the shoe has retained all the great factors I have come to love and improved on some as well. While there are some nitpicky details that I don’t really like, they don’t necessarily influence the ride of the shoe.

This shoe continues to be light, flexible, cushioned and a fantastic choice for those of us training for a fast road marathon time. While previous versions suffered from premature wear-through, the Kinvara 5 seems to have improved it’s durability and has lasted me a good 50+ miles without nearly the wear as previous versions. Really where this shoe shines is with the upper and it’s comfort. For those of you who have wider feet, this will feel more narrow and tighter around the midfoot, but that can be a benefit if you are looking to be nimble and fast long distance road shoe.

As for dislikes, this shoe has some new tech I don’t really like. Example, the Pro Lock band around the midfoot. It’s a band that is meant to lock the shoe in around your midfoot and to keep it secure. Now first, this wasn’t really a problem for me in previous versions so i’m not sure why they are including it. Second, it really doesn’t make for a comfortable addition, just adding to the amount of energy it takes to lace the shoes up and determine a perfect lace-tightness in the right areas. Not only that, but combined with a super-thick butterfly tongue, the whole upper area of the shoe becomes a mess of fabric corners, laces, and bits that needs to be tucked in and secured. Quite a bit annoying.

Overall, I am stoked this shoe hasn’t changed too much from previous versions – only for the better. I plan on running the San Francisco Marathon in this shoe and logging some nice long road miles in future months. Let me know if you have run in the Kinvara 5 and what you think of it in the comments below!

LIKED:

DISLIKED:

QUALITY: 4/5
COMFORT: 5/5
PRICE: 4/5
LOOKS: 4/5

TOTAL: 17/20

These shoes were provided by RunningShoes.com for review. All opinions are my own.