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| − | {{DISPLAYTITLE:Saucony Kinvara 6 Review}}
| + | #REDIRECT [[Saucony Kinvara 8]] |
| − | The Saucony Kinvara is a lightweight, comfortable shoe that has justifiably become popular with people wanting something more minimalist, but not too radical. The Kinvara is one of my top picks for runners looking to transition to a better running shoe from something more traditional. I've rated it as "The Best of the Best." (See below for details of changes from version 5 to 6.) {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |- valign="top"
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-top.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Saucony Kinvara 6 top]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-bottom.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Saucony Kinvara 6 bottom]]
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| − | |- valign="top"
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-inside.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Saucony Kinvara 6 inside]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-outside.JPG|none|thumb|250px|Saucony Kinvara 6 outside]]
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| − | |}
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| − | =Characteristics=
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| − | * {{H:WhyBuy}}. The Kinvara will appeal to runners looking for something that's quite close to a traditional running shoe rather than a true minimalist shoe. I'd recommend considering the [[Hoka Clifton]], [[Altra One]], or [[Saucony Virrata]] as better shoes, but they are also further from the traditional design.
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| − | * {{H:cushioning}}. The Kinvara is softly cushioned and comfortable, though it's not as soft as a [[Minimax]] shoe like the [[Hoka Clifton]].
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| − | * {{H:drop}}. The Kinvara has 6mm of drop, which is a little more than I'd like (I find 4mm is generally okay). However, this can form a useful transition step to a zero drop shoe.
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| − | * {{H:structure}}. This shoe uses single density of foam, with some shallow grooves to improve flexibility and save weight. Part of the foam is colored differently, but this is just a superficial paint, not actually a different density. Saucony's foam, branded "power grid" is claimed to be 15% lighter and 30% more durable than standard EVA. (It seems like everyone has foam that's better than standard EVA foam.)
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| − | * {{H:flexibility}}. The Kinvara is reasonably flexible, and perhaps more flexible than you might expect from its thickness.
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| − | * {{H:outsole}}. There is hard rubber covering about a third of the surface area, which protects most of the main contact patches. I found that the outsole and exposed midsole wore reasonably evenly (some shoes the midsole wears faster creating an uneven sole.)
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| − | * {{H:shape}}. The shoe is does not match the shape of the human foot, so the [[Shoe Modifications| toe box needs to be cut open for comfort]]. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
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| − | * {{H:upper}}. The upper is fairly complex with different materials and a number of seams. The Kinvara also has something they call "Pro-Lock", which is designed to create a tighter fit around the midfoot. I didn't find this made any difference, either positive or negative. The upper is inflexible and generally unpadded, and breaths moderately well. The padding around the ankle opening is good.
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| − | * {{H:tongue}}. The Kinvara has a sock style tongue that is attached to either side of the upper. I found that this worked remarkably well, as it felt like a conventional tongue that stayed in place perfectly. The tongue has thick, soft padding.
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| − | * {{H:lacing}}. The flat laces work well and remained tied.
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| − | * {{H:heelcounter}}. The heel counter is quite firm and pronounced. It has relatively hard edges, but I did not find any problems with the edges kicking in.
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| − | {{FastBlr|saucony/kinvara-6-952|952|Saucony Kinvara 6}}
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| − | {{ShoeGraphs}}
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| − | =Comparisons=
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| − | Here are some direct comparisons with its potential competition.
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| − | ==Saucony Kinvara versions 5 & 6 ==
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| − | The update to the Kinvara 6 is quite minor, with the biggest change being to sizing. A Kinvara 5 sized 10.5 is the same as a Kinvara 6 size 11; a half size difference. I measured the Kinvara 6 as about 0.7oz heavier (size matched), but the update is also slightly better cushioned in the forefoot. The updated Kinvara also had a little less drop, down from about 5mm to 3mm when loaded. There are some trivial changes to the upper, but these are hard to spot even when you're looking. The "pro-lock" remains, but I found it mostly harmless in both versions.
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |- valign="top"
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-top.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 top]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-bottom.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 bottom]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-inside.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 inside]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-outside.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 outside]]
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| − | |- valign="top"
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| − | |[[File:Saucony-Kinvara-5-top.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 5 Top]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony-Kinvara-5-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 5 Bottom]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony-Kinvara-5-inside.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 5 Inside]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony-Kinvara-5-outside.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 5 Outside]]
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| − | |}
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| − | {{FastBlr|saucony/kinvara-5-579|579|Saucony Kinvara 5}}
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| − | ==Saucony Kinvara and Hoka Clifton==
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| − | While the Kinvara is a good transitional shoe, the [[Hoka Clifton]] is the one of the better shoes that runners should be looking to. The Clifton is both lighter and better cushioned than the Kinvara, and given both have similar levels of drop and longevity, the Clifton is a better shoe.
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |- valign="top"
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-top.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 top]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-bottom.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 bottom]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-inside.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 inside]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-outside.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 outside]]
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| − | |- valign="top"
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| − | |[[File:Hoka-OneOne-Clifton-top.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Hoka OneOne Clifton top]]
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| − | |[[File:Hoka-OneOne-Clifton-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Hoka OneOne Clifton bottom]]
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| − | |[[File:Hoka-OneOne-Clifton-inside.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Hoka OneOne Clifton inside]]
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| − | |[[File:Hoka-OneOne-Clifton-outside.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Hoka OneOne Clifton outside]]
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| − | |}
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| − | {{FastBlr|hoka-one-one/clifton-2-1062|1062|Hoka Clifton 2}}
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| − | ==Saucony Kinvara and Asics Gel Hyper Speed==
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| − | The [[Asics Gel Hyper Speed]] offers similar levels of cushioning to the Kinvara, but 2.6oz less, making it a more efficient shoe to run in.
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |- valign="top"
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-top.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 top]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-bottom.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 bottom]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-inside.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 inside]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-outside.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 outside]]
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| − | |- valign="top"
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| − | |[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-top.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 top]]
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| − | |[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 bottom]]
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| − | |[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-inside.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 inside]]
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| − | |[[File:Asics-Gel-Hyper-Speed-6-outside.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6 outside]]
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| − | |}
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| − | {{FastBlr|asics/gel-hyperspeed-6-192|192|Asics Gel Hyper Speed 6}}
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| − | ==Saucony Kinvara and Asics GT 2000==
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| − | I tend to compare shoes against my benchmark "normal running shoe", the [[Asics GT 2000]]. The GT 2000 is over engineered and these features go against [[The Science of Running Shoes]], causing more problems than they solve. The GT 2000 represents the shoes I expect many runners to be transitioning away from; it's a lot heavier, but less well cushioned. The GT 2000 has a high heel and various densities of foam in an attempt to manipulate your stride. Compared with the Kinvara the GT 2000 is rather clog like.
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| − | {| class="wikitable"
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| − | |- valign="top"
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-top.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 top]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-bottom.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 bottom]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-inside.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 inside]]
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| − | |[[File:Saucony Kinvara 6-outside.JPG|none|thumb|200px|Saucony Kinvara 6 outside]]
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| − | |- valign="top"
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| − | |[[File:Asics-GT2000-top.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Asics GT2000 top]]
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| − | |[[File:Asics-GT2000-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Asics GT2000 bottom]]
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| − | |[[File:Asics-GT2000-inside.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Asics GT2000 inside]]
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| − | |[[File:Asics-GT2000-outside.jpg|none|thumb|200px|Asics GT2000 outside]]
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| − | |}
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| − | =A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
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| − | {{:Shoes-include}}
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