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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Saucony Kinvara 5 Review}}
The [http://www.zappos.com/saucony-kinvara Saucony Kinvara 5] is a lightweight (7.6oz), comfortable shoe that has justifiably become popular with people wanting something more minimalist, but not too radical. While Saucony claims to have a 4mm drop, but my measurements (and others on the web) indicate it's more like 8mm. This is more of a drop than I believe is appropriate or efficient, and the misleading advertising is annoying. However the Kinvara is lightweight (7.6oz) and it's comfortable. It's become a popular shoe for people wanting something more minimalist, but not too radical6mm.
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=Characteristics=
* {{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 One2| Altra One<sup>2</sup>]], or [[Saucony Virrata]] as better shoes, but they are also further from the traditional design.* {{H:cushioning}}. The Kinvara is softly cushioned and comfortable, though it's not as soft as a [[Minimax]] shoe would belike the [[Hoka Clifton]]. * {{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.
* {{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.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Kinvara is reasonably flexible.
* {{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.)
* {{H:shape}}. The shoe is does not match the shape of the human foot, so the [[Shoe Dissection| toe box needs to be cut open for comfort]].
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is fairly complex with different materials and a number of seams. The Kinvara also has something they call "ProXLockPro-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 unpatentedunpadded, and breeds breaths moderately well. The padding around the ankle opening is good.
* {{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.
* {{H:lacing}}. The flat laces work well and remained tied.
** {{H:availability}}. The Kinvara is easier to find, as Saucony is widely stocked.
* Advantage Hoka Clifton
** {{H:cushioning}}. The Clifton has far thicker, softer cushioning.
** {{H:drop}}. While neither is zero drop the Clifton drop is smaller than the Kinvara and the difference seems more noticeable than the figures suggest, probably due to the softer cushioning in the Clifton.
** {{H:trails}}. The Clifton has a lot more protection on rocky trails.
** {{H:longevity}}. Both shoes have a lot of exposed midsole, but the Clifton wears much better.
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** {{H:longevity}}. The Kinvara lasts a little longer.
* Advantage [[Altra One2| Altra One2]]
** {{H:drop}}. The Altra is zero drop, the Kinvara has 8mm (too much!)6mm. ** {{H:cushioning}}. The Altra is a lot more softly cushioned.
** {{H:weight}}. The Altra is a little lighter.
** {{H:flexibility}}. The Altra is a bit more flexible.
** {{H:shape}}. The Altra has a much better toe box.
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** {{H:cushioning}}. The Kinvara is more softly cushioned.
* Advantage [[Saucony Virrata]]
** {{H:drop}}. The Virrata is zero drop, the Kinvara has 8mm (too much!)6mm.
** {{H:weight}}. The Virrata is a little lighter.
** {{H:flexibility}}. The Virrata is a bit more flexible.
