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Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE:Saucony Type A8 Review}} The Saucony Type A8 is marketed as a "racing flat", but it makes a good all purpose running shoe, avoiding the complexities and excesse..."
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Saucony Type A8 Review}}
The Saucony Type A8 is marketed as a "racing flat", but it makes a good all purpose running shoe, avoiding the complexities and excesses of its heavier brethren. It's a simple shoe that does most things well, and I prefer the A8 over it's predecessor that was confusingly called just the "Type A" not "Type A7". The only real weakness of the A8 is the shape, which like most running shoes doesn't fit a healthy human foot, and while this can be solved but cutting open the toe box, must runners are unwilling to do so. Of course, so many western runners have feet that are damaged and on their way to bunions from their footwear that the A8 will seem quite normal. So, bunion-inducing shape aside, the A8 is nearly zero drop and nicely cushioned for its weight and fairly comfortable. It's minimally padded, but the soft materials make the upper seem plusher than you might expect. I rated the A8 as "Highly Recommended", and I think it will suit many runners looking for a simple, effective running shoe. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
File:Saucony Type A8-top.jpg|Saucony Type A8 top
File:Saucony Type A8-outside.jpg|Saucony Type A8 outside
File:Saucony Type A8-bottom.jpg|Saucony Type A8 bottom
File:Saucony Type A8-inside.jpg|Saucony Type A8 inside
</gallery>
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The Type A8 is nicely cushioned for its weight, though this line of shoes has a trend for each being a little firmer than its predecessor. Even though the Type A8 doesn't provide much cushioning, it's smooth and natural, and I found it comfortable for marathon distance runs. I measured a little more forefoot cushioning than under the heel, which is unusual, and may not suit you if you're a heavier heel-striker.
* {{H:drop}}. The Type A8 only has 1mm of drop when loaded, so it's effectively zero drop.
* {{H:structure}}. The Type A8 is a nice simple shoe that does not attempt to manipulate your stride. There's a single density of foam and while there's a little more rise under the midfoot that shouldn't create undue pressure on your arch.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Type A8 has good flexibility. There's only one gap in the outsole, and the A8 does tend to want to bend along that line, but not enough to be noticeable.
* {{H:outsole}}. The Type A8 has harder wearing rubber outsole under all of the forefoot contact area, providing reasonable longevity. There is only a patch of outsole on the outer edge of the heel, so you could get some abrasion there depending on your foot strike pattern. Thankfully Saucony did away with the drainage holes which just acted as stone traps.
* {{H:shape}}. The Type A8 is not designed to fit a human foot, so I [[Shoe Modifications| cut open the toe box]] so my toes would not get crushed and so my foot could move naturally. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is inflexible, and there is only a tiny amount of padding around the ankle opening, with a bit more around the Achilles' tendon area. I found it a surprisingly comfortable upper (once I'd cut open the toe box of course.)
* {{H:tongue}}. The Type A8 has a traditional (but unpadded) tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces.
* {{H:lacing}}. The Type A8 has flat laces that have a bit of elasticity in them that also contributes to the overall comfort of the shoe and I never had them come undone.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Type A8 has quite a firm heel counter, but it's so vestigial so it won't cause any problems.
{{FastBlr|saucony/type-a6-597|597|Saucony Type A8}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
The Saucony Type A8 is marketed as a "racing flat", but it makes a good all purpose running shoe, avoiding the complexities and excesses of its heavier brethren. It's a simple shoe that does most things well, and I prefer the A8 over it's predecessor that was confusingly called just the "Type A" not "Type A7". The only real weakness of the A8 is the shape, which like most running shoes doesn't fit a healthy human foot, and while this can be solved but cutting open the toe box, must runners are unwilling to do so. Of course, so many western runners have feet that are damaged and on their way to bunions from their footwear that the A8 will seem quite normal. So, bunion-inducing shape aside, the A8 is nearly zero drop and nicely cushioned for its weight and fairly comfortable. It's minimally padded, but the soft materials make the upper seem plusher than you might expect. I rated the A8 as "Highly Recommended", and I think it will suit many runners looking for a simple, effective running shoe. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
File:Saucony Type A8-top.jpg|Saucony Type A8 top
File:Saucony Type A8-outside.jpg|Saucony Type A8 outside
File:Saucony Type A8-bottom.jpg|Saucony Type A8 bottom
File:Saucony Type A8-inside.jpg|Saucony Type A8 inside
</gallery>
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. The Type A8 is nicely cushioned for its weight, though this line of shoes has a trend for each being a little firmer than its predecessor. Even though the Type A8 doesn't provide much cushioning, it's smooth and natural, and I found it comfortable for marathon distance runs. I measured a little more forefoot cushioning than under the heel, which is unusual, and may not suit you if you're a heavier heel-striker.
* {{H:drop}}. The Type A8 only has 1mm of drop when loaded, so it's effectively zero drop.
* {{H:structure}}. The Type A8 is a nice simple shoe that does not attempt to manipulate your stride. There's a single density of foam and while there's a little more rise under the midfoot that shouldn't create undue pressure on your arch.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Type A8 has good flexibility. There's only one gap in the outsole, and the A8 does tend to want to bend along that line, but not enough to be noticeable.
* {{H:outsole}}. The Type A8 has harder wearing rubber outsole under all of the forefoot contact area, providing reasonable longevity. There is only a patch of outsole on the outer edge of the heel, so you could get some abrasion there depending on your foot strike pattern. Thankfully Saucony did away with the drainage holes which just acted as stone traps.
* {{H:shape}}. The Type A8 is not designed to fit a human foot, so I [[Shoe Modifications| cut open the toe box]] so my toes would not get crushed and so my foot could move naturally. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is inflexible, and there is only a tiny amount of padding around the ankle opening, with a bit more around the Achilles' tendon area. I found it a surprisingly comfortable upper (once I'd cut open the toe box of course.)
* {{H:tongue}}. The Type A8 has a traditional (but unpadded) tongue that is has a tab to attach it to the laces.
* {{H:lacing}}. The Type A8 has flat laces that have a bit of elasticity in them that also contributes to the overall comfort of the shoe and I never had them come undone.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Type A8 has quite a firm heel counter, but it's so vestigial so it won't cause any problems.
{{FastBlr|saucony/type-a6-597|597|Saucony Type A8}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}