Saucony Men's Kinvara 5 Running Shoe
CUSTOMER REVIEW
In this review, I will be comparing the Kinvara 5 to the Kinvara 3, which I ran in for 8 months before buying this shoe. If you own the Kinvara 4 and are still looking to upgrade, my comparisons still apply, because the Kinvara 3 and 4 are nearly identical, only the four has a slightly less durable frame. I loved my Kinvara 3. It was my first Kinvara shoe ever, and I was astounded of how lightweight it was. The tread eventually wore out, so I waited specifically for the Kinvara 5 to come out. After first receiving them, I was shocked at how much more improved the shoe was. To start, I will discuss the tread. Saucony's EVA sole material makes up almost the entire tread of the shoe. While it is very lightweight, it wears out much quicker than the IBR rubber in the shoe. The IBR rubber is very durable, but weighs significantly more than the EVA material. The tread on the Kinvara 4 and 3 had a few small patches of IBR, mainly in the outer part of the sole, and near the toe. The Kinvara 5 contains at least 35% more IBR, but has the same weight! This upgrade will improve the shoe's lifetime significantly. In addition to more durable materials, the tread is slightly changed. The Kinvara 3 and 4 had small line patterns carved into the heel of the shoe, which wore off fairly quick. (50 miles or less) The new design features small "blocks" cut into the IBR, which are much deeper than the previous line patterns. As a result, your shoe's tread will remain fresh for much longer. The upper of the Kinvara 3 and 4 was very lightweight, but not very breathable or weatherproof. (Rain and wet grass would quickly soak your socks) With the five, the frame feels shockingly more solid. The insoles are now neon, and as a result you can clearly see through the shoe in several areas, with a durable mesh surrounding it. I tried on the shoes bare foot once, just to test the breathability further. The feeling was incredible. With every stride, it seemed as if a gust of wind cooled off my foot. I had already broken the shoes in (it didn't take long, just one 5 mile run) and was going to attempt to set a new school record. I honestly spent a good 20 minutes wondering if I should wear socks or not, even though I had never run without socks before. The breathability was that amazing. Even with the added two layer mesh, the shoe was still far more solid and much more breathable. The flexibility wasn't compromised when running. On a side note, the shoe looks great too. I ordered them in the black/yellow color in an attempt to not blind myself with neon colors as these are my every day shoe as well as a running shoe. I was very satisfied with the look of the shoe even coming from the red Kinvara 3, which morphed from a black to red quite nicely. Moving on with the upper, the toe box is noticeably wider. Even though I loved the feel of the Kinvara three, as I have quite narrow feet, I still felt great running in these shoes. The only possible difference I could detect was more toe room and ventilation, which was a plus for me. The laces are slightly wider and a LOT longer. I could say that they are 5 inches longer easily. Before, I just tied my laces in a square knot because I feared them coming untied with such small loops. With the longer laces, tying them with the normal bow style was now problem. Even double knotting them were easy! The new quick dry material lining the opening of the shoe works great, and is very comfortable. I never had a problem in terms of comfort or durability with the old liner, but this one works great too. The only possible disadvantage I can think of this shoe to the older model is the reflectors. The 3 had six total, and the entire frame of the 4 seemed to light up when shined upon. The 5 really only has one strong reflector, on the outside of each shoe. Night runners may want to consider buying a headlamp along with this shoe, if they don't own one already. Despite this one flaw, I am still very impressed with the shoe. With so much change, I was again shocked to learn that the shoes aren't even an ounce more than the previous generation. After running in them for a few weeks, I still love them. They still look brand new, and the tread isn't even slightly worn down. (I've probably put about 50 miles on them) If you are looking to upgrade from the Kinvara 3 or 4, don't hesitate. Before I was skeptical if they could really improve a running shoe to the point where I would notice a difference, but now I see a company that must have truly worked their hardest to create such an improved product.
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