SAUCONY KINVARA 12 RUNNING SHOE REVIEW

Here’s another crowd favourite update from Saucony. The new Saucony Kinvara 12. What is it? Who’s it for? What’s it like to run in? Is it good quality? Should you buy it? Join us as we find out the answers to these questions and a lot more. Time to put this newest iteration of the Kinvara to the test in our Saucony Kinvara 12 Running Shoe Review.

If you know Saucony, you already know they manufacture quality running shoes favoured by thousands of athletes around the world.

Used by elite athletes and recreational runners alike, the Saucony brand has been around a long time and have built up quite a loyal following. Founded in 1898 in Kutztown Pennsylvania, they have built up formidable expertise in running shoe design and manufacture.

With many models to choose from, (check out our reviews of the Saucony Guide and Saucony Triumph), it’s time to put the Kinvara through its paces. As usual at RMWA, you’ll get an honest reliable review, if it’s a lemon, we’ll tell you loud and clear.

Time to lace up the Kinvara, I’m really excited to check out this shoe.

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Disclaimer – I purchased this these shoes with my own money and have not been paid by anyone to make this review. This is my honest, independent opinion.

Saucony Kinvara – What Is IT?

This is the twelfth iteration of the Kinvara, it’s been around a long time, since 2010 in fact. As with all Saucony models, it is renewed and improved every year with the latest materials, manufacturing processes, and design characteristics.

The Kinvara is a neutral road and track shoe, which means it’s suitable for most people and most running scenarios.

It features Saucony’s PWRRUN cushioned midsole, which in this case is less plush than you’d find in the Triumph series, for example. The PWRRUN midsole in the Kinvara is designed to provide a speedy, responsive ride.

Let’s take a look at the features and specs, from the Saucony website.

Features and Specs

FEATURES
+ PWRRUN cushioning is lightweight and durable enough to be used as both a midsole and outsole material
+ Engineered mesh upper is lightweight and breathable
+ FORMFIT performance contoured footbed
+ XT-900 Carbon Rubber used in strategic high-wear areas to improve durability and traction.

SPECS
+ Shoe Category: Neutral Running shoe
+ Offset: 4mm
+ Cushion: Responsive
+ Construction Type: Natural Motion
+ Surface: Road and\or Track
+ Arch: Normal (Mid)

Who Is The Saucony Kinvara For?

The Kinvara is Saucony’s second most popular shoe, and for good reason. As a neutral road and track shoe, this versatile trainer is a shoe designed for the vast majority of runners.

Used as a daily trainer or in competition, the Kinvara will suit runners looking for a lightweight trainer they can use in almost all situations. Versatility is the key here and the Kinvara’s can be used for long runs, track work, casual runs, speed work, and most other running situations.

A true all-rounder.

Unboxing the Saucony Kinvara 12.

Arriving in a simple recyclable cardboard box, the shoes had a paper separator and paper form preserving stuffing. Big ticks for no throw away plastic use here.

There was a spare set of laces in the box, matching the colour of the shoe’s accents.

The shoes arrived already laced up and ready to try on immediately.

First Impressions

Taking the shoes out of the box, the first impression is of lightness. Weighing in at just 417 grams (my scales) for a full pair of size US 8.5, these shoes are seriously light. To understand how light they are, I compared them to other Sauconys I have here, the Triumphs were 626 grams and the Guides were 569 grams.

Putting on the Kinvara’s for the first time, there is a pleasing sense of snugness and good fit. Everyone will be different in this respect, but they aren’t too narrow, have good length, and should fit most people.

Much of the lightness of the Kinvaras is achieved by trimming the plushness of the upper, particularly around the collar, heel, and tongue. However, these shoes are very comfortable and lock into place nicely.

Taking the first few walking steps in the Kinvaras, the lightness was very apparent, and the shoes felt at one with the feet, not ‘on’ the feet. There was no movement of the feet inside the shoe, this should prevent any blisters forming whilst the shoes are being ‘run in’.

A good sign thus far, but how do they feel to run in.

Let’s find out.

First Run.

For the first run, I chose a 7k Recovery Run. This was a shorter run and a great chance to ‘wear in’ the shoes, and to expose any problems, especially any internal movement or chafing.

This run was mainly on concrete paths and dirt tracks. As with all Sauconys that I have tested, they were immediately comfortable and didn’t require further adjustment once laced up.

That cohesive feeling I spoke about when taking the first few walking steps in the shoe, continued into the run. The lightness of the shoes and the connectedness with the feet was very reassuring. I was able to run as normal immediately, they didn’t feel ‘odd’ to run in even though they were brand new.

A welcome surprise was how these shoes bear out Saucony’s claim of the Kinvara’s suitability for speed work.

The midsole design characteristics provided an energetic transition from heel strike to toe launch, which had a slight feeling of propelling you forward with each step. My times for this Recovery Run were a little quicker than normal, without even trying to go faster.

At the conclusion of this first run, here are my observations-

• Fit was secure and sure-footed, no need for adjustment during the run
• No particular ‘run-in’ protocol needed, just lace up and run
• Lacing up tightly was comfortable. The tongue, whilst thin, insulated the instep effectively
• Touchpoints around the collar and heel are thin but comfortable, there was no rubbing or chafing
• The cushioning is less plush than you would find in a Triumph, for example, but delivers both comfort and performance. These shoes are suitable for speed work or racing.

Let’s now take these shoes on a solid second run workout. Can they perform in a demanding session?

Second Run.

Our second outing in the Kinvara’s was an intense one-hour workout including speed work, intervals, stairs, and progression runs.

It was during this extended workout that I noticed the shoes to be marginally flat-footed, compared to a more cushioned shoe. The sense of being propelled forward during the transition from heel to toe was still there, albeit slightly.

As I progressed through this workout session, I appreciated the way the shoes just got out of the way and let my feet naturally execute the various exercises. There was no sense of having something large or heavy attached to my feet.

Ground feel was good, it was easy to exactly position your feet with every step.

Overall, I was happy with the way the Kinvara’s performed. These shoes are certainly suitable as an all-rounder, I was able to race up stairs or run for longer distances without any problem. I would also contend that these shoes are quite suited to speed work, due to the lower profile and moderate cushioning.

Once again, there were no rubbing or chafing areas, the fit was comfortable and secure.

Third Run.

For this one, I took the Kinvara’s on a long run.

Covering a total of 21k (Half Marathon), I was able to get a feel on whether these shoes can serve on longer distance runs, as suggested by Saucony.

The shoes run flatter, with less cushioning, but also lighter. Consequently, they felt effective for the first half of the run in terms of speed and comfort, but I was left wishing for a bit more cushioning towards the end. My legs felt a little tired at the completion of the workout.

Objectively, these trainers can definitely serve in longer distance scenarios, but for the really long runs, 21k and over, I would suggest a second, more cushioned shoe from Saucony, such as the Triumph.

Let’s now take a look at how each individual area of the shoe is implemented.

Design Characteristics of the Saucony Kinvara 12

When we test a running shoe at RMWA, we are not so much concerned with the finer points of the technical aspects, but how it actually performs and feels for runners in real life situations. With that in mind, let’s now take a closer look at each component of the shoe, top to bottom, to see how it all comes together as a package.

The Upper

Part of the lightness of this shoe results from the materials used in the upper.

The outer component of the upper is manufactured from a lightweight mesh material that is strong, and maintains its form well, securely holding the foot in place.

Lining the inside of the outer layer is a thin protective sleeve of stocking-like material, which ensures comfort and eliminates chafing from the stronger outer layer.

Combined, the two layers of the upper securely mould around the feet.

Both my test runs were on very warm days and my feet felt a little hot. Whilst breathability and heat dispersion on the hot days exists to some extent, the shoes should also provide appropriate insulation in colder weather.

Thin, strong and beautifully constructed, the upper looks, and feels very comfortable and durable.

Lacing and Tongue

Laces are a flat, slightly stretchy affair and tie up securely without shaking loose during the run.

The tongue is a much more minimal design, compared to the Guides and Triumphs I have tested. It is constructed from a tough, almost coarse mesh material, and has a small amount of padding sewn in. Despite the minimalist design, it is functional and comfortable.

The lace’s lockdown down the tongue and hold the feet in place without any harshness or pain across the instep.

Toe Box

The mudguards around the toe box are a semi-rigid water repellant mesh material.

Combined with a smooth, firm, rubber toe tip, the mudguard area around the toe box is structurally strong enough to avoid any toe compression.

Once again, as with most Saucony shoes I have tested, there is enough width to accommodate the feet, although unusually, I could not find a wide version on the Australian Saucony website.

Heel and Collar

The heel and collar are both constructed of the same slightly coarse mesh material found in the tongue. This extends down into the midsole. The feeling is that this will be a very durable material.

With just enough padding built in, I would not like to see any less, the heel and collar are quite comfortable and locate the heel of the foot securely into the shoe.

Far less plush than seen in the Triumph series, for example, this more minimalist design contributes to the lightness of the shoe whilst maintaining comfort and performance.

In my test runs, I did not notice any movement of the foot in and around the heel area or any aggravation of the Achilles, so we should not experience any blister causing rubbing.

The pull-up tag on the back of the heel is a bit too small to be very useful.

Insole

Thin with a small amount of softness, the insole is moulded to hold the foot in place. These are easily replaceable if they begin to show signs of wear, but are inherently durable. The cushioning magic mainly occurs in the next layer.

Midsole

The midsole is where the latest shoe technologies are employed to not only enable the required amount of cushioning, but to also provide the design architecture for the shoe’s ultimate purpose.

In the case of the Kinvara 12, designed as a neutral road and track shoe, the midsole provides a moderate amount of cushioning, and delivers a reasonably responsive ride.

There are other shoes available with more cushioning, these are more suited to long-distance running.

Using Saucony’s highly regarded PWRRUN midsole, the Kinvara has enough cushioning and responsiveness to allow this shoe to be used in most training situations.

The midsole foam is light and slightly springy.

Outsole

The outsole is constructed from the same midsole foam and employs durable rubber pads in high wear areas.

Durability shouldn’t be an issue, Saucony products do not suffer from premature wear and tear.

With enough width and structural rigidness, the outer endows the shoe with stability and balance. This allows sure-footed performance on loose surfaces or stairs.

With a reasonably low stack height, the Kinvara’s don’t overly insulate the wearer from the running surface. There is still plenty of feel, and a sense of engagement with the track.

I could not fault the grip of the shoes. Tested in varying conditions such as hard surfaces, gravel, grass, and dirt, there was no hint of excess slippage. A small wet area did not result in any sliding, although we did not get to test them on a rainy day, ice or snow.

Quality And Value For Money.

After testing many Saucony products over the years, it is not hard to vouch for the inherent quality of these shoes.

I have never had to make any returns to Saucony due to a manufacturing fault, component failure or functional problem.

In terms of materials used, stitching and gluing, and manufacturing efficacy, the Kinvara’s appear to be very well put together. There were no glue runs, hap-hazard stitching, or rough edges.

Durability has always been impressive with Saucony shoes, these products don’t seem to suffer from premature wear and tear.

Priced towards the mid-tier of the premium running shoe space, it really is a case of you get what you pay for. In this early stage of testing, I have no reason to doubt the value-for-money proposition presented by the Kinvara 12’s.

Pro’s And Con’s.

Wrapping It Up | Final Verdict.

This review and road test has demonstrated that we have another winner from Saucony in the Kinvara 12.

A popular model over the years from the respected manufacturer, this iteration won’t let down it’s many fans.

Saucony have a shoe in their range for most dedicated purposes and training scenarios. However, the Kinvara 12 is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades and will serve very well as an all-rounder. For recreational runners just doing a few kilometres a week, through to people training for events, the Kinvara 12 is a capable trainer.

If you were only buying one running shoe, this would be a suitable choice.

The price is over $100 cheaper than Saucony’s most expensive shoe, and for a mid-range trainer, this represents good value. There are different colourways to choose from, varying from country to county.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this comprehensive review of the Kinvara 12. As usual, we would love to hear from you if you’ve had any experience with these shoes or have any opinions or tips to share.

With four out of five stars, we rate this one as a buy.

Happy running

Steve

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