Caroline
For some reason, these shoes were really hard for me to squeeze into, but once they were on they felt good…maybe they were just cinched tightly in the box or something. Anyways, once I had these shoes on my feet they felt pretty invisible. They’re super duper lightweight and offer a streamlined fit that’s easy to forget about (in a good way). They have these separated loops that the laces run through, allowing you to tighten the shoes without any excess material buckling around the midfoot. They also have an extra eyelet near the ankle to tie the marathon loop. I didn’t need to worry about tightening my laces or using the extra eyelet, though, as the fit was perfect on my low volume feet. There’s a touch of padding on the tongue and heel collar, but overall this is a pretty no-frills, lightweight shoe.
Nate
The Kinvara has the sleek look of an uptempo trainer with a wonderfully simple upper. It doesn’t feel quite as perforated as last year’s extremely airy upper, but there’s still plenty of room for air to pass through which I appreciate because, gross admission, my feet sweat a lot. The heel collar and cup has a little bit of stiffness to it and some padding reminiscent of what you’d see in a classic daily trainer. The tongue is flat and gusseted with a thin layer of padding underneath. All of this tells me that while the Kinvara cares about speed and lightness, it wants your feet to feel comfortable and locked in for the ride. While I have a wider, higher volume foot, I actually have a narrow heel and there’s something about how Saucony fits in general that perfectly contours to my foot’s shape. However, I do wish the Kinvara had a slightly wider toe box, but that’s because I didn’t test my usual wide size.
Max
Although not much has changed between the Kinvara 14 and 15, it certainly looks like it has and that’s due to the totally redesigned upper. Last year’s model had one of the most breathable uppers in recent memory, but I think the large perforations hindered the overall structure and prevented a good lockdown fit. The upper of the 15 uses an engineered mesh that feels a bit more stiff but provides a lot more structure and stability, which I appreciate when picking up the pace. The fit in both length and width feels true to size, despite looking like a narrow shoe because of its low profile. The asymmetrical lacing followed the top of my midfoot nicely and created a nice lockdown fit, along with the gusseted tongue. The PWRRUN midsole remains the same as the previous version. There’s not too much to write home about regarding the midsole, as many uptempo daily trainers use more advanced, peppier foams…but the “barebones-ness” of the Kinvara 15 is kind of its allure, and it keeps the price point down at $120. The outsole is minimal, to say the least, and it’s the same design as last year’s. There’s not much rubber coverage to keep the weight down, leaving a lot of exposed EVA foam. This makes me question what the grip will be like on the wet cement during the rainy season, as well as the overall durability of the Kinvara.
