Review of Saucony Kinvara 8

The Saucony Kinvara 8 was released Q1 2017. I got a pair straightaway as i'd put a few miles into my Kinvara 7's and, although I definitely could have got more out of them, it was time for an upgrade.

“straight out the box and straight out for a run with no niggles at all”

— me

Lets start with the pros

Really lightweight - coming in at 224g
Amazingly comfortable - straight out the box and straight out for a run with no niggles at all
Wide fit - They have great width and loads of room in the toe box
Wear and tear - as with all Kinvara's they just seem to go on and on
Responsive - plenty of bounce and feel precise when changing direction
4mm heel toe drop - Kinvara 6, 7 and now 8 have all really helped me move from heel striker to forefoot runner

and the cons...

Internal strap system - Saucony's words not mine. Not sure it's necessary
Slightly tighter fit - but not by much...

My Saucony Kinvara 8's

I use Kinvara's on a daily basis. They are my go to road running shoe, my dependable friend that helps me eat up the miles on a weekly basis on the gritty London streets. I started with the Kinvara 6 a couple of years ago and have moved through Kinvara 7 and now onto Kinvara 8's. If it ain't broken and all that...

I love'm because they are so comfortable, so durable, so responsive, so lightweight. I tried the K6's a couple of years ago when I first started taking my running a little more seriously. I chose them for all the reasons above, but also because with a 4mm heel toe drop they have really helped me change my running style from heel striker to forefoot runner. I believe this transition to forefoot has helped my running no end - but that is probably best left for a another post.

There isn't a huge amount of change between the K7's and K8's but obviously enough innovation for Saucony to release a new version to market. The main areas I have noticed are;

The Flexfilm

I think this change makes this new version really stand out. Saucony have essentially got rid of the masses of Flexfilm that were a feature of the K6 and K7 (and I'm sure previous versions). This Flexfilm is fused onto the mesh fabric on the upper to add strength. The K8 has much less of this than the K7, especially around the forefoot part of the upper. This obviously take out weight but, for me, it makes the shoe look good and distinctive, especially in the grey/blue colour way I bought.

Better Breathability

Ive done about 250ks in the K8's so far. And, unlikely and surprising as it sounds, I've done this in some fairly warm, early summer English weather! I've gotta say, the breathability is really good. This has a lot to do with the reduced amount of Flexfilm, the use of the mesh upper and the large vent holes in the side of the shoe.

The Internal strap system

These are Saucony's words, not mine, they refer to the blue internal strap that helps lock the mid foot into place. The strap system is connected into the laces and comes across the top of the mid foot, supposedly designed to lock the foot into the shoe. I was never really convinced by this system as I think the fit of the shoe negates the need for it. Saying that, the system doesn't bother me and certainly doesn't take anything away from the overall performance - I just wonder if taking this out would allow the shoe to be lighter, plus, by taking it out it might make it slightly cooler as the system is made out of quite a thick plastic material.

The sole of the beast

Very few changes in the sole area, apart from the use of a full length Everun topsole while the main midsole is made from slightly softer EVA foam density. The tread pattern still uses the chevron pattern with the higher density EVA on the forefoot area of the sole