Saucony Fastwitch 8

Name: Saucony Fastwitch 8
Brand: Saucony
Rating: 4.4 (5 reviews)

Racing shoe · Stability · Road · 6.0 oz · 4mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Saucony Fastwitch 7 replaced it

How it ranks

The Saucony Fastwitch 8’s rating is an early estimate. We’ve collected 5 runner reviews so far, with product line history and external ratings also informing the score.

Good

Overall

Good 82

Value

Very good 91

Appearance

Good 84

Durability

Decent 74

Comfort

Below average 69

Cushioning

Bottom-tier 58

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

80 Moderate

Moderate 80

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Product line track record
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“Dropped the weight by almost an ounce, bringing the shoe under 7 ounces, which is a critical threshold for performance value of a racing flat.”

4/5 Full review 10 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance RC1600v2

“Has the right amount of cushioning; the muscles of your feet will thank you, and you avoid unnecessary injuries.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon

“Once broken in, it rolls really nicely with good transition and push-off, and road feel is superb.”

4/5 Full review 10 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance RC1600v2

“Responsive with enough cushioning for longer racing.”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon

“More durable than anticipated—wore them through an XC season trying to beat them up, but Fastwitch keeps ticking.”

4/5 Full review 10 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance RC1600v2

“Had to size down 1/2, maybe because of new upper.”

4/5 Full review 10 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance RC1600v2

“Cheap, light racing flat with relatively small heel-to-toe drop.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Hyper Speed 7

“Light, with stability, durability, and affordability.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon

“Very light (6.4 oz) with a good bend for hills.”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon v2

“Relatively firm and high heel counter.”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

33% 2/6

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

It weighs 6.5 oz in the men's version and 5.5 oz in the women's, on a 4mm drop.
It lists at $90, well below the $250 median for racing shoes for sale, and reviewers rate value 4.8 out of 5.
Reviewers rate durability 4.6 out of 5, and one gets about 300 miles through a cross country season.

Cons

Rated below average on comfort.
Rated below average on cushioning.

Fastwitch 8 rates 82. This shoe has moderate confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Saucony Fastwitch

Each dot is one version of the Fastwitch, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

71 2014 81 2013 87 2017 82 2017 79 2019

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Fastwitch 9

2019 · 8 reviews

79 Decent

79 Confidence
Fastwitch 8 This shoe

2017 · 5 reviews

82 Good

80 Confidence
Fastwitch 7

2017 · 3 reviews

87 Good

74 Confidence
Fastwitch 6

2013 · 5 reviews

81 Good

62 Confidence
Fastwitch 5

2014 · 1 review

71 Decent

68 Confidence

Runner Ratings

5 ratings

5/5 2

4/5 3

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 6.0 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 6.5 oz · Women's 5.5 oz
Release: 2017 Q3
MSRP: $90
Drop: 4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Lite shoe

5/5

Overall

Very light shoes 6.4 oz have a good bend for hills

Anonymous runner · Jul 20, 2019

20 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon v2

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Fastwitch 8 - For long runs up to marathons

5/5

Overall

The first time I used Saucony, I fell in love with them and never wore another brand. My first pair was Kinvara, then, I found out about Fadtwitch. Fastwitch are my fave shoe to run my long runs, half marathons and full marathons. Never mind the looks, (very good looking shoe) but the feeling, it has the right amount of cushioning, one doesn't really need much support, the muscles of your feet, will thank you, and you avoid unnecessary injuries; it is light, it offers stability, durability and affordability. It is a superb shoe! So far, in 2019, I have already used two pairs, using one and my fourth pair is in the mail! If you run more than 40 miles a week, train for a half or a full marathon, you need to train and race with Fastwitch!

Anonymous runner · Jul 8, 2019

50 mpw training for a marathon

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Saucony Fastwich 8: Do-It-All Lightweight Trainer/Racer

4/5

Overall

I bought the shoe as a racer for the Boston Marathon. The upper got revamped from the previous model, which dropped the weight by almost an ounce, bringing the shoe under 7 ounces, which is a critical threshold for performance value of a racing flat. However, the midsole and sole remained unchanged, so all the protection underfoot is still there. Cushioning is firm, and I found the shoe needed to be broken in a little, but once it is, it rolls really nicely. Good transition and push-off, due to firm cushioning, so road feel is superb. More durable than I anticipated, wore them through an XC season to try to beat them up and move on to another shoe, but Fastwitch keeps ticking. Probably have about 300 miles on them. Found that I had to size down 1/2, maybe because of new upper.

pre13228 · Jul 9, 2018

10 mpw training for a marathon came from the New Balance RC1600v2

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Saucony Fastwitch 8

4/5

Overall

This is an excellent lighweight running shoe. I really appreciate the responsiveness of the shoe but with enough cushioning for longer racing. It definitely a racing shoe. It supposed to provide mild support, but I don' t really notice it. I almost alwasy run in shoes w/o stability. Only thing I don't like about it is the relatively firm and high heel counter.

Anonymous runner · Feb 7, 2018

45 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 3/5
Cushioning: 2/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

what I was looking for

4/5

Overall

I've trained in racing for several years and was looking for a cheap, light, racing flat with relatively small heel-to-toe drop as the Asics Hyperspeed is no longer available. This shoe provided all that and I've enjoyed running in them so far.

Anonymous runner · Feb 7, 2018

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Hyper Speed 7

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

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