My favorite
5/5
Overall
erik · Dec 21, 2017
15 mpw 782 miles in this shoe came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Durability
- 3/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 4/5
Saucony Kinvara 7
Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 7.4 oz · 22/18mm stack · 4mm drop
Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Saucony Kinvara 8 replaced it
How it ranks
The Saucony Kinvara 7 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Value and looks are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 21 runner reviews and 14 other rated shoes in the Kinvara product line.
Excellent
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.
Confidence
98 Very high
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
“Rolled my ankle once and tore 3 ligaments in my foot wearing this shoe”
“Durability is excellent—about 500 miles before any wear, 1000 miles before retirement”
“Really lightweight, making it good for long tempos; fairly flexible, well-cushioned, and long-lasting”
“It has enough padding to be comfortable but still gives a good road feel—not like running on squishy pillows”
“As an overpronator, it made my stride worse due to the thickness and softness of the sole”
“This shoe changed my gait for the better, prevented stress injuries in the shins again”
“Back of heel is nice and soft for people with insertional Achilles issues”
“The lockdown is really bad. The foot locking system does not work, it only seems to hurt it more”
“After many a mile it conforms to your foot in a way not a lot of other shoes do”
“It feels reasonably firm and bouncy, not dissipative”
“Held up for thousands of miles—I consider it super impressive”
“Not injured while wearing them, able to consistently run well without legs being beat up”
“Have about 800 miles on this pair and it's still going strong; no holes, some wear on the bottom”
“The outsole wears down within 150 or so miles, but beyond that won't really break down further”
“Forefoot is a bit narrow for a wide-forefooted person”
“The midsole packs down a bit and forms to your foot, which takes away some of that initial softness”
“Took a while to get used to the 4mm drop, had to cross train a few days due to a sore achilles”
“Some of the outsole nubs coming unglued”
“The upper started to rip around the time worn through the bottom”
“Sometimes the laces around the heel collar dig into your instep”
“The traction on this shoe is weak compared with other road models”
“Would prefer a firmer sole for a more responsive ride”
Prefer this shoe over another
50% 29/58
Where to buy
No offers available
Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.
Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 23.
Pros
- Reviewers use it for speed work, tempo runs and long runs.
- At 7.8 oz, runners repeatedly describe it as light and comfortable.
- Many reviewers report keeping pairs going for several hundred miles.
Cons
- The twenty reviewers who rated cushioning average 3.9 out of 5, and they split over whether it is too soft or too thin.
- Durability averages 3.8 out of 5, and three reviewers have the upper or the outsole fail early.
- Two reviewers criticize the Pro-Lock lacing, one for digging into the instep and one for poor lockdown.
Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale
Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.
Better Shoes Rating
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Saucony Kinvara
Each dot is one version of the Kinvara, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
Release year
-
2025 · 3 reviews
87 Good
85 Confidence
-
2024 · 13 reviews
83 Good
86 Confidence
-
2023 · 49 reviews
84 Good
97 Confidence
-
2022 · 36 reviews
78 Decent
96 Confidence
-
2021 · 6 reviews
84 Good
86 Confidence
-
2020 · 7 reviews
77 Decent
87 Confidence
-
2019 · 51 reviews
91 Very good
99 Confidence
-
2018 · 55 reviews
80 Good
99 Confidence
-
2017 · 57 reviews
81 Good
100 Confidence
-
Kinvara 7 This shoe
2016 · 21 reviews
93 Excellent
98 Confidence
-
2015 · 8 reviews
89 Good
94 Confidence
-
2014 · 128 reviews
91 Very good
100 Confidence
-
2013 · 129 reviews
71 Decent
100 Confidence
-
2012 · 11 reviews
86 Good
94 Confidence
-
2011 · 3 reviews
62 Below average
89 Confidence
Specs & fit
Sizing and ride details at a glance.
- Weight
- 7.4 oz
- Men's / women's
- Men's 7.8 oz · Women's 7.0 oz
- Release
- 2016 Q1
- MSRP
- $110
- Stack
- 22/18mm
- Drop
- 4mm
Runner reviews
Alternatives
Other shoes worth considering.
More from Saucony
Compared to other shoes
See how this shoe compares to others like it.
Saucony Kinvara 7 In Context
More on the Saucony Kinvara
- Saucony Kinvara 16
- Saucony Kinvara 15
- Saucony Kinvara 14
- Saucony Kinvara 13
- Saucony Kinvara 12
- Saucony Kinvara 11
- Saucony Kinvara 8 next version
- Saucony Kinvara 6 previous version
Reviewers Also Ran In
- Saucony Kinvara 6 5 runners
- Brooks Ghost 7 1 runner
- Brooks Ghost 5 1 runner