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Saucony Kinvara 7

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 7.8 oz · 4mm drop · 22/18mm stack

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 rests on 21 runner reviews and 14 other rated shoes in the Kinvara product line.

Saucony Kinvara 7

of 5

Exceptional

98/100
Overall
98
Value
90
Appearance
80
Comfort
77
Cushioning
58
Durability
53
Confidence

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 will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

97/100

97

What runners say

“Rolled my ankle once and tore 3 ligaments in my foot wearing this shoe”
2/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike LunarTempo
“Durability is excellent—about 500 miles before any wear, 1000 miles before retirement”
5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon
“It has enough padding to be comfortable but still gives a good road feel—not like running on squishy pillows”
5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon
“Really lightweight, making it good for long tempos; fairly flexible, well-cushioned, and long-lasting”
4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 3
“The lockdown is really bad. The foot locking system does not work, it only seems to hurt it more”
2/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike LunarTempo
“This shoe changed my gait for the better, prevented stress injuries in the shins again”
5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Guide 7
“Back of heel is nice and soft for people with insertional Achilles issues”
5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon
“As an overpronator, it made my stride worse due to the thickness and softness of the sole”
4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Hyper Speed 7
“After many a mile it conforms to your foot in a way not a lot of other shoes do”
4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 3
“It feels reasonably firm and bouncy, not dissipative”
5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon

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 Sep 14.

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.

Confidence
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

Kinvara 7 rates 98. This shoe has very high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

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.

Rating

Release year

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

  • Kinvara 16

    2025 · 2 reviews

    88 Good

    74 Confidence

  • Kinvara 15

    2024 · 13 reviews

    82 Good

    84 Confidence

  • Kinvara 14

    2023 · 49 reviews

    88 Good

    94 Confidence

  • Kinvara 13

    2022 · 36 reviews

    77 Decent

    93 Confidence

  • Kinvara 12

    2021 · 6 reviews

    87 Good

    84 Confidence

  • Kinvara 11

    2020 · 7 reviews

    71 Decent

    76 Confidence

  • Kinvara 10

    2019 · 51 reviews

    97 Exceptional

    98 Confidence

  • Kinvara 9

    2018 · 55 reviews

    88 Good

    97 Confidence

  • Kinvara 8

    2017 · 57 reviews

    89 Good

    98 Confidence

  • Kinvara 7 This shoe

    2016 · 21 reviews

    98 Exceptional

    97 Confidence

  • Kinvara 6

    2015 · 8 reviews

    97 Exceptional

    94 Confidence

  • Kinvara 5

    2014 · 128 reviews

    97 Exceptional

    100 Confidence

  • Kinvara 4

    2013 · 129 reviews

    73 Decent

    99 Confidence

  • Kinvara 3

    2012 · 11 reviews

    97 Excellent

    92 Confidence

  • Kinvara 2

    2011 · 3 reviews

    58 Bottom-tier

    75 Confidence

Reader Ratings

21 ratings
5/5 9
4/5 10
3/5 1
2/5 1
1/5 0
See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
7.8 oz
Release
2016 Q1
MSRP
$110
Stack Height
22mm heel - 18mm toe
Drop Height
4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 11–15 of 21 written reviews

The Saucony Kinvara 7

4/5

Overall

My favorite version of this shoe is the Kinvara 5. The 6 was too narrow but the 7 is back on the right track. I got about 300 miles out of this shoe but probably could have doubled that number if the stitching on the lateral side of the toe-box didn't blow out on on me. The traction on this shoe is weak compared with other road models but I really like the fit and the low drop helps promote a midfoot strike for me.

Anonymous runner · Feb 7, 2018

50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 6

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
3/5
Durability
3/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
4/5

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Generally I like shoes that are a little firmer - the Kinvara 7 is very soft. As an overpronator, I felt it made my stride worse (even more likely to land on the outside of my foot) due to the thickness and softness of the sole. Eventually the upper started to rip, around the same time I had pretty much worn through the bottom of the shoe.

Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 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

One of the best shoes that I have ever worn!

5/5

Overall

The Kinvara 7 is one of the best running shoes that I have ever worn. I have not been injured while wearing them and I am able to consistently run well without my legs being beat up from the week before. There might not be as much cushion as other shoes but the Kinvara 7 are great for running fast and training.

Froot of the Loop · Feb 6, 2018

50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 7

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

Kinvara 7

4/5

Overall

Pick up a pair of Kinvara 7 for tempo run and track workout. The shoes felt fast and light but the cushioning was a little soft for my taste. I like the sole to be a little firmer to provide a more responsive ride and the heel to be slimmer to reduce some weight. Overall the shoes is excellent for tempo run, and I would recommend this shoes if you need soft and cushion ride for a long tempo run.

NJITXC · Feb 6, 2018

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride 8

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

Kinvara 7 review

2/5

Overall

Bought this shoe for summer training because it was lightweight and cheap. Took a while to get used to the 4mm drop, so I had to cross train a few days due to a sore achillies. If you're looking to transition to a lower drop shoe, like Altras, then this shoe would be good. My only other quarrel with this shoe is the lockdown in bad. Like really bad. That foot locking system that they have implemented in the past few lines of this shoe does not work, it only seems to hurt it more. We were doing repeats at the park, so there was of course uneven terrain. Rolled my ankle once and tore 3 ligaments in my foot wearing this shoe. Unless you are a die hard Kinvara fan, or these are on discount, I wouldn't suggest them.

running4dahigh · Feb 6, 2018

60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike LunarTempo

Comfort
2/5
Cushioning
2/5
Durability
1/5
Appearance
2/5
Value
2/5

Alternatives

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99/100 rating

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86/100 rating

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Saucony Hurricane 25

Hurricane 25

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69/100 rating

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Saucony Triumph 23

Triumph 23

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90/100 rating

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Saucony Endorphin Speed 5

Endorphin Speed 5

Speed / workouts

98/100 rating

$129

Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Saucony Kinvara 7
Saucony Kinvara 16
HOKA Clifton 9
Kinvara 7
Kinvara 16
Clifton 9
Current shoe
Choose a model
Lightest
Newest / Lowest price / Best value
Best overall / Best comfort / Best cushioning
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral (Minimal)
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
7.8 oz M Lightest
—
8.5 oz M
Stack
22/18mm
—
40/35mm
Drop
4mm
—
5mm
Release
2016 Q1
2025 Q2 Newest
2023 Q1
MSRP
$110
$130
$145
Best price
—
$119.53 Lowest price
$149.99
Ratings
Overall
Exceptional (98)
Good (88)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Decent (77)
Good (86)
Exceptional (99) Best comfort
Cushioning
Bottom-tier (58)
Decent (79)
Exceptional (99) Best cushioning
Durability
Bottom-tier (53)
Bottom-tier (53)
Very good (92) Best durability
Appearance
Good (80)
Good (89)
Very good (91) Best appearance
Value
Good (90)
Excellent (95) Best value
Good (88)
Specific shoe

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Saucony Kinvara 7 In Context

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Compare every Kinvara version

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