Saucony Kinvara 8

Name: Saucony Kinvara 8
Brand: Saucony
Rating: 4.6 (57 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 7.6 oz · 4mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Saucony Kinvara 9 replaced it

How it ranks

The Saucony Kinvara 8 ranks among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Value and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Durability scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 57 runner reviews and 14 other rated shoes in the Kinvara product line.

Good

89/100

Overall

Good 89

Value

Excellent 94

Comfort

Good 88

Appearance

Good 86

Cushioning

Decent 77

Durability

Bottom-tier 52

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

98/100

Very high 98

What runners say

“Upper tears after 250 miles, leaving holes that let rocks and gravel enter.”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

“Lightweight yet surprisingly cushioned and responsive, making it versatile.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

“Perfect cushioning for short runs, long runs, intervals, 10k-half marathon races.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 10

“Got ~1,200 miles on last pair and shoe became even more comfortable as it aged.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

“Fit perfectly and allowed me to amp up post-graduate mileage more than ever reached during college years.”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas Supernova Glide 8 Boost

“One of the best marathon shoes if you want lightness and cushion.”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Guide 10

“Versatile for long runs and light enough for speed work.”

5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride 9

“Stable and supportive without feeling like running on bricks.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Guide 6

“Had to stop mid-run; midfoot and toebox area are really narrow.”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

“Plush padding; simplicity and lightness are real pluses.”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 31

Prefer this shoe over another

47% 41/87

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers run everything in it, from easy miles and tempo work to track sessions and marathons.
At 7.6 oz men's, reviewers call it light with decent cushioning.
It lists at $110, below the $150 median for daily trainers on sale, and reviewers rate value highly.

Cons

Thin outsole rubber and a mesh upper often wear through quickly.
Several reviewers say the foam feels flat after a few hundred miles.
Seven of the forty-seven reviewers who report fit say it runs small, while one finds the forefoot too roomy.

Kinvara 8 rates 89. 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

40 60 80 100

58 2011 97 73 2013 97 97 2015 98 89 2017 88 97 2019 71 87 2021 77 88 2023 82 88 2025

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 This shoe

2017 · 57 reviews

89 Good

98 Confidence
Kinvara 7

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

57 ratings

5/5 33

4/5 23

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 7.6 oz
Release: 2017 Q3
MSRP: $110
Drop Height: 4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Reader review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon

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

decent

4/5

Overall

decent shoe for neutral lovers

Anonymous runner · Dec 22, 2018

50 mpw training for middle distance came from the Brooks Glycerin 15

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

Kinvara 8

4/5

Overall

I used Kinvara 8 to: run road and trail up to 13 miles; race 5-8k cross country; train daily up to 55 miles per week. They don't last forever. I tend to blow out the uppers at the toes. Offers a small amount of support, which is crucial for me.

Anonymous runner · Nov 16, 2018

20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

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

Kinvara. The all around shoe.

5/5

Overall

This was the best shoe I've run in. Perfect cushioning for short runs, long runs, long interval sessions and for races from 10k to half-marathons. I've never done any marathon but I think the shoe is also suitable for that. The grip is decent and the mesh is very respirable. It was able to hold the summer mileage without me feeling any kind of overheating. The price of this shoe is also a plus. One of the best trades on the market!

PutoMiudo · Oct 23, 2018

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 10