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

Saucony Kinvara 8

4/5

Overall

I really like running in the Kinvara's. They are stable and supportive without feeling like youre running on bricks. I had run in the Guide for 5 years, but then after 2 stress fractures my first year of college, my doctor suggested i switch to a shoe thats a little more forgiving. I have not been injured since, and they are a very high quality shoe. I love sacouny shoes alot, my only problem is sometimes the colors are kind of heinous.

Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2018

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

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 3/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 2/5
Value: 5/5

Saucony Kinvara 8

4/5

Overall

This is a really great shoe for anything from uptempo work to even a daily trainer, provided you aren't too rough on your shoes. It's light and responsive enough to feel fast, but durable enough to survive 300+ miles. Overall, it's a great shoe.

statfanatic · Feb 6, 2018

70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Defyance 8

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

Kinvaras are the GOAT

5/5

Overall

If Tom Brady was a shoe, he would be a Kinvara.

Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2018

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

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

Great, lightweight all purpose shoes

5/5

Overall

Kinvaras are a great neutral shoe for pretty much all road running. They are light and responsive. They are good for racing (half and full marathon distances) as well as for training. If you are looking for fast shoe with decent cushion, this is a great shoe. Key caveat - you may not get a lot of miles from them. The soles definitely start to compress and lose spring after 200 or so miles. I wouldn't want to race a marathon in Kinvaras with more than 225 miles on them.

dsheehy · Feb 6, 2018

45 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Zealot ISO

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

Good workout shoe, not durable enough for everyday training

5/5

Overall

I have been wearing Kinvaras since the first edition. As I have increased my mileage, I have noticed wear problems with the shoes. The tread wears out at a normal rate, but the mesh upper and sides tear very easily. Each pair typically wears out around 300-350 miles. However, if the shoes are worn for tempo/track workouts they can last much longer. In general, I love the shoes as they are very responsive and have good enough tread for almost any surface/condition. I'm not a huge fan of it, but the shoes can be run in without socks as they have a comfortable enough collar and sole.

Anonymous runner · Feb 2, 2018

70 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 19