Saucony Kinvara 9

Name: Saucony Kinvara 9
Brand: Saucony
Rating: 4.6 (55 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 7.6 oz · 4mm drop · 23/19mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Saucony Kinvara 10 replaced it

How it ranks

The Saucony Kinvara 9 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 55 runner reviews and 14 other rated shoes in the Kinvara product line.

Good

88/100

Overall

Good 88

Value

Exceptional 99

Comfort

Exceptional 97

Appearance

Good 90

Cushioning

Good 83

Durability

Below average 68

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

Very high 97

What runners say

“Super light and responsive and bouncy, with excellent cushioning.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

“Breaks down faster than other trainers; needs replacement within 2 months at 50-60 mpw.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 19

“Great freedom of movement like a minimalistic shoe, but without losing cushioning.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

“No hole in toe mesh at retirement; previous models had this problem in 1/3 of cases.”

4/5 Full review 28 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 5

“Has less cushioning than K8; causes foot and joint pain in training.”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 8

“Only 300 miles before the shoe is crushed.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 1500 v2

“Lightweight feel; helped resolve shin injuries over time.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for middle distance came from the Brooks Ghost 10

“Don't last long; expect 250-300 miles.”

4/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v3

“Rips on inside cloth after 2-3 months, irritating feet.”

3/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5

“Wear out quickly; little life after 300-400 miles.”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 34

Prefer this shoe over another

38% 31/81

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 everything from easy days to marathon racing.
At 7.6 oz reviewers find it light but still cushioned.
Many reviewers find the toe box roomy and the fit comfortable.

Cons

Several runners say the midsole flattens by 300 to 400 miles.
Some reviewers find the cushioning thin for long, slow runs.
Three reviewers order half a size up, though fifty-two of fifty-five call the fit true to size.

Kinvara 9 rates 88. 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 88 2018 97 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 This shoe

2018 · 55 reviews

88 Good

97 Confidence
Kinvara 8

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

55 ratings

5/5 36

4/5 17

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: 7.6 oz
Release: 2018 Q1
MSRP: $110
Stack Height: 23mm heel - 19mm toe
Drop Height: 4mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Amazing!

5/5

Overall

Light weight distance trainer. Run about 30-40 miles per week over the last three months and has really durable. I went away from Kivara's for awhile due to the light weight but came back and haven't been happier!

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

35 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Cruz V2 Sock

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

Kinvara 9 Shoe Review

4/5

Overall

I've had about 12 pairs of this shoe. It's my go to shoe. I've raced everything from 5k to Marathon in this shoe. I've even done a couple trail races in it just because I was told I couldn't. It's light and responsive.

Anonymous runner · Jul 2, 2019

50 mpw training for a marathon

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

Great shoes

5/5

Overall

I love Kinvaras! They have been my daily trainer for 6+ years.

Anonymous runner · Jul 2, 2019

100 mpw training for a marathon

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

Another Great Kinvara

4/5

Overall

The Kinvara 9 has been a great trainer for me. It's got the same blend of cushion and responsiveness that I've come to love from the Kinvaras. The traction can be a little lacking for trails but for most runs it's not an issue. Durability also seemed improved from my last pair of Kinvaras, though it did feel a little less flexible (maybe as a result). Overall great shoe that can easily go between daily training and faster workouts.

Anonymous runner · Jun 18, 2019

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35

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

Excellent lightweight trainer that runs small.

4/5

Overall

The Saucony Kinvara 9 is an excellent lightweight trainer with decent durability. The 4 mm drop takes some getting used to, but after an adjustment period, this is a great all-around shoe. I had to order up half a size due to shorter length.

Wes C. · May 29, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Ride ISO