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

Shoe designed for very specific type of runner

3/5

Overall

For most runners, this shoe should just be worn for shorter runs and tempo type of runs. With any normally long run (over 8-9 miles) this shoe didn't hold up and the lack of cushioning hurt my feet. Additionally, the shoe begins to rip on the inside cloth area after 2-3 months of running, and I found this to irritate my feet as it rubbed against it. I would also recommend buying .5 size up because they run a little tight.

Chesterfromthewatchcompany · May 19, 2019

40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Launch 5

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

Saucony's Kinvara 9's are the SAUCIEST

5/5

Overall

I have worn the Saucony Kinvara series since I started running in middle school, and I will probably never switch to anything else. I prefer lighter shoes with very little drop--these are perfect for people that value minimalist shoes that can still provide enough support for your long runs without causing injuries. There are so many different color options, and it's always fun choosing which ones I get for the new season. They are durable, stylish, and supportive but also lightweight enough that I have even used them to race in before. Overall a 10/10 shoe. Good job on the SAUCY shoes @saucony :)

sophiam3 · May 14, 2019

50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 8

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

Kinvara 9 - Great tempo shoe

5/5

Overall

Very comfortable, lightweight, low-drop shoe. Running fast comes easy with this shoe because of it’s extremely nimble design. Sometimes it comes across as unsupportive but it truly is in terms of sole support. The upper could use some more support as it is feels thin but that’s a sacrifice needed for weight. Not too expensive, not unattractive by any means (especially the white noise color-way). Perfect for tempo runs or time trials, but easy runs create the problem of not being supportive enough, especially when you’re landing at a slower speed with more body weight on each foot. Durability is great though, the shoe never has the issue of wearing down even after long runs or lengthy tempo runs.

beansbeansbeans · Apr 23, 2019

70 mpw came from the Saucony Ride ISO 2

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

Epic shoe...

5/5

Overall

Found these shoes after realizing I needed a lower drop shoe. Had been running in 12mm Brooks Ghost 10 and made the jump down to these bad boys at 4mm. Fell in love with the lightweight feel and although my shin injuries acquired from the Ghost 10s didn't go away all at once, I found that over time my shins were doing a lot better. This was in part because the lower drop encourages you to forefoot/midfoot strike and put more stress on the calves rather than the shins. Calves can get sore with these things, but a little soreness is way better than shin splints. The cushion is surprisingly nice considering how light these things look and feel. Very reasonable durability and feel, overall amazing shoe.

Anonymous runner · Mar 29, 2019

40 mpw training for middle distance came from the Brooks Ghost 10

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

Tweaks Improve This Venerable Model; Getting More Hoka-Like, Though

4/5

Overall

I like this model; I've been running in Kinvaras since their version 2, in 2012(!). It's light, cushiony without being too spongy, and fits well to my relatively high-arched feet. Saucony did seem to improve the toe area, bolstering the toe-guard and mesh. With this model, I will actually be able to retire it without having a hole in the toe mesh-- a problem with about 1/3 of their previous models. Looks do seem to get "puffier"/more Hoka-like as the brand evolves. It's not ridiculous (yet), and the shoe works-- the main point. As is typical with most running shoes, I need to go up a half-size from (size 10 street/casual to 10.5 for this and most other running shoes). A good, all-purpose shoe for me-- easier days through races longer than 10k.

Anonymous runner · Nov 28, 2018

28 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 5