Saucony Kinvara 12 review and lab test
It’s a simple, fast, light, nimble trainer with a lot of flex and not a lot of drop. It’s not truly a minimalist shoe, but it feels minimal in all the right places.
Buy this shoe if you want a minimal, lightweight daily trainer that can do a little of everything, has quicker transitions, and great lockdown at a very competitive price.
Don’t buy this shoe if you want
- a 500-mile shoe,
- ample cushioning (Saucony Triumph 18 is worth checking in this case),
- a shoe that performs well on cold days, or
- a super responsive ride (like Saucony Endorphin Speed).
It’s simple, and well done, but it’s not an Endorphin.
The Kinvara and I have a sorted past. When I first started running about 12 years ago I was running in truly minimalist shoes, the fad came and went, and I bought my first pair of real shoes, the Kinvara.
I appreciated the added padding underfoot and that they were still light and somewhat minimal. I loved them and ran my first marathon in Kinvaras. A decade later I was still excited to lace these up, they disappear on your feet, they feel low to the ground, balanced, and the fit is great, but that first pair wore down quickly and I fear the same for this latest iteration.
Pros
- Perfect fit
- Wide feet friendly
- Balanced and reliable ride
- Fantastic foot lockdown
- Tongue stays put
- Great laces
- Insanely flexible
- Removable insole
- Lightweight
Cons
- Not for cold days
- Non-durable outsole
Zero complaints in the comfort department
Saucony Kinvara 12’s fit is great, period. Although they are not extremely roomy shoes, there was plenty of space in the toe box for my caveman’s feet.
I was glad to test these after the Adidas Ultraboost 21 and the New Balance 1080v11, because I needed my faith in uppers to be restored.
They also have a simple, but comfortable, removable Form-Fit insole, that adds a bit of stiffness under foot. At 40.7ha, the durometer of the insole is 37% firmer than the average, helping to give the Kinvara that balanced feeling underfoot since the midsole itself is so flexible.
Not a cold-day running shoe
One thing to consider though is if you’ll be running in cold weather, the Kinvara failed our flex tests after an hour in the freezer.
The flexible PWRrun foam is a liability, stiffening almost 130% compared to its room temp firmness. If you’re a winter runner, this shoe is going to disappoint on those extremely cold days.
Kinvara 12 offers a balanced and reliable ride
What you should now about the midsole and how the shoe rides:
- it’s “bounce-lite” or maybe “bounce-firm”,
- it’s not super responsive but it’s not dull like so many other lower-price shoes on the market today,
- the bounce is very mellow, making it feel balanced and comfortable rather than either overly sprung or uninspired.
It feels balanced, light, and fast, what more can you ask for?
Flexibility of Saucony Kinvara 12 will wow you
The Kinvara is highly flexible under foot as well, measuring at just 18.3n on the force gauge to flex this shoe completely, compared to the average of 24.5n, which’s about 25% more flexible.
Tongue is fantastic and stays put
Take note, all other running brands.
It’s somewhat thin at just 5.5mm, breathable, and although it's minimal it has a small strip of padding down the center, offering just enough to keep the laces from digging into the top of your foot.
It’s also fully gusseted with a sheer, slightly flexible mesh that keeps the tongue in place, makes it easy to slide your foot in and out, and provides excellent lockdown. It seems simple at first glance, but it’s really just well designed.
Lacks a proper outsole, especially the durable one
The lack of proper rubber makes this shoe a little slipper in my experience. The snow is melting here in Colorado and I found myself wishing for more outsole than the slivers of rubber Saucony gave us with this shoe.
The Kinvara has always had a lot of exposed EVA on its underside, it keeps weight down. To me, it’s a downside though.
Also, I only put in about 22 miles on this shoe and there’s already enough wear to concern me. I don’t think this is a 500-mile shoe, the lack of outsole takes away from its longevity.
Keeps you close to the ground
In a day and age where midsoles have gotten taller and taller, I am glad the Kinvara 12 keeps my feet close to the ground.
At just 26mm this shoe is one of the lower stack shoes we’ve tested and it made me forget why we needed 40mm stack heights at all.
The Kinvara is designed as a midfoot and forefoot striking shoe with a low 4mm drop, and it’s not the same responsiveness you get out of higher-end midsoles like on the Endorphin Speed.
Where it shines is: it is simple and it works without the unnecessary weight other shoes in this price range usually carry.
Lightweight level: You’ll forget you’re wearing Saucony Kinvara 12
I really enjoyed running in these, mainly because of how light they are.
At 7.6 ounces, they are a joy to have on your feet, and without really trying, they actually carried me to my fastest 5-mile effort in a while.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s a Kinvara. It’s simple, it’s light, it will pack well for travel, it can do long runs, fast runs, slow runs, and everything in between. It’s minimal in nature but not lacking too much.
Sure it’s not high tech like the Endorphin line, and it’s not the rockstar it was 10 years ago, but it’s a solid performer, at a great price point ($110), that’s comfortable, consistent, and one shoe that can check a lot of boxes.
If you need a shoe that’s light and isn’t trying too hard to be something it’s not, the Kinvara 12 fits the bill!
Complete lab-specs overview
| Saucony Kinvara 12 | |
| Weight - Left | 218g |
| Weight - Right | 215g |
| Weight - Insole | 20g |
| Weight - Lace | 4.1g |
| Length - Overall | 291mm |
| Length - Insole | 273mm |
| Width Midsole - Forefoot | 112.5mm |
| Width Midsole - Heel | 88.3mm |
| Width Midsole - Middle | 70.3mm |
| Width Upper - Forefoot | 98.5mm |
| Width Upper - Heel | 73.6mm |
| Width Upper - Middle | 71.6mm |
| Stack - Forefoot with insole | 21.5mm |
| Stack - Heel with insole | 36.1mm |
| Stack - Forefoot without insole | 17.4mm |
| Stack - Heel without insole | 21.2mm |
| Drop | 4.6mm |
| Outsole thickness (Forefoot) | 1.5mm |
| Outsole thickness (Heel) | 1.5mm |
| Lugs Depth | NA |
| Insole Thickness | 3.8mm |
| Laces (without stretch) | 49inches |
| Laces (with stretch) | 60inches |
| Lace Stretch | 22.45% |
| Laces - Thickness (Height) | 1.2mm |
| Laces - Width | 5.99mm |
| Durometer Outsole Forefoot (Room Temp) | 82.7HC |
| Durometer Outsole Heel (Room Temp) | 82.3HC |
| Durometer Midsole Forefoot (Room Temp) | 30.7HA |
| Durometer Midsole Forefoot 2nd layer (Room Temp) | N/A |
| Durometer Midsole Heel (Room Temp) | 31.2HA |
| Durometer Insole (Room Temp) | 40.7HA |
| Flexibility of the shoe (Room Temp | 18.3N |
| Durometer Outsole Forefoot (Freezer 1 hour) | 85HC |
| Durometer Outsole Heel (Freezer 1 hour) | 84.8HC |
| Durometer Midsole Forefoot (Freezer 1 hour) | 36HA |
| Durometer Midsole Forefoot 2nd layer (Freezer 1 hour) | N/A |
| Durometer Midsole Heel (Freezer 1 hour) | 36.2HA |
| Durometer Insole (Freezer 1 hour) | 40.7HA |
| Flexibility of the shoe (Freezer 1 hour) | 42N |
| Durometer Outsole Forefoot (% change with temperature) | 2.82 |
| Durometer Outsole Heel (% change with temperature) | 3.04 |
| Durometer Midsole Forefoot (% change with temperature) | 17.39 |
| Durometer Midsole Heel (% change with temperature) | 16.04 |
| Durometer Insole (% change with temperature) | 0 |
| Flexibility of the shoe (% change with temperature) | 129.98 |
| Thickness - Heel Counter/Insert | 1.5mm |
| Thickness - Ankle Collar (Front) | 6mm |
| Thickness - Ankle Collar (Middle) | 9.3mm |
| Thickness - Ankle Collar (Back) | 11.1mm |
| Heel counter material | fiber board |
| Thickness - Tongue | 5.5mm |
| Flexibility of the heel counter | 64.2N |
| Light test (transparence) | 98.3LUX |
| Lace slip test with the knot | 19.9N |
| Longitudinal flexibility (0-5) | 2 |
| Torsional flexibility (0-5) | 2 |
| Tongue: gusset type | Gusseted (both sides) |
| Laces: profile | Flat |
| Laces: extra hole | yes |
| Laces: are they long enough to use the extra hole | no |
| Heel tab type | Pool tab |
| Insole: removable | yes |
| Control devices: Multi-density midsole Rigid heel counter Elevated medial insole under arch Supportive tensioned medial upper Medial flare Thermoplastic medial post |
no yes yes yes yes no |
| How minimalist the shoe is in % | 36 |
Note: all the tests were done on a men's shoe US size 9.
CREDITs : https://runrepeat.com/saucony-kinvara-12 by RUN Repeat
