The Saucony Kinvara 15 is the latest addition to one of Saucony’s most iconic running shoe lines and is once again built for daily runs when you need to pick up that pace.
For the new Kinvara, Saucony is dropping the stack to make it feel more like the Kinvara of old and sticking with its firmer PWRRUN cushioning to give it that more agile and responsive feeling.
So, is there still life in a low-stack shoe like the Kinvara when the trend right now is to pack those daily trainers with more cushioning? Testers Mike and Kieran have been putting the new Saucony Kinvara 15 to the test to find out.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:35 – Price and what’s new from the Kinvara 14
02:00 – How does it fit?
04:25 – The Run Test
11:40 – Review and comparisons
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Hey this is Mike from the rers this is The s canara 15 an uptempo daily trainer That is definitely an iconic shoe in s's Range and definitely a throwback to the Kind of uptempo daily trainers before They were stacked with cushioning plates And everything else now myself and Kieran have both been long-term testing The Gara 15 and what we're going to do First is take you through what's new From the previous canaras the key Features that you need to know about as Well too get into our run test and then Let you know whether s canara it's an Uptempo daily trainer worth your [Music] Money so here's what you need to know About the Sak canara 15 the canar 15 is Built for faster daily training days and Sits at £ 130 in the UK or $120 in the US you can currently find the canara 14 For closer to £70 or $70 at some Retailers that price puts it up against Other uptempo daily trenders like the Haw Max 6 night fero 17 new B Rebel V4 And the asex Nova blast 4 and 5 the Gavar 15 weighed in 192 G for us in a Men's UK size 8 so that's roughly around The same weight as the canara 14 and Makes it one of the lightest daily Trainers for faster days available right Now in terms of these key stats it's got A 4 mm drop likely 14 with stat KES now Measured in at 29 mm at the heel and 25
Mm at the 4 foot so it's going to keep You nice and close to the ground like Previous Canaras the upper is made from a single Layer mesh with a power R sock line Inside to boost Comfort when you step Into it the missile is made up of sakon Power on cushioning as opposed to the Power on PB used in sakon's endorphin Shoe line it's firmer and is built to Come alive when running at faster Paces The outso is an Eva based one with soy Using a similar Ridge design as the 14 That's designed to deliver great Flexibility as well as strong grip on Roads and Pavements In testing I ran in my regular sakon Size which is a uk8 and a half and Though I'd recommend going true to Sizing the canara 15 I'm not in love With the shaping of the uppers now in Other socony shoes like the ride 17 the Speed 4 and the Triumph 22 I think saky Tends to nail this bit the the fit and The uppers and the Comfort but I find The kimara a bit narrow and a bit long It's just a bit more Awkward than those Other shoes it's not a deal breaker but I think there's room for improvement Here with this shoe but regardless I Would recommend going true to size in The sakon conara 15 so in terms of fit I'd say overall it's been very good for Me in the sakon conara 15 and that is
From the first run up until the last one That I've done for our testing now I've Got this in a UK size eight that's my Typical running shoe size that's Typically the shoe size that does work For me in sock shoes I generally don't Have to go up and down or maybe half Size up or half size down I would say This is true to size I would cave at That with the fact that it is quite a Narrow fitting shoe which for me my kind To skinny n Fe absolutely fine but I Think you know that's something to be Mindful here if you're worry it might be A bit of a tight squeeze and it might be For some people terms of other things I Think the toebox absolutely fine in Terms of that room in terms of that Space and the types of runs and Distances I think I would be you know Ultimately using the conar 154 get back into the middle of the shoe I think the hold is generally very good As well too I think as I mentioned in The first video I think it could benefit From maybe tweaking and really kind of You know wrapping things a little bit Closer there I think ultimately but you Know minor there wasn't an issue for me You get to the um kind of tongue and Lacing you've got this kind of gently Padded kind of gusseted tongue which I Quite like and the lockdown has been Very good for me no kind of undue
Pressure on the top of my foot as well Too and it hasn't taken much to kind of Get that good lock down in the shoe then You get back further back here there's a Good amount of padding you know for a Kind of uptempo daily trainer um it's Not overly generous but it's a good Amount there so you've got some comfort There and kind of you know extra kind of Control there at the back of the shoe The around the kind of Achilles area It's it's pretty kind of accommodating As well not too narrow so I've had no Kind of issues in terms of rub or Irritation there so yeah overall as I Said very good experience in the gavara 15 I would say it is a true to size Fitting shoe but be mindful of the fact That it is quite a narrow shoot as well Too so yeah that's definitely the key Takeway I would takeway in terms of the Fit of the kar [Music] 50 for the kar 15 I've actually clocked Around 25 5 miles in testing putting Them through the usual mix of Paces Everything from Easy plots to Tempo Efforts and faster intervals I've done All of that on the road and as I Mentioned in our first run video this is Also my first outing in the canara range I was really Keen to find out why this Shoe has such a loyal following and now Having put more miles in it I absolutely
Get it and it sounds to me like good News that saky hasn't meddled too much With this latest version I think it's Worth a big pat on the back that they Haven't mixed it up too much here and Changed too The first thing I noticed about the Convar 15 is how light it feels in their Hand like right now and on the foot at 206 G it's practically race shoe light When you slip it on it feels really Instantly Nimble and a touch racy just Without the minimal strip back hugging Uppers that you'd get from an allout Carbon race shoe the next Sensation that Jumps out is the firmness of the power Run cushioning particularly when you Compare it to the softer power run plus Of the ride 17 or the softer more Springy power run PB that you'll get in The Endorphin speed for for me that Makes this the kind of shoe that Encourages a fast foot to turn over to Balance things out I enjoyed it most When I was running lighter footed with a High turnover probably at a faster clip It doesn't afford as much protection as You'll get from shoes with softer more Accommodating Foams particularly if You're moving slower I think or just Shoes with more foam I also found that Limited how far I wanted to run in it or More importantly how much time I wanted To spend on my feet in this shoe uh
There's not really enough power run Underf foot here for want to make me Want to go kind of really long and even Though I like sort firmer more grounded Shoes I didn't find I wanted to use it For my longest miles so I've put this in The mix with shoes most Runners would Lce up for shorter faster efforts that's Partly down to the fit as well for me But if you like a more direct more Traditional ride with a lower drop Profile you will like these I think the Firma mid sole makes for Reliable Landings and toe offs I found the Stability good and you know what you're Going to get in each step with this shoe There's a happy consistency to the Overall ride and the transitions but I'd Definitely say that this is a shoe that Requires you to bring the effort to your Run some shoes provide the punch and Propulsion this lower profile more Direct shoe kind of asks you to do a big Chunk of the work more than you might With something like a hoko Mac X2 or a Sakon endorphin speed 4 it reminds me in Fact a little of the Brooks Hyperion Max So if you like that shoe this also might Be in your ballpark so in terms of my Running time with you convar 15 it has Been very good overall I can't say I've Had a bad run in the shoe I would say That maybe there's been some runs well I Thought is this the idol shoe for this
Session But ultimately you know it Hasn't been a bad shoe it hasn't been Uncomfortable hasn't really caused any Issues for me now I've done 50k in this Shoe now that's been a mixture of kind Of indoor and outdoor running I've done A track session with it I have also done Kind of uh kind of hour plus runs in it As well too at my kind of half marathon Marathon pace and really utilizing in The way that I would use a daily trainer More uptempo daily trainer that maybe Generally I would have a slightly more Kind of stacked shoe um a little bit More kind of lively um kind of bouncy Shoe maybe a shoe that maybe does a Little bit more of the work for me where That's not really the case here with the Convar 15 now I haven't used a convar For a few Generations I think my Previous experience has been fine shoe I Think you know ultimately would it be a Shoe that I'd use long term probably not Now with the conar 15 I think the first Thing that really stood out for me and I've really liked about this shoe is That it is very light and I think if you Like the idea of a lightweight daily Train And this shoe kind of you know sits with Kind of top tier carbon RAC shoes in Terms of overall weight so that is a Real kind of plus point for Me overall Now when you get to the experience and
The ride as I kind of you know my Experience of previous convar shoes and Unlike a lot of other kind of cushion Uptempo daily trainer shoes that we see Now you know you really have to engage With this shoe to get the best out of it And you know ultimately when I have done That and I think the track session that I did in it was a really good example of That I really got the I think the best Out of the canara 15 I I think Ultimately you know from a cushioning Point of view obviously it's low profile And from a low profile shoe it's Naturally very stable and I think that's A very good quality to have here that Cushioning is power run not the power Run PB that we see in the Endorphin Range so not as you know bouncy and Lively but what I would say is you know Crucially for me you know that power run Kind of cushioning in the right setting Can still be very effective I think That's definitely been the case for me In the convar 15 as I said you have to Put the work in to really get the most Out of it you know it's not a super Bouncy Lively naturally bouncy Lively Kind of cushioning but if when you Engage with it you really kind of push Harder in it it feels Lively and it Feels it has that kind of aggressive Edge to it only when you really start to Work in it and for me that's been a
Really nice quality when I've done those Kind of shorter sessions when I've done That kind of track session that's where It's felt really at home what I really Wanted to see you know in that kind of Initial video early kind of first run Was how it would handle over longer run So I've gone an hour in this shoe it's Been generally fine at my kind of you Know more Up Tempo kind of half marathon Marathon pace it's felt fine at that I Think what I would say is when I've gone Deeper In Those runs I've noticed or Maybe felt that I you know I've been Lacking that little bit of extra kind of Cushing that I'd want particularly the Hill being a hill Striker and maybe when I'm starting to Tire I've dropped back On this shoe and I haven't had that There that's maybe something that I felt You know that would probably be a thing That I'd want from this shoe But Ultimately I think if you like the idea Of a low profile shoe I don't think it's Out of it's remit to run a little bit Longer I mean I wouldn't particularly go Beyond probably kind of the Half Marathon distance in this shoe I think You know it's a kind of shoe you'd be Using for kind of 9 10 Mile kind of runs That's kind of how I would ultimately Kind of max out with it but for kind of Track sessions kind of you know um you Know interval stuff it feels all very
Good as I said you know this is a Lowprofile shoe it's got a a level of Cushioning that when you put the work in That's where you get the best rewards From it I think ultimately the rewards Are are there for you and it is a very You know it does really fit that profile Of an uptempo daily trainer just very Different to the ones that were you know Very much kind of surrounded by now and From other brands and soy as well too Other thing to talk about here is the Outsole the outsole durability has been Pretty good for me as I say you know I Don't think it's been a high mileage um Shoe you know it's not a huge amount of Um kind of rubber here particularly kind Of one edge of the kind of Hill and at The for foot is a small amount there Gripping and traction has been fine for Me have done a couple of Rainer runs and On wet pavement it's been absolutely Fine I think the design of the outso Does kind of um add to the kind of more Stable controlled more agile feel of the Convar 15 that if that's something you Like um you know an outso that's going To grip but also you know dictate or Influence that kind of ride as well too That's what you get here so yeah for Me Overall a very good experience in the Kavara 15 I think it's just been when I've got to those longer distances where I've maybe wanted that little bit extra
Kind of pushing there but ultimately you Know for the types of runs I think it's Best built for I think it worked very Well so yeah positive experience for me In the canara [Music] 50 now that I've done more testing my Initial reaction to the canara 15 from The first run still stands this shoe Didn't wow me but I do think that I've Been suckered somewhat into the big Stack springy world of super da trainers And I get what the canara 15 is doing And I salute it for offering a more Traditional ride there aren't many shoes Still offering this direct low profile Light and racy feel and if you like that Kind of setup you will like what the Canara 15 offers for me it feels like The kind of shoe that I used to love Before we were treated to things like The punchier Hoka ma X2 or the livelier Speed 4 from saky it's got that light Cutback feel with an old school Directness a lower drop and the firmer More responsive ride now for some Runners that might feel a bit dated in Terms of the overall package for others It might be the way you think shoes Should have stayed if you're in the Latter and you like that kind of ride The convar delivers it really really Quite well I think there are some big Positives here it's a shoe that takes a
While to break in but it balances a Lower more Trad kind of Stack with good Ground contact and just enough Protection does that really nicely it's Just enough rocker to make the Transition smooth enough and give that Feel that what you've got here is a Slightly modernized old school shoe it's Not maximal not minimal but sits Somewhere in between it's also pretty Keenly priced so my ver on the S Kara 15 Is that is a pretty polished uptempo Non-plated daily Trainer shoe definitely Designed for faster days not easier days And I would say that if you are a convar Fan or a fan of the canaro of old this Definitely is going to appeal to you Probably more so than the kind of Previous versions to the canaro 15 I Think if you are looking for something That kind of bucks the trend of the kind Of kind of bigger stat kind of uptempo Daily training as it was seeing now then This might appeal to you as well too It's at a pretty good price as well the Key takeaways for me would be that it is A very good kind of nice weighted shoe It's nice and light I think the power Run uh cushioning um works very well in This shoe and you know don't be put up By the fact that it doesn't have that Power on PB in there and when you put The work in that's when you get the best Results out of this
Shoe I think I look at what other kind Of non-plated uptempo daily trenders are Out there and kind of the shoes that you Know potentially I would use the same Types of runs I think the ones that kind Of stand out for me which are a little Bit more stacked in terms of that Cushioning I think the new B Rebel V4 Which very close in price to this shoe It does kind of sit below uh the cavara 15 uh in sales as well too that shoe is An uptempo one as well feels very good Um kind of uptempo and faster Paces Maybe not so much easier Paces like the Canara and I think maybe has a little Bit more in terms of that foam in terms Of being you know more comfortable at Longer kind of uh distances or kind of Mid to kind of long distance runs I Think the other one as well is the Mac 6 Which again is around the same price as The canar 15 a little bit more in terms Of that cushioning maybe not as firm Feeling again I think it's a shoe that Probably works a little bit better for Those longer runs but also can work for Those kind of shorter sharper runs kind Of interval sessions as well too and has A bit of speed in there as well so there Definitely some options there but if you Are looking for something that is as I Say kind of low stacked um you know Really kind of you know about you Putting the work in to get the best out
Of that shoe then the kavar 15 is Definitely one to look at you know for Those kind of faster days kind of Interval days those days when you're Maybe not doing your max kind of you Know distances but maybe just below that And you want something that's going to Feel very agile uh and you know Generally very good to run in so yeah That's my take on the S canara 15 if You're looking for a non-plated uptempo Daily train isue for FAS days this is Absolute one to take a look at okay so There you have it that is our multitest To take on the S canara 15 now if you Got any questions about this video or This shoe or other shoes you want to see It compared to as well too do let us Know in the comments below as always Like And subscribe hit that little bell To find out about our latest videos and Yeah we'll see you for next R Test's Video
