Customer Reviews Saucony Kinvara 12

My Kinvara10 were the best pair of running shoes I've ever owned. I was crushed when I couldn't find them anywhere to get another pair so I went ahead and ordered the 11s during last week's Black Friday sales. As other reviewers said, sadly these are NOT the same. It's hard to pin point exactly what changed. They do still have the cushioned support feeling but they just aren't anywhere as comfortable as the 10s. I've only taken them out for two runs so far and the second one left me with sore feet which never happened in the 10s. I'll keep trying and hope that once they are broken in they are more similar but as of now, I'm pretty bummed. Separately, on the bright side, I will note that they shipped extremely fast from the Saucony site and arrived as depicted etc.

Keep in mind that this review is coming from someone who loved the Kinvara 9. The 10 was not my favorite so I bought all of the version 9 I could find. The 11 is even worse for me. It feels bulky and over complicated. There is some weird harshness/rubbing under the forefoot that I have never experienced with the Kinvara before. The tongue is insanely thick and this makes the shoe feel really tight on the top of my foot. Loosening the laces causes my heel to slip. There is also an odd spot where the tongue is attached that rubbed the side of my foot and caused a lot of pain. This has happened in other shoes for me so I'm sure that's something to do with my foot shape. But it has never happened in the Kinvara. This doesn't feel like a Kinvara any more and now I'm trying to find a new favorite. Please go back to what this shoe used to be!

Big changes from the Kinvara 10's in fit to foot. The 11's are more tight all around the foot, maybe due to the quilted material sections? The sole is a very soft material and I pick up rocks and burrs that embed into the sole. Since it is a very light shoe, you can feel this debris through to your foot. I have to stop frequently to remove debris from the sole for comfort. Sole's traction also does not hold up against high miles on roads. Shoe is a better track shoe than a road shoe.

I love everything about this shoes except that it squeaks. Not just one shoe, but both! Every step makes a sqeeky sound. I've gotten used to it, but I will not be wearing my noisy shoes out in public. Debbie B

Awesome colors and styles available with the 11 but am throughly disappointed with the quality. Been running marathons with Kinvara since the 9's were released. Never had an issue on shorter runs until I started getting into my longer runs with the new 11. After one of my long runs, my top ankle where the tongue of the shoe hits, was extremely sore. Stopped hurting when I took the shoe off. I thought it was something serious but it only hurt when I put the kinvara on. No other shoe hurt. So, I ran in my old 10's and also test drove my daughters new shoes from another competitor on a 7 mile run. I had no pain and discomfort. I put the 10 and 11 together and noticed the tongue on the 11 is quite thicker and bulkier compared to the 10. The tongue of the shoe was obviously the culprit. Luckily my running store that I bought them from have a 60 day guarantee. I was able to return and try out some other models. I did end up buying the Endorphine Pro from you guys today and can't wait to try it out tomorrow on my run. I am happy to try out your new shoe but not happy about the fact that I had to pay twice as more for my new pair. I really hope you guys go back to how the 9 and 10 were made with no modifications to the tongue area. Thank you!!!

For someone who's been buying Kinvara's since their 2 or 3rd edition, the 11th and those building up to the 11 have become much bulkier and chunky in the sole. They are comfy and work for running, but I think they've strayed from their original look and feel. After trying these, I think I need to look for find a more minimal shoe.

It is a little bit narrow for me I should've bought 1/2 size bigger. Didn't want to go through the hassle of returning it with the pandemic. Overall it's a great shoe, it would more comfortable if I had the 7 1/2 Women's size.

Good for my street runs, lightweight. Toe box not as full as the original woman's Shadow 6000. So far, it has proven a satisfactory substitute.

I was excited to try these shoes. I am 34 and I have been a fan of Reebok since high school. I don't like a running shoe that causes me pain or blisters. These gave me blisters in only two miles of my run on both feet above my heals near my achilles tendon. The inside fabric reminds me of a silky jersey material. So I feel like my heals were sliding in the shoe and I had all laces done and my shoes always have to be tight to prevent blisters. Not happy with the purchase. I will stick to my usual shoe company. I won't be wearing them bc I tried to wear them a few times to give them a chance and I still developed blisters on my heals. Definitely not going to be wearing them for running.

I've always enjoyed Saucony running shoes because they're stable and I lost really well. I ordered this pair online and I'm truly disappointed. They don't offer the support of stability that I missed from Saucony. I don't think I'll buy running shoes online again.

This is my 4th series of the Kinvara. I'm disappointed. The eyelet design by the tongue of the shoe is way too bulky and the shoe strings are shorter, definitely can't grab your running shoes and tie these in a hurry. They still have the light features and contour that I like with Kinvaras but I'm not buying a second pair of this series. Instead of worrying about the eyelet of the shoe (Kinvara 9 has been my favorite) What about working on the achilles wear issues that I have had on every series of the Kinvara? I'm not a shoe designer but this has been a reoccurring wear issue. It has been nice having a running shoe that I can be loyal to but I'm going to be a bit more discerning with my next Kinvara purchase.

I am totally in love with the Kinvara 10, I have 5 pair in my shoe rotation. So I couldn't wait to get a pair of Kinvara 11! The sole seems a bit more responsive and I feel like it has a bit more support around the heel area. But.... they have definitely sacrificed some room in the toe box and for me, that's a deal breaker. I tried loosening the laces and also wearing a lighter weight sock. Both these things helped but on two different runs, one 7 miles, the other 8, I had quite a bit of discomfort in my little toes and the two next to them. On a couple 5k runs it wasn't so bad but I was so hoping to love this shoe as I work toward a half marathon this summer.

I don't like the thicker tongue, feels stiffer at the beginning but have worn a few times and they are good now. Definitely feels like they won't wear out as fast. They are good but like the Kinvera 10 better.

The shoe is nice looking, foot bed is comfortable and liner is removable for washing. I won't purchase again as after wearing for a few hours huge blisters on the back of my heels developed and the sides hit my ankle bones. The heel width is wider and fits poorly. The medium width is actually pretty wide as well. I laced every hole as I know that has an impact on the heel. Disappointed and someone will be getting these for free. Went back to Merrell as I've never had this problem with thir shoes.

larger than expected; miss the cushy tongue of kinvara 11 as well

It's a beautiful shoe but very narrow. I am a size 12 but don't have a wide foot. I felt the toe area to be too 'tight'. Not enough room to comfortably move my foot in the shoe.

The shoe is lightweight, responsive, great colors but I never had that many problems in my front ankles, there is something about this shoe which doesn't work well at least for me, the Kinvara 11 was amazing, my feet absolutely love them, the peregrines also; but this version of Kinvara is not for me. I run an avg of 40miles a week.

The Kinvara has been my shoe of choice for the last several years. It is light weight and versatile enough for a variety of activities that make it well-suited as a trainer as well as running. I love the minimalist styling and it has had some great color options. I will say that the K12 was my LEAST favorite of the iterations. The lack of padding in the back had the metal cutting through into my skin after just a short amount of time. These shoes are also SO SQUEAKY even after months of use. As a result I am giving the Freedom a try to see if additional padding might be a better option for me.

Wore out quickly and not comfortable. The only plus was how light they are.

The fit is tight. The shoe is light, but feels like a usual weight shoe.

The pinky coloured version of this shoe is comfortable and fits well but I am disappointed with the cushioning in the sole. The cushioning feels plastic and cheap. I also bought these in black and the size is different. They are at least a half size bigger. I am disappointed in the cushioning in the sole as well. I've purchased these shoes before and absolutely loved them.I was very disappointed when I started wearing the Kinvara 12.

I went to my local running store. They recommended these and they felt good in the store but it's been downhill since. Everything hurts when I wear them. I never had such issues with running shoes.

Been loving Kinvara for a long time until this model. I was excited about the cute colors too. This shoe seems a lot different than past models. It does not have the plush material around the heel and Achilles area. It is also not plush in the tongue of the shoe. The colors are running and went through my socks, so I have a teal color big toe, which I can laugh about and it's really a minor point. I can over look that. The distance running is just not working for me with this model shoe. I've run a marathon and half marathons in Kinvara, but I am seriously considering changing shoes today. It's hard when you found something that works, and now it's not the same.