Saucony Kinvara 6 (1st pair White, 2nd pair Orange): my racing shoes in 2016

Originally I wanted to buy Saucony Kinvara 7, the latest model with the Everun treatment in the heel for a step up in comfort and much more energy return.
I decided to buy my 2nd pair of Saucony Kinvara 6 early this month at The Stadium Sports Store, Mid Valley Megamall since there was a 20% discount. I ended up paying RM 320 for my 2nd pair of Saucony Kinvara 6. This round, I chose bright ORANGE color, one of my all time favorite colors. :)


I have had a very pleasant experience with my first pair of Saucony Kinvara 6, which I also wrote a shoe review. Find out why I have chosen Saucony Kinvara 6 to be my racing shoe in 2016.



My first pair white Saucony Kinvara 6 is still serving me very well with no signs of much wear and tear yet after helping me to achieve 2 sub 4 times  in 2 full marathons (Cyberjaya Twincity Marathon 2016 & Mizuno Kaohsiung International Marathon 2016) this year and a personal best time in 30 km race (Newton Challenge 2016). You can also read my race reports by clicking here.

I'm so well pleased with the shoe that I have added 1 more pair into my collection. ha! ha!
 1st pair: White Saucony Kinvara 6 bought in September 2015.
2nd pair: Orange Saucony Kinvara 6 bought in July 2016. 

First virgin run (27 km) with 2nd pair of Saucony Kinvara 6

And this morning, I have decided to wear the new orange Saucony Kinvara 6 for its first virgin run: 27 km LSD run from Lake Garden to Seri Hartamas, then to Solaris, then back to Lake Garden. It was a familiarization run with the new orange shoe and also my last week's LSD run before next Sunday's SCKLM 2016.


   

Here is my 2nd shoe review on Saucony Kinvara 6. I won't touch on 3 reasons why I have chosen Saucony Kinvara at first place since I already wrote about it previously.

Here is a recap of the 3 reasons:

Reason #1: Cushioning with "massage" feel & promote faster recovery

Reason #2: Wider toe box minimizing bruised toes
Reason #3: Bouncy Feeling with Push Factor & Energy Return


What I would want to add on here in my 2nd shoe review on Saucony Kinvara 6 are the below:

Reason #4:   
Tight PRO Lock lacing system preventing my feet from sliding forward when running downhill, minimizing bruise-toe formation
Saucony Kinvara 6: The tight PRO LOCK lacing system is designed to provide a locked-in midfoot fit for a better overall fit.
Pro-Lock Lacing System












The tight PRO LOCK lacing system is designed to provide a locked-in midfoot fit for a better overall fit.

To tell you the truth, I didn't quite like the PRO LOCK lacing system initially. The lacing system has made it very difficult to slide my feet in to wear the shoe. Additionally, I could feel the tightness and I feel rather uncomfortable at the mid foot area. 

However, I believe this is only the initial feeling. 

I don't feel its tightness to bother me on my first pair of Saucony Kinvara 6 after wearing it to run couple hundred kilo meters compared to my 2nd pair (Orange color) Perhaps it's still new and it needs some time to adjust to the shape of my feet. :)

From my first pair, I have come to conclude that PRO-LOCK lacing system is good for runners like myself who might occasionally have bruised toes problems.

Why I say that? Well, it's because the locked-in midfoot fit really holds my feet tightly, preventing it from sliding forward during downhill, which can cause my toes to have fiction with the toe box. Hence, the formation of bruised toes / bruised toe nails. 

In combination of the wide toe box, it really helps me so much when going down hill. :) Very happy with it indeed after much discomfort at beginning.


Reason #5:   
Very lasting sole unit resulting in longer shoe life

Saucony Kinvara 6 Sole Unit: Injection mold rubber in strategic zones & PowerGrid platform



Longer shoe-life: After min 150-200 km run, the sole unit is still visibly very good. 

Saucony Kinvara 6 has injection blown rubber in strategic zones on the sole in order to keep the weight of the shoe down while providing optimal durability and protection in areas where the highest ground contact occurs.
Its PowerGrid platform, a foam material under the sock liner, is designed to evenly distribute pressure and impact with each step.
This PowerGrid technology combined with the injection blown rubber in strategic zones have resulted in exceptionally smooth and responsive ride.

As you can see from the sole unit of my first pair Saucony Kinvara 6, the injection blown rubber and the sole unit are visibly still very good even after at least 150 km run.
This is far much better than my Skechers GoRun and GoMeb Speed in terms of wear and tear.
And I look forward to locking in more miles onto my Saucony Kinvara 6s.

Area for Improvement (upper design and color)
Anything I don't like about Saucony Kinvara 6?
Well, there is. :) It's the color and design. :) In my opinion, that is. 
Personally, I love Adidas design and color because I prefer simplicity over complex shouting colors. 
I have found my first pair White color Saucony Kinvara 6 to be too plain. 
No doubt I love my second pair Orange Color since it's one of my favorite colors. However, I wish the shoe upper design could have been more Adidas-like. :) 
Perhaps I am biased towards Adidas design since I personally am a fan of Adidas clothing and shoes. Just that Adidas shoes don't fit me well. And my wardrobe is min 80% Adidas. :)

Verdict?

In my view, Saucony Kinvara 6 doesn't stand out in terms of design and color. 
I would have missed it totally from such a wide variety of shoe choices in the market if choose a pair of running shoe purely based on design and color. 
If purely based on design and color, I would have chosen Adidas or even under Armor or Nike over Kinvara Saucony any time. :)

But - there is a but here..... :)
Since my focus is more on functionality and performance over design and color, I for one have decided to go for Saucony Kinvara 6. 
So far, I am well pleased with its performance on my feet. It has served me well in 3 races this year so far. And I hope it will continue to make me "fly" on it in remaining races of 2016. :)
So I would like to say, "Thank you, Saucony Kinvara 6!"

Written on 2016.07.31