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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Brooks Pure vs. Saucony Kinvara

Wel, I gave the Brooks several solid weeks of monopoly. so now I think I'm qualified to compare the Brooks Pure Cadence to the Saucony Kinvara, my former go-to shoe and the one I wore for all my current PRs except the 10k (Mizuno Musha).

I didn't want to switch out of the Kinvara. I love how that shoe fits my foot, and I love the lightweight cushion. But I've noticed a few signs that the way my foot rolls at landing could be contributing to injury. I got the Cadence to add a little support for my pronation-prone right side without changing my strike too much. I have worn stability shoes before, and had terrible knee problems, which were alleviated by switching to a neutral shoe. So I wanted just a touch of stability. Since I've worn and loved the Kinvaras for two years, it would make sense to get a pair of the Saucony Mirage, but I tried this shoe on and did not like the stiffness of the sole at all. It felt nothing like the Kinvara.

The Cadence feels more like the Kinvara in terms of cushion and flexibility, although it seems slightly less squishy to me - probably due in part to the stability part of the shoe! It also has a nice wide toe box, so my wide feet are pretty comfortable, although there are some overlays on the Cadence that rub along my wide bunion area. I tried on the Flows as well as the Cadence, and they fit more closely to the Kinvara and had almost as much mobility - still a little less cushion. But the feel was similar, especially while running.

The heel-toe drop for the Pure line and the Kinvaras are the same: 4mm, so the two feel the same as you land, but the Kinvara offers a wider heel platform. The heel on the Candence is undercut, so you just can't sit around on the heel. It's supposed to encourage forefoot strike but I personally did not notice a difference except when standing; the Cadence almost feels like you're rocking forward. No change when running, though.

I think the Pure line compares well with the Kinvara: similar fit, similar toe box (a little more round in the Cadence, more pointed in the Kinvara), similar weight, similar cushion, similar heel-toe drop.
In contrast, the Pures wear out much faster (I already see compression), allow less mobility on the foot platform due to construction (the "Navband" over the instep), have a slightly firmer landing with slightly better propioception, and in the Cadence, have a smidge more control.

So let's briefly discuss the control aspect: It's minimal in the Cadence, and I suspect it has more to do with the Navband and the cross-over lacing than the medial post. The shoe is really quite a soft shoe, it just isn't as soft as the pillowy Kinvaras, but all that softness does allow some movement of the foot. The Kinvara allows much more because the upper is virtually a mesh sock. I loved that for my bunions (so roomy!), but I didn't love it for my collapsing right arch. The Nav band is just enough to keep my foot in place. Did it do what I wanted it to do? Well, I'm not sure. I have not had as severe medial tibial stress syndrome pain, and my osteitis pubis is very well controlled right now, two things partly attributed to pronation. But I also started a strict stretch and strength routine that is helping, as well, so it's hard to know what is most responsible.

My personal conclusion is that I really like the Pure Cadence, and I will almost certainly buy it again. I think it is a well-designed shoe, and the slight control is just enough to keep me healthy. As far as running experience, the Kinvara's freedom offers a slight edge; I miss the light, cushiony strides. But I have to compromise to stay well, and the Cadence is a compromise I'm very happy with.

16 comments:

  1. That was a great, detailed comparison! You'd laugh at how little I could tell you about my running shoes. I'm like one of those people who barely knows where to put the oil as compared to a decent backyard mechanic (hmmm...actually, that IS me in regards to cars as well).

    Hope these shoes continue to work for you and keep you healthy!

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  2. That's the shoe my sister most recently switched to and she really likes it. I am not really sure if I need support or not... when I wear my Pure Flows I use a custom insole.

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  3. So glad you like the Brooks best! :)

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  4. Great review:) I'm glad to hear you like the pure line! Funny, I felt like the pure line was more "cushiony" than the kinvaras, and I wore them exclusively for about a year. But, I also wear the flows, not the cadence, so that might be a bit of a difference. My favorite pure shoe is the connect, and I'm slowly starting to wear them on more of my runs, not just speed days. I find that these are more comparable in the weight of the shoe to the kinvaras - they are amazing. They don't offer the support of the cadence, but the shoe in itself is pretty supportive. If you liked the musha, you would probably like the connect for the speedy stuff - and it has that navband as well. So many sneakers, it's always such a tough call!

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  5. Great review. I might be like you in that I need a little bit of pronation control.

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  6. Coming back from injury and starting to run again with the orthotics I am again looking for shoes...my current ones are not working and that is a huge pain in the butt....but I need to stay well and even better so I have been trying shoes to find the one.

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  7. Glad the Brooks worked for you! I've always been a Brooks person, but I just couldn't get the Pure's to work for me. But my wife loves them. Really good info about both shoes - thanks.

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  8. I'm really curious to try the version 2's of the Pure line -- I tried out the first PureConnect for a while but finally had to admit that I HATED it (mostly because it's super-narrow, & has the weird bubble sole). I've heard the new version is pretty different, though, so maybe I'll give it a go sometime.

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  9. Hi there! Stumbled here trying to find a comparison between the Pures and the Kinvara 4s. I am going to run my first 5K next year, so I'm definitely new to more running with training, though I've run casually through the years. I went to REI today and really felt like I would go with the Kinvaras. I've never worn Saucony but they just felt great! I am neutral and really want a nice supportive light shoe (just had a bad mishap with my Merrell Dash and I'm done with the barefoot thing!). Anyway, the Pures (I tried the Flow and Cadence) felt nice and cushy, but tight in the toe/midsole area. It was just enough to slightly bother me, but not so much to rule them out. I've also got two people who wear the Pure line telling me I'm going to love them! So as someone who has worn both, could you safely say that the Kinvaras will be just fine for my purposes? Light, supportive shoe to help me with my 5K "training"? I want to make sure they are supportive enough that I won't get any barefoot experience at all. I don't know why, but the Brooks just kept feeling slightly snug though I want to love the pillowy bottoms so much! Thanks for letting me ramble here. Any of your two cents would be great!

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  10. Hi there! Stumbled here trying to find a comparison between the Pures and the Kinvara 4s. I am going to run my first 5K next year, so I'm definitely new to more running with training, though I've run casually through the years. I went to REI today and really felt like I would go with the Kinvaras. I've never worn Saucony but they just felt great! I am neutral and really want a nice supportive light shoe (just had a bad mishap with my Merrell Dash and I'm done with the barefoot thing!). Anyway, the Pures (I tried the Flow and Cadence) felt nice and cushy, but tight in the toe/midsole area. It was just enough to slightly bother me, but not so much to rule them out. I've also got two people who wear the Pure line telling me I'm going to love them! So as someone who has worn both, could you safely say that the Kinvaras will be just fine for my purposes? Light, supportive shoe to help me with my 5K "training"? I want to make sure they are supportive enough that I won't get any barefoot experience at all. I don't know why, but the Brooks just kept feeling slightly snug though I want to love the pillowy bottoms so much! Thanks for letting me ramble here. Any of your two cents would be great!

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    1. Hello! I pondered your comment and... I don't think the Kinvara is what you're looking for. It's not very supportive in my opinion (that's why I tried out the Brooks Pure). If I were you I would get fitted at a running store and see what they recommend: maybe something a touch more substantial, like the Mizuno Waverider.

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  11. I love the Kinvara but haven't really loved any of the Brooks, but I have not tried the Cadence. Maybe it's one to try!

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  12. Kinvara are just plain faster for me. Times prove it in my case. Too bad there arent any kinvara 1's left.

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  13. Fantastic comparison - just what I was looking for. I've been running in the Pureflows for about a year now and love them other than the fact that they wear out so quickly. I've been considering the Kinvaras but wanted to know how they compared specifically to the brooks pure line. Thanks!!

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