I feel your pain. I have loved the Kinvara since it came out, and have owned more than 30 pairs. But the Kinvara 5 feels like a totally different shoe. It's MUCH softer. Solereview.com has a good review explaining the changes that make it so much softer than the prior versions: http://www.solereview.com/saucony-kinvara-5-review/It has irritated me to see most reviews describing the Kinvara 5 as a great update with minor changes to the upper. I also tried to post a negative review on Saucony's website but they didn't accept it as a posting!Anyway, like you, I have been loading up on Kinvara 3 and 4 (have 6-7 pairs in the closet!) and looking around for alternatives. Here are some alternatives that I've bought (this is getting expensive) and my experiences thus far. You may want to try these on somewhere and see what you think.Brooks Pure Flow -- way too soft. To me, softer than Kinvara 5.NB Fresh Foam Zante -- wore twice and felt pretty soft to me. One of my ankles was wigging out (maybe rolling too much due to softness!) so haven't tried again, but will at some point.Asics 33-DFA -- felt firm and they have a cut-out at the midfoot that encourages running on toes more heavily than I guess I do. I found that to be a little hard on my calves, but might work for you. Surprisingly heavy though. I didn't love them. Saucony Grid A6 -- of course I've worn the Grid Ax series for racing for a while and like them, so I tried training in them. After a few days (longest run was 13 miles), I started to feel beat up though. As a 100 lb woman, you may be able to train in them, but I feel like I need a bit more shoe.Pearl Izumi Road N1 -- just got them and have run twice in them. The best candidate so far. Need to run in them more to tell for sure, and I'm not sure if they're changing this model (I got an old version for $60 on Amazon).Adidas Takumi Sen -- haven't gotten them but I may give them a try. Really expensive though.So the quest continues. If it's true that the Kinvara 7 will revert back to being firmer, I'll be a happy man. Good luck!
former Kinvara lover wrote:
I loved the Kinvaras up to the 4's, but it's getting harder and harder to find older versions so I tried the 5's. They're complete crap. The fit feels completely different, the new foam heel collar is causing me major pain on the outside of my ankle, and the sole is too soft.
Does anyone have suggestions for a shoe similar to the old Kinvaras that is suitable for high mileage? I usually can get 800 miles on the old Kinvaras before the upper tears too bad. If not for the uppers, I'd wear them longer. Has anyone had experience using the Type A5's or A6's as a regular training shoe? I'm a 100 lb woman if that's relevant.