Saucony Men's Grid Type A5 Running Shoe Review

Customer Ratings:

The Saucony Grid type A5 is lighter, rides lower and much firmer compared to e.g. the Kinvara. The tiny triangles on the sole provide excellent grip on paved roads and feet stay nice and cool thanks to the very thin upper mesh. Its firm, low sole gives it a nice ground feel and gives a fantastic response.

This makes it a perfect choice for those 5K and 10K races and also longer distances for fore/midfoot runners who need less shoe cushioning.

Before you hit the "add to cart" button however, also keep in mind that the features that make this shoe close to a perfect racing flat make it less suited as a daily trainer:

The very thin upper helps to make this shoe ultra light and breathable, but it consists of only 2 mesh layers very comparable to the 1st gen. Kinvara, of which many people complained having early tearing on the side of the shoe and above the big toe. Saucony addressed this issue by giving subsequent Kinvaras 3 mesh layers. Again, this is not the case for the Grid Type A5 -so keep those toe nails trimmed :)

The drainage/ventilation holes in the sole are little rock grabbers and make the A5 unpleasant for running on wet surface.

These are fairly narrow shoes and run on the small side

Minimalist runners: Heel-to-toe drop is 4mm, not 0mm (like e.g. the Saucony Hattori)

The Grid Type A5 are near perfect racing flats, but they are not designed as durable enough to be a firmer and lower ride alternative to the Saucony Kinvara for midand forefoot runners. Don't expect these shoes to last long.

Highly recommended as racing flat.

EDIT Aug. 2013

The A5s are lasting longer than I thought (despite having been used for all my races, including marathon) and are still my favorite running shoes. Upgraded review to 5 stars!

A zero heel-to-toe drop version of these would be awesome.

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Having ran seriously for the last 7 years and competed in numerous road races anywhere from 5K's to marathons, there are a couple of characteristics that I consider before buying running shoes:

1. Light weight. Less is more when it comes to running shoes. You don't want something thick with all kinds of advertised technology. The fact of the matter is, they don't really help. If anything they make your strides more inefficient. Thus a thin sole and a minimalistic design is key.

2. Small heel to toe drop. This refers to the difference in thickness of the sole of the shoe at the heel and at the toe. Usually, the drop is greater 6 mm. But this shoe has a 3-4 mm drop, which makes it ideal for those who want to mimic the effects of running barefoot.

3. Nice, clean look.

This shoe does it all. This is one of the only pairs of running shoes I have ever come across that satisfies my above criteria and feels comfortable at the same time (my feet are slightly wide). I am considering purchasing 2 extra pairs just in case these are discontinued.

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I used these to train for a marathon, and I think they're a worthy successor to the A4. In fact, these solved my biggest problem with the A4 by getting rid of the annoying mesh front that let my feet get wet in even the lightest rain.

Honest reviews on Saucony Men's Grid Type A5 Running Shoe

Got these shoes after having a couple different pair of Saucony's. I run short distances, less than 4 miles, in my vibram five fingers but havent quit made the jump up to long distance with them. I got them faster than expected from the shipper, and ran in them that evening. 6 miles, no blisters, no soarness. I love these shoes. I've put about a hundered miles on them already, I was training for a half marathon, and they still feel like they did the first day. They are extremely light!! and in my opinion are very well put together. The sizing is true to Saucony sizes and about a half size smaller compared to my addidas or nikes that I wear on a daily basis. I have already recommended them to my Marine co-workers and friends and will continue to do so. Great Product!

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Run with that shoes is a drean, like running on smooth cloud ! very light and very responsive shoes for training and even for official run !