The New Balance Zante V2 was my 3rd shoe and kind of got lost in the shuffle. For some reason it never seems to get the hype of some other shoes. A shoe I wasted my money on that is in the same class as the Zante is the Kinvara 7. Reviewers rave about the Kinvara, the accolades just flow. Yeah? Its like running in a wooden shoe. Hard, tight, inflexible. Where’s the wow? I don’t get it.

I didn’t try it once and give up. I probably tried it a dozen times. It is by far and without a doubt the tightest 9.5 size shoe I’ve ever had! Every other manufacturer (Brooks, Hoka, New Balance, Nike) gets the sizing right, why can’t Saucony? You’re in the shoe business! Size is job #1. It runs like a rock. I just don’t get the love affair YouTube and Running World reviewers have with this shoe.

The Zante pictured above runs I imagine like Nike’s Flyknit series. With incredible feel for the road. Its light, responsive and cushy in a nice way. It makes me think of what a glove for the foot would feel like. Soft, nice. Not hard and tight. I don’t get it. The good news is I got the Kinvara on sale for around $75 bucks, so at least I didn’t shoot the moon!

[It’s interesting to note that shortly after this was posted, Runner’s World Spring 2017 shoe guide made the Zante V3 their Editor’s Choice.]