Endorphin Speed 5 vs Kinvara 15

The Endorphin Speed 5 is Saucony's do-it-all tempo trainer, and in our view it is one of the most useful running shoes you can own. It sits below the carbon race shoes and above the plush daily trainers: a springy, nylon-plated shoe built for the fast half of your week. At 155 pounds it costs less than a carbon racer, and the nylon plate means it flexes rather than dictating your stride, so it stays friendly across a range of paces. Push into a tempo and the PWRRUN PB foam gives you real bounce and rebound. Slow it down for a steady long run and it still feels smooth and protective. Plenty of runners will race a half or even a marathon in it. If you want one lightweight shoe to cover workouts, tempo days, progression runs and the odd race, this is the running shoe we would point you to first. The nearest rival is the adidas Adizero Boston 13.

The Kinvara 15 is Saucony's lightweight, low-drop daily trainer for runners who like to feel the ground and pick up the pace. At 200g with a 4mm drop, this is a running shoe built around a natural, quick footstrike rather than plush isolation, and that gives it a versatility a lot of chunkier trainers lack. Easy miles, strides, a parkrun, a bit of tempo work, the Kinvara handles all of it without ceremony. It is not a max-cushion shoe and it is not a carbon racer, so do not buy it expecting either. What you get instead is an honest, unfussy lightweight trainer that keeps you connected to your stride. We rate it as a great second shoe or a one-and-done option for lighter, efficient runners. The successor Kinvara 16 refines it further, but the 15 is often the smarter buy on discount.