These are one of the best running shoes I have worn. The fit is outstanding (for me my normal size is a 12 and these fit perfectly)and almost glove like for comfort. They come in a variety of colors and look great. They are extremly lightweight but are still well built for their intended role as a running shoe.

They are designed and marketed as a "low drop" minimalist shoe (or transition to minimalist shoe). They have a 4mm drop from heel to forefoot compared to most traditional shoes which have a 10mm-14mm drop. They also sit about 10mm closer to the ground then traditional shoes due to less material between you and the road. Together this helps encourage running on the forefoot and will stretch the calf just a bit more.

I have had a couple pairs of vibram five fingers for about a year now and also a pair of new balance 730's. These are a little further along the minimalist scale then the Kinvara's but not by much when you consider the weight, drop height, and stack height. However where the Kinvara shine is in that they offer the benefits of minimalist shoes with a tradition feel when running. By that I mean that in the five fingers and 730's I feel the pounding in my forefoot and I don't end up enjoying running in either shoe that much. I am 6'2" & 210 and although have a fairly good forefoot stride but the others are just too minimal. The Kinvaras on the other hand have been a joy to run in. They have great road feel due to the low stack height, but none of the jarring. I have been shocked at just how great my legs and back feel after running in these because these shoes are so light. Other then some very light calf soreness after switching to them (due to adjusting to the 4mm drop height)they have been great and although I tend to save them for my speed work and 5K's, I have run in them several days in a row while training and felt great. I have even run on gravel road in them and altough you can feel the occasional large lone stone when you stepped on it in them it was rare and never painful.

My current arsenal of shoes also includes NB 890's, a pair of Reebok real flexes, Reebok zips, Asics Kayano 17, Reebok road premieres, and the aforementioned NB 730's and Vibram's. They run the gamut from very cusioned (Kayano's) to extreme minimalist (vibrams). The Kinvara 2's are by far my favorites and are the shoe I recommend to friends who just want to pick up one pair for running. I grabbed an extra pair of these as they are going through their current clear out phase in favor of the new Kinvara 3's.