Foot beds, insoles, inserts... foot stuff

Lotta footwear talk on board here. A good shoe is only the beginning.

You can meet people w/ drawers full of insoles and inserts till they found the right combination, seems kind of hit and miss... and becomes costly.

So, how do you 'fine tune' your shoes and boots to your feet and usage... cork, gel, foam... arch or heel support, off the shelf or custom?

Dr Martens, well broken in with foam/gel insoles.

When my knees start to hurt, it's time for new insoles.

btw, need to break in/ soften up new work boots. How would Zymol work? (only thing in the house now)

I put Dr. Scholl's inserts in all my shoes on top of whatever is in there. Just the foam ones. The gel stuff doesn't seem to work for me. Makes a big difference when standing on concrete all day.

I don't know what Zymol would do to new boots and, if I were you, I wouldn't want to risk it. Get something made for the task like saddle soap.

I find the standard insoles in most shoes very uncomfortable, due primarily to lack of support. I've had remarkable success with Superfeet inserts. I use the green ones, but there are multiple types for different applications. Not cheap for off-the-shelf, but to me at least well worth the price.

My wife had some foot doc make up some custom inserts in carbon fiber. I dunno what they cost, but I bet they weren't cheap. On the plus side, she's had them since I met her, and we've been married 12 years, so they are durable.

Birkenstock makes an insole that is great. Cork, and lifetime warranty. When I was 16 I took some in that I had gotten when I was 12, he just exchanged them for a bigger size.

I put it underneath the regular one that comes with the shoe.

I've tried superfeet to mixed success but I find a set of power steps work well and are relatively cheap.

Nothing, just use them as they are.

I have superfeet in my old Dr Martens because what was there disintegrated after 10yrs or so but generally - I buy good stuff and rock it as-is.

I have Solomon hikers that have 1000s of miles on them and still hold up. Old Wolverine boots that have shoveled 13 winters and stood around on concrete for too many hours that are still comfy. OTOH, I replace my running shoes as soon as my forefoot starts to hurt... which is as expensive as a gym membership at about every 400 miles. I'd be interested in products that could help there - but I think the shoes are just made to be replaced in this case.

I tried superfeet but they didn't really fit correctly. I started buying better shoes and just using them as is and that seems to be working. FWIW I have wide feet (4E) and mostly buy New Balance shoes.

The insoles in shoes are one place the shoe companies cut price and use cheap padding. I use both gel insoles and arch support thingy in my shoes. Buying the shoes is half the battle then you have to customize them with insoles and stuff.

I've heard doc martins went back to making decent shoes but after getting two defective pairs in a row I won't get fooled again.

slowride wrote: I tried superfeet but they didn't really fit correctly. I started buying better shoes and just using them as is and that seems to be working. FWIW I have wide feet (4E) and mostly buy New Balance shoes.

Then you might be interested in this place, if you don't already know about it:

http://www.joesnewbalanceoutlet.com/

In reply to Basil Exposition: Thanks! That is where I buy all of my shoes. After the first order I vowed to never pay full price again...

slowride wrote: I tried superfeet but they didn't really fit correctly. I started buying better shoes and just using them as is and that seems to be working. FWIW I have wide feet (4E) and mostly buy New Balance shoes.

Check out Brooks shoe's as well. Only two brands that I like.

Thanks! Always on the lookout for shoes that come in wide widths. And with Brooks you can specify the arch too... pretty cool!

slowride wrote: Thanks! Always on the lookout for shoes that come in wide widths. And with Brooks you can specify the arch too... pretty cool!

While I am a desk jockey now, I was a caddy for 10 years and I have flat feet. My last 3 pairs of gym shoes (walking shoes) were Brooks "Beast"--10, EEEE. I can't recommend them highly enough.

That being said, I wouldn't rank them any higher or lower than New Balance. Just another brand that is very good.

mtn wrote:

slowride wrote: I tried superfeet but they didn't really fit correctly. I started buying better shoes and just using them as is and that seems to be working. FWIW I have wide feet (4E) and mostly buy New Balance shoes.

Check out Brooks shoe's as well. Only two brands that I like.

I'm running on a new set of Brooks myself and I have to say they are very nice. Light, thin, they soak up a good bit of shock load and are priced way below the Kayano Gel or Saucony Grids.

I have high arches... the Brooks site recommended the "Adrenaline GTS". I'll check them out when my current pair need replacing.

I have really flat feet and my wife has really high arches. By far the best for both of us has been custom orthotics made by a podiatrist - but be warned, they are very pricy!! Ours were around $300/pair twenty years ago. Fortunately, they are still like new, being made of hard plastic. I'm able to do quite well with Superfeet inserts in my shoes for normal use, but If I'm going to be on my feet for extended periods on hard surfaces, I use the orthotics.

I was having some foot problems probably 20 or 25 years ago so I went to a foot doctor, and he made some orthotics for me. They were made of some kind of dense foam; he heated up a couple pieces of it and formed them to my feet, then shaved and sanded them to final shape. They worked great and they were covered by my insurance.

For 25+ years drug store insoles (foam and gel) worked fine until latest job w/ concrete floors and a lotta OT. 40 hrs./ wk is generally OK but the 65 hrs. a couple weeks ago killed my feet and knees.

Been researching, will be looking at Perfekt cork from Cabela's, Superfeet, SOLE heat moldable, Walkfits and Dr. Scholl foot maps.

I need more arch support over standard so maybe start w/ the moldable or Dr. Scholl foot maps.

fasted58 wrote: Been researching, will be looking at Perfekt cork from Cabela's, Superfeet, SOLE heat moldable, Walkfits and Dr. Scholl foot maps.

FWIW, if the Cabela's Perfekt inserts are the ones that come stock in their Perfekt hiking boots (made by Meindl, best hiking boots I've ever owned, or likely will), I will say that they are one of the very few I've had that did not require immediate replacement. In fact, I've put tons of miles on those boots and they are still quite comfortable.