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- Verified Buyer
Ive been a superfeet customer for years, but decided to try sole brand insoles. Having thru-hiked the continental divide trail, the appalachian trail… and many others. Not to mention walking approximately ten to fifteen miles per day on the streets etc… to try and stay in shape.. ive tried every size, shape, thickness level of insoles known to humanity. The Sole brand had something the superfeet did not have.. and that was “thickness” level. Such as thin, medium, and thick insoles. Each with more foam to supposedly provide comfort for your feet. And this was brilliant… or so i thought. Given that superfeet brand seem to be carbon fiber.. hard as a rock. However, things didn’t work out this way.The good… the Sole brand inserts, having different thicknesses, provided support in shoes which i normally would not have used supportive insoles within, such as tighter Arcteryx shoes. And.. they work better than superfeet in shoes requiring more flex such as sneakers etc.. And… if your a nurse, doctor, law enforcement officer etc.. another words a person who stands still more often than walking. Than the Sole brand with the cushioning is better.The Bad… However, is that you dont need cushioning. If you own a supposedly stiff brand such as the superfeet? They hold your foot ready, and steady. Your FOOT does not go up and down banging agains the insole. It is held firmly, like Birkenstock shoes (against the foot), not only providing support, but assuring you walk exactly the same way with each step. The sole brand insert does not provide this. Yes… it has arch support… but your foot moves and flexes around more. Which means, if you’ve got foot issues… your still going to have them with this brand. Problem two.. your feet sweet like crazy wearing these. They get wet with sweat, which absorbs into the insole making them smell, and your feet to remain ridiculously warm the entire time. Unlike the superfeet brand, which doesn’t absorb odor, or wetness… and keep your feet cooler. And you can wipe them off afterwards. You cant do this with Sole inserts.The two worse bad things about Sole brand? They push you on the “cork” versions which are supposedly better for the environment right? But heres how they are actually worse… the Cork versions? They fall apart when they get wet. Which they DO… wether you wear them in streams or rain, because your sweat absorbs into the insole. And this means, instead of the insole lasting for years like the superfeet insole , your always having to replace them. So which is really better for the environment? Also, They squeak like crazy.. I mean don’t expect to wear them to work… forget about it.. and the final bad thing? I don’t know about the rest of you… but i wear Darn tough socks and similar because i put serious miles on my feet and want the best for them. However, the Sole brand inserts wear through my socks in a single week! They rub your foot because, unlike the superfeet insoles which hold your foot consistent with each step, there is more movement of the foot. Proof of this is they blow right through wools socks like crazy. I normally get a years use out of a darn tough sock before sending them in for free lifetime replacement right? I tried an experiment the other day, and put a brand new pair of socks on my feet, put the SOLE brand insert in my shoes and walked seven miles. They wore through my socks on that seven miles. One walk!!!! I Pulled the three pairs of Sole inserts ( i have a thin, medium, and thick set of inserts; having tried each type), out of my shoes. I will never use them again.And by the way… my knees are killing me for the first time in years, because, as i said, unlike the superfeet inserts which allow me to walk perfectly the same with each step (like orthotics should), the SOLE brand inserts are like going back to using whatever junk comes in your shoe when you bought them. Just the knee problems alone, as if they are not orthotically useful at all, except for the fact that they have painful arch support (even after heating them). They are not good for me. I put the superfeet inserts back in all of my shoes. If you bought them… good luck.These are great and very comfortable. The only complaint I might have is that because they are made of cork they squeak when you walk. In all fairness I did not heat them up before putting them in my shoes. The sales person where I got the original pair said that wasn’t necessary but I wonder if that might be why they squeak. Regardless, I have three pair now in three different sets of shoes and love themFits pretty good, and comfortable. Unfortunately, they squeak very loudly and both insoles cracked at the ball of the foot after 4 hours of use. Does not seem to affect performance, but I suspect they will not last long. Other brands made of plastic just as good and more durable (and cheaper).
