Heat-mouldable, aftermarket Canadian footbed put through the wringer.
Sole Footbed -
Tested
|
Price:
£37
|
|
Weight: N/A
grammes
|
|
Features:Heat-mouldable
replacement footbed with heat mouldable EVA base, Softec cushioning
upper and Moisture-Wick top sheet. Sizes from women's 5 to men's 22.
|
What's It
For?
Sole footbeds are a replacement for the basic removable standard
footbeds supplied with boots and shoes. They're heat-mouldable to
conform to the individual contours of your foot and intended to give
increased comfort and support compared to standard footbeds. They may,
say Sole, also help with soreness from 'from flat feet, bunions, back
and knee pain, and plantar fasciitis'.
The Techy
Bits
Standard footbeds supplied with most outdoors footwear are a very basic
and cheap foam item which provides limited support. The idea behind
Sole and similar footbeds is to provide better arch support and a
deeper, more stable heel cup. They're not aimed at people with severe
biometric problems, but those who have a normal foot strike with slight
pronation.
Sole uses a solid-ish EVA base with a layer of foam on top available in
different thicknesses - these have 3.2mm - but you customise the insole
by heating it to 90 degrees C then standing on it in a neutral position
to enhance comfort and support and allowing it to conform to the
contours of your foot. The underlying base shape provides the support
with a pronounced arch support and deep heel cup, while the overlaying
foam layer increases comfort.
The company claims that they even out pressure across the foot and
improve both comfort and support.
How They
Performed
We had a set of Soles fitted last October and have been using them ever
since. For reference we generally use Superfeet footbeds, which offer
good support but are quite hard. The Sole units subjectively offer a
similar level of support but the soft foam layer on the top of the
footbed makes for a different, more comfortable feel. That doesn't make
them 'better' than Superfeet, just different.
The increased arch support is immediately apparent compared to stock
footbeds and is the deep heel cup. What's also clear is that the Soles
take up a fair amount of volume in the shoe, which is great if you have
that space to play with, but you may want a thinner version if your
shoes or boots are already quite close fitting.
The moulding process is very simple. You just heat the Soles to 90C in
a domestic oven - there's a temperature indicator sticker on the shoe
to help you get it right - then slip them into the shoes and stand in a
neutral position for two minutes to let the footbeds adopt the shape of
your feet. That's it and it does make a difference. Worn back to back
with unheated Soles, there was a noticeable change in feel with the
heat-moulded ones being more comfortable and less intrusive.
Soles and similar aren't intended as an answer to serious foot and
biomechanical complaints, but Sole say they may help with soreness from
minor issues like flat feet and broadly speaking we'd agree that they
do seem to give better comfort and support over long days with more
cushioning than Superfeet, the nearest obvious competitor.
Interestingly, Sole footbeds are now being supplied with all
Haglöfs footwear, so buy some Haglöfs shoes or boots
and
you're also getting a pair of these thrown in. Otherwise you'll have to
buy them separately.
The Sole footbeds give a slightly different feel to their obvious
competitors with a more padded upper incerasing comfort and cushioning.
The downside is that they also take up more volume which some users
will find handy and others won't. As far as biomechanical claims go,
well, it's probably fair to say that these do give better support and
stability than the majority of standard footbeds, but they're not going
to sort out more serious imbalances, for that, you need to see a sports
podiatrist.
Having said that, these offer the best combination of support and
comfort of any aftermarket footbeds we've tried and the heat-mouldable
foam makes a detectable difference, though if you're squeamish about
roasting your expensive purchase, you can leave them untreated. We
reckon they will eventually mould to your feet with use over time
anyway.
Not cheap but effective. And after around five months of regular use,
ours seem quite durable with no signs of damage or deterioration.
Buy if you
have a normal foot
strike and are looking for a comfortable aftermarket footbed offering
good arch support and heel stability combined with increased cushioning
and you have space in your shoes to burn.
|
Good combination of comfort and support over the day, heat-mouldability
makes difference, come with Haglöfs shoes.
 Not cheap and
the 3.2mm foam on the version tested takes up additional volume in your
boot or shoe.
|
|
Performance
|
|
|
Value
|
|
Know more or want to?
If you'd like to add your own
experiences of this
product check out our user review system and post your opinions to
the world. If you have questions you can mail
us direct, ask
Richard Gear or try
a posting to our
gear
forum.
