Custom Insoles Mold To Foot And Shoe
Product: FitPrints custom insoles
Description: A custom moldable footbed featuring a layering system of dual-zone moisture-wicking fabric, closed-cell urethane foam, thermoplastic polymer, barrier film and mesh fabric.
Pro: Place the footbeds into a microwave and “cook” until the polymer becomes soft and pliable. Place the footbeds into your shoe and then walk for five minutes to allow the footbed to take an impression of your foot within your shoe. These inserts are comfortable and supportive. After approximately 200 miles of wear, they still look like new. They can be remolded repeatedly. Changing shoes? Microwave and remold for a perfect fit each time.
Con: In the soft state, the footbeds must be handled carefully, and unless placed very accurately within your shoe, can develop wrinkles and ridges as they set up. You can remove the footbeds and start over, but when you are trying to place the insoles in shoes where placement is difficult (running shoes with a built-in neoprene sock for example) you may end up cursing the idea of a moldable footbed.
Comments: Buying a boot without a custom footbed is a bit like purchasing a luxury car that has been outfitted with economy car seats. Why don’t manufacturers put higher quality footbeds in their $150 boots? Cost is one factor, but fit should be the overriding concern. The foot consists of 26 bones and 109 ligaments in a multitude of foot shapes, contours and curves.
That is where the custom footbed comes in. A good footbed that is designed to meet the needs of the user “serves to customize the fit of the boot, give it a more personal feel and puts the foot in the right places inside the boot and keeps it there,” says Evan Wert, marketing manager for Superfeet insoles. Superfeet (800) 634-6618) offers a great insole too, called the Trim-To-Fit. It sells for around $30.
The Michigan Podiatric Medical Association says the average person will walk 115,000 miles in a lifetime and take 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day. Each step exerts a pressure as much as three to four times a person’s body weight on the feet - more while wearing a backpack. An average day of walking brings a force equal to several tons to bear on the feet. No wonder your “dogs” are tired at night.
Suggested Retail: $40
Company: Perfect Impression, 12811 Coit Road, Cleveland, OH 44108; (800) 349-7440.