Old Insoles
Yes, I’m writing a gear review on orthotics. No single piece of “gear” has ever had such a positive impact on my ability to train and perform without unnecessary pain and injury (knees, IT band, hip flexor, etc). Until two weeks ago, I had almost accepted the fact that my knees would always hurt after every workout. After using my orthotics, my 26 year-old knees no longer feel like they are 60!
Prior to getting orthotics, I had been using heat-moldable foam insoles (Sole brand). The foam insoles were better than nothing at all, but entirely inadequate for a person that has completely flat feet. Now that the honeymoon period is over for my orthotics, I feel that I can give an honest review:
Materials - Performance and Durability
I chose carbon fiber as the base material because it was one of the lightest options and it is relatively stiff with little flex (important for someone that needs maximum support). Based on 70 miles of running, I can say that the carbon fiber base is working well for me (160 lbs). I don’t feel any flex and it does appear to be quite durable.
For the top/finish material, my podiatrist recommended a soft rubber/sponge layer (very much like a thin mouse pad) to give my feet some relief from the stiff base layer. Since I had purchased all of my shoes and boots on the basis of how they fit with my Sole insoles, I needed to make sure that the resulting orthotic was of a similar thickness. After hearing that the rubber/sponge layer would yield a comparable thickness, I agreed to my podiatrist’s recommendation.
After only two weeks of use, the junction of the top layer and the base layer is not holding up. The sharp carbon fiber is slowly cutting through the rubber. Additionally, when sweat is added to the equation, the rubber sections tend to hold in moisture. This causes them to break down faster and become very floppy. The floppiness becomes a problem when you switch from one shoe/boot to another. When wet, trying to put my insoles into a hard shell ski boot or hard leather mountaineering boot is like trying to get a wet noodle to stand up straight.
Despite being unimportant to the overall function of my orthotics, a new top layer (which also makes up the front half of the orthotic) will cost me $50 to replace. I’m guessing that my current top layer won’t survive more than another month. When I replace the top layer/forefoot, I’ll probably get a thin high density foam that has a better use life, less moisture retention and more structural integrity and form.
Prior to getting orthotics, I had been using heat-moldable foam insoles (Sole brand). The foam insoles were better than nothing at all, but entirely inadequate for a person that has completely flat feet. Now that the honeymoon period is over for my orthotics, I feel that I can give an honest review:
Materials - Performance and Durability
I chose carbon fiber as the base material because it was one of the lightest options and it is relatively stiff with little flex (important for someone that needs maximum support). Based on 70 miles of running, I can say that the carbon fiber base is working well for me (160 lbs). I don’t feel any flex and it does appear to be quite durable.
For the top/finish material, my podiatrist recommended a soft rubber/sponge layer (very much like a thin mouse pad) to give my feet some relief from the stiff base layer. Since I had purchased all of my shoes and boots on the basis of how they fit with my Sole insoles, I needed to make sure that the resulting orthotic was of a similar thickness. After hearing that the rubber/sponge layer would yield a comparable thickness, I agreed to my podiatrist’s recommendation.
After only two weeks of use, the junction of the top layer and the base layer is not holding up. The sharp carbon fiber is slowly cutting through the rubber. Additionally, when sweat is added to the equation, the rubber sections tend to hold in moisture. This causes them to break down faster and become very floppy. The floppiness becomes a problem when you switch from one shoe/boot to another. When wet, trying to put my insoles into a hard shell ski boot or hard leather mountaineering boot is like trying to get a wet noodle to stand up straight.
Despite being unimportant to the overall function of my orthotics, a new top layer (which also makes up the front half of the orthotic) will cost me $50 to replace. I’m guessing that my current top layer won’t survive more than another month. When I replace the top layer/forefoot, I’ll probably get a thin high density foam that has a better use life, less moisture retention and more structural integrity and form.
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