SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Series Custom Footbed - Medium Volume

Comments about SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Series Custom Footbed - Medium Volume:

I have flat feet, which led to shin splints, problem knees and ankles, and back pain because of the amount of running I do. I asked my chiropractor about custom orthotics after seeing a display. When the insurance decided not to cover them, I was out over $200 for non-sport inserts. Needless to say they didn't hold up--the support cracked lengthwise within a half year, and the leather split across the ball of the foot soon after.

After my wife got me a trial pair at an outdoor retailer show, I figured I had nothing to lose...and I didn't. After heat molding them, I noticed they conformed to my feet and shoes better than the orthotics, and they offered better and more precise arch support also.

I'm now about to purchase my fourth pair after running 1200+ miles in them. The only reason I'm on my fourth instead of my third is because they heat quicker and mold faster the second time. BE CAREFUL to only go 2 minutes warming them up, otherwise you're left with stinky, black Sole potato chips.

Comments about SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Series Custom Footbed - Medium Volume:

I have tried many different insoles from the cheap to moderately expensive (non-custom) insoles. In the past I have gotten blisters or soreness in my arches when trying to use after market insoles for more stability and support.

The final straw for me was when the insoles that came with my trail running shoes completely packed out to be paper thin after only a little over 100 miles of use. I happen to be part way into a 55 mile run at the time which made for a painful remainder of my run.

From day one after pulling my insoles from the oven I have never been happier. I have not had a single blister, I have over 500 plus trail miles on my insoles and they are on their second pair of shoes. I have even used my trail shoes for a couple training hikes with a 60+ pound pack and my feet had plenty of support and felt great.

I just finished a 50 mile race and walked away with my feet ready for more.

Dean has his name on a great product that I would be proud to put my name next to. I can't wait to get a pair of the Ed Viesturs for my mountaineering boots.

Comments about SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Series Custom Footbed - Medium Volume:

I really wanted to like these however I encountered two problems:
1) The heel of the insole was thicker than the insole on my Brooks shoes. This lifted my heel and caused my heel to slip with every step.
2) The arch was in the wrong place for my foot. No amount of heat molding was going to correct this.

To be clear, neither of these is really a quality or design problem with the insoles but rather an inevitable outcome. You can't make an insole that's going to work well with every foot and every model of shoe. This is definitely one of those items you want to buy at REI so if it doesn't work out you can easily return it. I know plenty of people who swear by these insoles so they're certainly worth trying out.

Comments about SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Series Custom Footbed - Medium Volume:

These soles did not work for me. They put the support in the wrong place. I followed the directions exactly and gave them every chance including walking in them a week and then backpacking with them for two days and 12 miles before changing back to the insoles that came with my boots. Here's the story.

I have always had a problem finding shoes with sufficient arch support (and toe box room). Recently I've started wearing Keen hiking shoes and they come very close to solving my shoe fit problems completely. The low tops are so comfortable that I now use them for everyday wear. However, their mid-rise hiking shoes felt too pronated. I was advised by the saleswoman (at REI) to try the Sole Softec insoles, so I did. I wear a 9 1/2 or a 10 depending on the shoe - so I bought the men's 9 1/2 to 10 size insole and followed the instructions for the heat molding process exactly. Here's what I discovered.
I first trimmed the soles so that they fit in my shoes. I did this using the Keen insoles as a guide. That worked well. I put the soles into the boots before heating them to see how they felt - I wanted to get a feel for how the heating and forming process changed the soles. The support hit me too far behind the arch on the inside of the heel. That was uncomfortable. I heated them according to the instructions, put them into my boots and stood in them for about five minutes. Nothing changed. At least I could not feel a change. So I wore them for two days to let my foot adjust. That didn't help, so I tried the heat molding process again. Again no detectable change or improvement. Nonetheless, I wore them for 3 more days with no improvement in comfort and again tried the heating process. The support was simply in the wrong place. I flew to Seattle and wore them walking around Seattle for a couple of days. I then went to Glacier National Park and wore them while carrying a pack on the Highline and Loop trail (fantastic hiking). The insoles retained the original problem - the support was too far back on my foot - it was not under my arch where I needed it - it was under the inside of my heel. So I switched back to the Keen insoles and then hiked from Lake McDonald to Sperry Glacier and then out over Gunsight Pass, about 20 miles of rugged and spectacular terrain. My feet felt much better and the Softec soles won't be going back into my boots.
Obviously, they weren't so bad I couldn't walk in them, but I gave them more than enough chance to work and they made my feet hurt throughout the process due to the misplaced distribution of the support. I had hoped that the heat molding process would form the support to my foot. It did not and, in fact, I could not detect any customizing of the fit.
You can check my story for yourself. Just look at the heel in the Sole Softec insoles. You can see that the inside of the heel well right behind the arch is too high. It's not a rounded heel well. There is a visible bump where the inside/forward part of you heel will be - and that won't come out as the result of their heat forming process.

Comments about SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Series Custom Footbed - Medium Volume:

The Dean Karnazas innersoles improve greatly what is already the best trail shoe I've ever worn – the Salomon XA 3D Pro Ultra in WIDE. The innersoles cushion the foot, keep rocks and outcroppings from coming up the bottom of the shoe and they keep the trail heat from entering from the bottom. I am doing 20-25 miles a week in the Santa Monica Mountains in mid-day in mid-summer and my feet run cool.

I am 66 years old, just coming back from a total hip replacement and recently returned from a month trekking and day hiking in the Himalayas where I wore this combination daily.

Comments about SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Series Custom Footbed - Medium Volume:

I use these in my running shoes. They offer better arch support than any other insole I've used, including Superfeet. They seem durable, though only time will tell. They fit well in my shoes. They are thicker than other insoles I've used which puts my foot slightly higher in the shoe. It's not really a problem, but is something to consider if you have tight shoes. The support is worth the extra volume inside the shoe.

Comments about SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Series Custom Footbed - Medium Volume:

I was a bit weary about heating them up and molding them because I was afraid I would lose some support. Not so. They were just as supportive and incredibly comfortable after I molded them. They may just give my superfeet a run for their money.

Comments about SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Series Custom Footbed - Medium Volume:

I need good arch support for daily walking and exercising on my elliptical machine, which has a motion similar to classical cross-country skiing. I have been wearing New Balance insoles until now, and I found them supportive, but not particularly rigid.

Based on reviews I read here, I ordered the Dean Karnazes. After several attempts at heat-molding, the results pale compared to the molded insoles I have in my snowboard boots (both softies and hardshell). Those, done in a ski shop, show clear differences between the left and right foot, especially with regard to arch height and shape, both longitudinally and horizontally.

This was not the case with the Soles. My right foot, a size 8.5, fit well. The left, a nine, did not. I wore the insoles one day before the pain sent me back to the gummy New Balance insoles. As others have pointed out, the arch is simply too far back for some people: I'm one of them.

Maybe I've been too harsh with the two-star rating, but I expect "moldable" to mean just that, not "sort of moldable" or "somewhat malleable."

Comments about SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Series Custom Footbed - Medium Volume:

These are the only "over the counter" inserts that have worked for me. I have tried many, including most of the popular brands, and none have helped except these. I have planter fasciitis and have had problems running and hiking for years. These inserts allow me to hike and run roads and trails pain free. A couple of negative reviews indicate that the arch is too far back, and I can understand the complaints; it's a little too far back for my preference as well. When I first get them it just seems that the arch should be farther forward. But they keep me pain free and the others don't, so I give them five stars.

Comments about SOLE Dean Karnazes Signature Series Custom Footbed - Medium Volume:

I love my Keens. I have about 6 pairs of Keens and wear them everyday. Unfortunately they don't make ski boots.

I wear Salomon ski boots that fit my feet really well except that the arches of my feet always hurt when I used them. I tried the red Superfeet and my arches actually hurt worse than with the original footbeds. Eventually I tried the Sole footbeds and my problem has been solved.

I heat molded them according to the directions and I no longer have sore feet. Highly recommended if you're a Keen person.