I've loved Sorbothane ever since collapsing my arches in a marathon, seeing an orthopedic resident who didn't know what to do, and ended up buying Sorbothane's graphite arch supports which may have helped my feet heal well. I have since always put graphite arches in my running shoes, but they're too thick for dress shoes.
I bought these as a replacement for some other thin Sorbothane insoles that I can't find anymore. These are also very thin, so they fit into regular shoes well, and have all of the wonderful shock absorbing qualities of Sorbothane. I find that with these types of insoles I can walk or be on my feet for far longer without foot problems.
As long as they keep making them, I'll keep buying them. Loyal customer for more than a decade.
Reviews with images
Best Shock Absorbtion but Heel Too Thick (Workaround Explained)
I'm an avid hiker who climbed 11 14ers and countless other ridges in 2012. My problem had always been my bony feet with high arches -- which limited my hike length (I called mine "10-mile feet"). I've cobbled my own insoles together for years, but hadn't found the right solution until recently.I had a pair of the classic sorbothane insoles, which I didn't use because the heel was simply too thick (raising my heel too high for the boot to grip). BUT -- I cut them in half and mated them to a pair of Arch Cradles by Pedifix (Amazon sells them; make sure to get the right size) Pedifix Arch Cradles. The PediFix arch cradles are the best heel-cup/arch/metatarsal support insoles I have ever found. They taper forward to a thin edge designed not to be felt by your foot. However, they do nothing to absorb shock or cushion the forefoot. Which is where my fix comes in.Sorbothane, being a dense elastic plastic with superb shock absortion and excellent heat resistance, grinds down without melting. I was able to cut my old sorbothane insoles in half and taper them with my belt sander to match the taper of the PediFix insoles. I taped them together and found that I had created the perfect insole...almost. Because there is room in my boots to do so, I also added a pair of standard Spenco FLAT neoprene insoles on top for extra cushioning. I used them on my last climb of the season (Longs Peak, a 14 mile hike with more than 5K' elevation gain and loss) and my feet, while tired, did not hurt at the end. The combination was unbeatable. The Spenco insoles are good for one season, but are relatively cheap to replace.Now, this may seem like a lot of work. But, for me, a guy who's been hiking for 50 years and does it a LOT, it was well worth the effort. How my feet feel at the end of the day is priceless. Now if someone would only make such a product...ALSO note: Sorbothane is available in sheet form Isolate It!: Sorbothane Vibration Damping Sheet Stock 50 Duro (1/8 x 12 x12in) which is cheaper than the insoles. 1/8" is the thickness of the insole's forefoot.A word on insoles that come standard in shoes: they exist for in-store comfort, and do you virtually no good in normal use. I never buy a show without a removable insole I can replace with something that works.A word on flat insoles: many, such as Superfeet (way overpriced IMHO), have excellent heel cups, but no metatarsal support (a "bump" that the fleshy part of your foot rides on that's just behind the metatarsal -- ball of foot -- bones). The Pedifix insoles may feel a little funny at first, but wear them for 5 minutes and that feeling disappears.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2014
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2015
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2013
I had a pair of the classic sorbothane insoles, which I didn't use because the heel was simply too thick (raising my heel too high for the boot to grip). BUT -- I cut them in half and mated them to a pair of Arch Cradles by Pedifix (Amazon sells them; make sure to get the right size) [[ASIN:B0015TK60Y Pedifix Arch Cradles]]. The PediFix arch cradles are the best heel-cup/arch/metatarsal support insoles I have ever found. They taper forward to a thin edge designed not to be felt by your foot. However, they do nothing to absorb shock or cushion the forefoot. Which is where my fix comes in.
Sorbothane, being a dense elastic plastic with superb shock absortion and excellent heat resistance, grinds down without melting. I was able to cut my old sorbothane insoles in half and taper them with my belt sander to match the taper of the PediFix insoles. I taped them together and found that I had created the perfect insole...almost. Because there is room in my boots to do so, I also added a pair of standard Spenco FLAT neoprene insoles on top for extra cushioning. I used them on my last climb of the season (Longs Peak, a 14 mile hike with more than 5K' elevation gain and loss) and my feet, while tired, did not hurt at the end. The combination was unbeatable. The Spenco insoles are good for one season, but are relatively cheap to replace.
Now, this may seem like a lot of work. But, for me, a guy who's been hiking for 50 years and does it a LOT, it was well worth the effort. How my feet feel at the end of the day is priceless. Now if someone would only make such a product...
ALSO note: Sorbothane is available in sheet form [[ASIN:B004LY8UTY Isolate It!: Sorbothane Vibration Damping Sheet Stock 50 Duro (1/8 x 12 x12in)]] which is cheaper than the insoles. 1/8" is the thickness of the insole's forefoot.
A word on insoles that come standard in shoes: they exist for in-store comfort, and do you virtually no good in normal use. I never buy a show without a removable insole I can replace with something that works.
A word on flat insoles: many, such as Superfeet (way overpriced IMHO), have excellent heel cups, but no metatarsal support (a "bump" that the fleshy part of your foot rides on that's just behind the metatarsal -- ball of foot -- bones). The Pedifix insoles may feel a little funny at first, but wear them for 5 minutes and that feeling disappears.
Best Shock Absorbtion but Heel Too Thick (Workaround Explained)
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2013
I'm an avid hiker who climbed 11 14ers and countless other ridges in 2012. My problem had always been my bony feet with high arches -- which limited my hike length (I called mine "10-mile feet"). I've cobbled my own insoles together for years, but hadn't found the right solution until recently.Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2013
I had a pair of the classic sorbothane insoles, which I didn't use because the heel was simply too thick (raising my heel too high for the boot to grip). BUT -- I cut them in half and mated them to a pair of Arch Cradles by Pedifix (Amazon sells them; make sure to get the right size) [[ASIN:B0015TK60Y Pedifix Arch Cradles]]. The PediFix arch cradles are the best heel-cup/arch/metatarsal support insoles I have ever found. They taper forward to a thin edge designed not to be felt by your foot. However, they do nothing to absorb shock or cushion the forefoot. Which is where my fix comes in.
Sorbothane, being a dense elastic plastic with superb shock absortion and excellent heat resistance, grinds down without melting. I was able to cut my old sorbothane insoles in half and taper them with my belt sander to match the taper of the PediFix insoles. I taped them together and found that I had created the perfect insole...almost. Because there is room in my boots to do so, I also added a pair of standard Spenco FLAT neoprene insoles on top for extra cushioning. I used them on my last climb of the season (Longs Peak, a 14 mile hike with more than 5K' elevation gain and loss) and my feet, while tired, did not hurt at the end. The combination was unbeatable. The Spenco insoles are good for one season, but are relatively cheap to replace.
Now, this may seem like a lot of work. But, for me, a guy who's been hiking for 50 years and does it a LOT, it was well worth the effort. How my feet feel at the end of the day is priceless. Now if someone would only make such a product...
ALSO note: Sorbothane is available in sheet form [[ASIN:B004LY8UTY Isolate It!: Sorbothane Vibration Damping Sheet Stock 50 Duro (1/8 x 12 x12in)]] which is cheaper than the insoles. 1/8" is the thickness of the insole's forefoot.
A word on insoles that come standard in shoes: they exist for in-store comfort, and do you virtually no good in normal use. I never buy a show without a removable insole I can replace with something that works.
A word on flat insoles: many, such as Superfeet (way overpriced IMHO), have excellent heel cups, but no metatarsal support (a "bump" that the fleshy part of your foot rides on that's just behind the metatarsal -- ball of foot -- bones). The Pedifix insoles may feel a little funny at first, but wear them for 5 minutes and that feeling disappears.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
R3d Bu11
Don't see any difference to normal insoles
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2014Amazon Customer
spend s but more for better insoles
Reviewed in Canada on April 1, 2018