These gold standard arch and foot supports absorb shock, support your arches, and improve your alignment so you can participate in athletic events. They are lightweight, heat-moldable insoles that conform to your feet and feature 1.6 millimeters of SOLEs Softec cushioning for comfort.

We are not going to tell those who swear by custom orthotics that these are better-- merely an alternative that you can try. And they are less expensive. They come highly recommended by athletes as well and have a very long track record stretching back for over 7 years or so.

The main difference between these and the other orthotics reviewed here

These can be heated and molded to your feet. That’s the difference. To some this matters and to other feet the others are fine. It simply depends on your feet and how much you stand or how many miles you run.

Can relieve Achilles tendonitis as well as plantar fasciitis

They are firm in the right place and have cushion in the right places. At least for most feet. They are a little harder than say, the Powerstep Pinnacle. Personally, I prefer the hardness over the softness but everyone is different.

Cooking or heating the arch insoles to mold to your feet

These give you true support and do mold to your feet. You do put these in the oven for a bit, and when they're ready you put them into the shoe you are going to use them in and let them mold to your foot size. So there is some effort to fitting them to your feet but it’s not rocket science. They become 100% custom fit to your foot and shoe.

The heating of the supports make them moldable to have different amounts of support for your left versus your right foot. So they can be different as your feet are actually different from each other.

Sometimes people feel that if you mold them and use them for one pair of shoes, you can’t use them in another pair. But if you need to, you can put them into another pair of shoes without issue unless they are vastly different shoes. For instance, they are not going to work in dress shoes and flip flops.

Super Durability makes them worth the money

These really last. Some have told me they’ve had them over a year and there are many people who have used them for as many as 2 years. Marathoners won't get 2 years out of them of course. They are also known to work well for those who have to stand a lot as well as those who run a lot of miles. Most can actually tolerate standing at events longer with these in their shoes.

They may or may not replace your insoles that came with running shoes. Most said they added them instead of replacing the insoles.

Other versions

Which version? There are Dean Karnazes, the runner, Ed Viesturs the climber, and other versions. It can be confusing. We know the Dean Karnazes promise to improve alignment for runners. Obviously, you’d choose based on your sport.

Thick or thin insoles? Thinner insoles for dress shoes and these for athletic shoes

Sole, the manufacturer, makes different insoles with different amounts of padding. The Ultra model has the most padding, which is particularly good for hiking boots, trail running shoes or steel toed shoes. The extra padding is also nice if you are trying to fit narrow or bony feet into shoes.

Let’s face it. These don’t always fit into dress shoes, particularly women’s dress shoes. There are thinner ones for dress shoes. Since we are an athletic network, we focus on that which works in athletic shoes but it’s important to note that there is a version for dress shoes.

The thinner Sole insoles are a better choice if you're wearing snug-fitting running shoes or bicycling shoes, ice skates or ski boots.