I have feet that were born to hurt. I'm 6'5" and much of my life (though not now) I have been overweight. To make matters worse, although I wear size 13-14 shoes, I have a very light bone structure and a high arch. This is a recipe for plantar fasciitis, which I have "enjoyed" for more than twenty years. In that time, I have tried custom hard-plastic orthotics from a couple of podiatrists. Without exception, they were horribly uncomfortable and the slow, patient adaptation process recommended by the prescribers did not help me tolerate them. I then went the other way, to ultra-soft Dr. Scholl's silicone inserts that felt great in the morning but provided no support as the day wore on. My next attempt was heat-molded insoles from Sole. I found that those didn't really mold well to my feet despite my meticulous attention to the instructions. Further, they were seriously stiff in the midfoot and, at least for my feet, the arch support was too far forward. Not as uncomfortable as the hard plastic orthotics but still no improvement over plain shoes.
I was at the point of giving up when a shoe salesman suggested that I try the Superfeet footbeds. I selected the Copper model and they arrived promptly. I removed the thin foam rubber liners in my shoes and used them as templates to cut the Superfeet to size. If you do this, you need to know that the forefoot of the Superfeet insert is made of some very tough stuff. You're going to need heavy kitchen or shop shears to cut them. Attempting the trimming process with ordinary household scissors will leave you with sore hands and sprung blades.
Having cut them to size, I slipped them into my shoes, laced up, and walked tentatively around the room. OK, let me cut to the chase. They felt great. The insole is quite firm in the midfoot but, unlike the model from Sole, the arch is far enough back so that it gives me real support instead of making me feel like I have a big, smooth rock in my shoe. I had no break-in period at all; I just put them in and walked away.
To summarize: The Superfeet copper footbeds appear to be well made of durable materials. They are quite thin in the forefoot and I have not noticed that they have molded to my feet, as advertised. There is little room for molding when the footbed is at most 3/16" thick under the metatarsal fat pad and toes. The heel cup is deep and improves stability for my relatively week ankles. For me, they required no break-in; they were comfortable from the first moment. My plantar fasciitis, while not completely gone, is much better and I no longer feel like my feet have been beaten up after a five mile walk.
But note: Feet are all different. I am enthusiastically positive about the Superfeet Copper footbeds. However, I have not compared them to every competitor out there, nor have I tried the less expensive models in the Superfeet range. In particular, I have not tried the store-molded custom inserts that one can purchase at ski shops and outfitters. Further, no footbed will help if the shoes in which they are worn are not properly and sturdily made and accurately fitted. I encourage you to try a variety of footbeds/inserts/insoles in your shoes before making a purchase decision.
My disclaimer: I have no financial or other interest in the manufacturer and I have received no inducements of any kind for this review.
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An ex-football player past his prime (6'3", 360 lbs, size 13D, medium arch), I was recently diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. My orthopod recommended daily stretching exercises and Orthoheel slippers to wear indoors (no more walking around in socks). What a difference! The slippers and exercises lessened my symptoms from the start and, over time, eliminated most of my discomfort, so I decided to find some orthotic inserts to improve my street shoes.
So far, I've tested:
1. Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Extra Support
2. Aetrex Copper Medium Arch
3. Spenco Polysorb Total Support
4. Superfeet Copper DMP
5. Powerstep Pinnacle
each for two hours' total walking time over a few days in two pairs of my favorite shoes: New Balance 606 hikers and Cole Haan loafers with Nike Air.
I was naturally curious about Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Extra Support, advertised for big & tall men. They didn't do much for me. While the extra cushioning helped at first, it helped less and less the longer I walked on them. I mentioned this to my orthopod and he told me the key to managing PF is not cushioning, it's support. Grade: D
Next I tried the Spenco Polysorb Total Support. Remembering my doc's advice, I chose these for the rigid heel cup and arch support. Though quite comfortable overall, the arch support was a bit too low for my medium-high arches and the heel cup was insufficient support for weight. While they worked reasonably well for me, I believe they would a be better choice for lighter individuals with lower arches. Grade: B
I chose Aetrex Copper Medium Arch to get better arch support. After wearing these in both pairs of shoes for a while, I could hardly tell a difference from the Spenco insoles. Eventually, I popped one of the insoles out and swapped it for the Spenco and walked around the block. Only by walking on one of each could I tell them apart. I found the Spenco offered a little better support for the midand fore-parts of my foot while the Aetrex offered a little better support for my arch. Grade: B
Coincidentally, I was in an Allen Edmonds store and noticed Superfeet insoles. I asked the clerk about them and she raved how many men my size have good success with them. I tried the Orange and the Copper DMP versions in the store. Finding the Orange too high for my arches, I later ordered a pair of the Superfeet Copper DMP. These are easily the most rigid of the insoles I've tried...and easily the best. Superfeet arch support sits farther back on the insole than other brands. This made a real difference in the support I felt walking long distances. I also found the medial post support in the heel did a better job than other insoles in combatting overpronation. Grade: A
Most recently, I tried the Powerstep Pinnacle insole. While it seems well-made and offered good support, it simply did not work for me. The gel-based arch support sits too far forward and in the middle of the insole. The insoles felt like I had lumps of soft clay underfoot. After a few blocks of brisk walking, my feet began to fatigue as if I were walking barefoot in sand. Again, these may work for some people but they didn't for me. Grade: C
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I have owned lots of different Superfeet insoles from the blue, green, black, and the custom form ones. These copper ones are much better than the other non-custom form Superfeet insoles.
Honest reviews on Superfeet Copper DMP Premium Insoles
After almost three years of issues with both of my feet, torn tendon, fracture and neuroma in both feet and I am still young in my early 40's I was wearing the blue superfeet until today and was fitted for the new copper superfeet. So far wearing them for about 3 hours and what a difference. With the proper shoes that were fitted to my feet and the inserts in just one day pains in my knee and feet have gone away!!! Make sure you have the right size shoes or insoles don't work!
Thanks to Dr. Toy and the Awesome people at Fleet Feet!!
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I have ridiculously high arches and always buy the green inserts, lest I find myself with a very stubborn case of plantar fasciitis. I recently decided to try these for something different and feel they are fairly comparable. The cushioning is nice and appreciated in my work boots, though the arch support doesn't seem as high as the greens. I also believe that these are sized slightly differently I purchased the same size as I always do in the green inserts, but these feel a tad shorter. These are working well in my work boots despite being a touch too short, though I will probably go back to the greens for my purposes once this set has worn out.
