Comprehensive Insole Review Thread

By Rolf Joho August 31, 2023 Badminton 0 Comments

Since I am myself unknowledgeable about insoles and through the search function I see that many other persons found themselves in quest for help with selecting insoles, I thought maybe we could do a shared thread in which we share our experience and review of various insole models?

I can list the following models so far, for some of which I’ve gathered valuable contributions from BC members:

YONEX

AC192

“No good” – Scott Kam

AC194

SORBOTHANE

Full Strike

“Thinnest and least supportive. Completely floppy and have no sort of structure.” – Ouchie

Double Strike

Sorbo Pro

“Sorbo Pro are a little thicker but not as much as some and my heel only just fits into the shoe without slipping out. They have arch support and a heel structure. The insoles are 4mm thick around the toes and a misleading 21mm at the heel (with real world thickness < 10mm which is still more than the Yonex standard insole). I would prefer the heel to be thinner but with the same cup shape around the heel and arch support. I might remove the gel pad under the heel to see if that helps. They work well as replacements but the heel does not feel as secured as it did with the old insoles. They are currently my favourite because they are not going to extremes with arch support or cushioning.”
– Ouchie

SPENCO

Polysorb Cross-Trainer

“Superb cushioning but still not too thick, good grip and durability and a fair price.” – S_Mair
“Amazing. Perfect protection for the knees, incredible cushioning and nice price.” – BadmiCat

Total Support

“More rigid support structures (arch and heel cup) and are a tad thicker overall. Overall too much
support for normal feet.” – S_Mair
“Very stable, very cushy on landing, yet it doesnt feel like walking on pillow (i.e. i can still feel
in touch with the ground)” – Justplaynow77

Total Max (Black Plate)

“This is my go to. total max is appreciably more stable/sturdy/durable/rigid than spenco total (gray plate).” – Offbad

Ironman Total Support Thin

KARAKAL

Gel Performance

“Original insoles or very thin and when these are fitted the first impression is that it makes me feel I’m too high in the shoe and have no support in the ankle but that may be down to the shoe being low. They are comfortable and my feet definitely took less punishment absorbed the impacts well. Definitely felt more bounce which was nice. I do have an ankle injury and wearing these made me more aware that I could roll my ankle but again could be the shoe”
– dg-19844

SIDAS

3 feet Active, Low

3 feet Active, Mid

“They are amazing. My feet are way less tired after a session and the extra heel support and cushioning is great. I don’t play without it anymore. These have three different heights to cater to different feet arches, mine was middle. The non-active variant of 3feet had the top fabric roll up on the edges, and have more of a denting under the ball of the foot after months of use than the Active. I would recommend the Active variant for sport much more, the arches seem the same but has different fabric and a gel patch under front foot. Try the different heights!!”
– Thyrif

3 feet Active, High

PHYSIX GEAR

Sport full length orthotics

“Very stiff arch support and heel cup which was reassuring but the cushioning is absolutely minimal/non existent. The forefoot thickness is similar to Yonex standard insoles but the heel cup is thicker and felt my heel slipping if the laces were not pulled tight. With the laces too tight my foot would ache. It was hard to find a comfortable balance yet the arch support really did help by arches. Not ideal as a replacement in Yonex shoes, poor cushioning, great solid arch support and heel cup.”
– Ouchie

SOFSOLE

Fit Series, Low Arch

“Good support but slippery top surface is not good for badminton. Best for casual wear or when you don’t need quick, lateral, stop/cut movements– like kwun mentioned.” – Offbad

Mens Air Sport

VICTOR

VT-XD 8

“Standard cushionning {…} good ‘bounce’ feel {…} as we lunge and skip around the court.
Does a good job in keeping the foot stay in place. Makes me feel my foot is safe and snug properly.”
– Justplaynow77

POWERSTEPS

Pinnacle Maxx

“It has better cushioning than either Spenco Total Max or Cross Trainer, but has an arch support that is in between the two. Great for badminton players with flat feet who can’t afford to pay for those custom made orthotics that cost upwards of $400 cad. It’s like a hybrid of the Spenco Cross Trainer and the Total Max, with both cushioning and arch support (to reduce overpronation).”
– Visor

SUPERFEET

All

“Superfeet insoles are popular for “other sports” like running, etc. but not good for badminton, the top surface is too slippery against regular socks and the feet will slide around. not good for badminton when lateral grip is vitally important.” – Kwun

Feel free to contribute with your experience and impressions with any of the listed models, or to add any model to the list!