Equipment Review: OrthoLite Fusion Insoles

I've never purchased new insoles for my running shoes. Instead, I've just relied on the insoles that came with the shoes. So, when I had the opportiunity to try the OrthoLite Fusion insoles, I jumped at the chance.

The website for the insoles (ortholite.com) describes the insoles in the following way.

Every year, OrthoLite insoles are built into over 100 million pairs of the top brands of athletic shoes and outdoor boots. The reason is simple: our brand partners know that high-quality insoles create the most comfortable shoes.
If you’re not one of the millions of Americans already using OrthoLite in your shoes, your opportunity is here. Say good-bye to the old, floppy, flat insoles and say hello to comfort and performance! Try the first after-market insole offered by OrthoLite!
Features:

• Designed to fit all athletic and outdoor shoes or boots
• Made with open-cell foam, allowing air to circulate around the foot, keeping it cooler and drier inside the shoe
• Wicks moisture away from your foot leaving your foot cooler and drier
• Unique spring-back technology ensures that your insole won’t flatten out and it will retain over 95% of its thickness over time
• Our patented anti-microbial formulation (approved by the EPA and FDA) fights fungus, bacteria and shoe odor
• Lightweight and fully washable

Ordering the right size Fusion insole:

Since every shoe is slightly different, OrthoLite Fusion comes in only whole sizes and may need to be trimmed slightly to fit inside your particular shoes. Those who wear a half-size shoe should round up to the nearest whole size when ordering insoles. When your insoles arrive, please follow these directions:

• Remove original insole from your shoe.
• Place old insole on top of new Ortholite insole and align them heel to heel.
• Trim the toe of the Ortholite insole with a scissor to match the toe shape of
  the existing insole.
• Insert Ortholite insole into shoe.

Please note: OrthoLite Fusion insoles are intended to replace your existing insole, not to sit on top of what is there. Before purchasing, please ensure that the existing insole in your shoe or boot can be removed without ripping or tearing.

I intended to put the insoles in the iSUMI shoes that I'm currently wearing, but I discovered that the iSUMI shoes already have OrthoLite insoles. I thus used my LOCO shoes for the evaluation. To give me a basis for comparison, I only put an OrthoLite insole in one shoe and left the LOCO insole in the other shoe. I walked around my house with the LOCO shoes and then wore them for a several mile run. I immediately noticed that the shoe containing the OrthoLite insole felt more comfortable. The LOCO shoes had about 100 miles on them, so the comparision with a new OrthoLite insole  probably wasn't quite fair, but having 100 miles on the LOCO insole probably didn't affect the insole much. After the run, I physically compared the two insoles and noticed that the OrthoLite was thicker at the ball of the foot; this probably accounted for the difference between the two insoles. Both insoles were "cupped" instead of being flat. After I start wearing my LOCO shoes full-time, I will replace their insoles with the Ortho insoles. I don't know, yet, if the Ortho insoles will last for 400 miles, and I will keep the LOCO insoles in case I need to replace the Ortho insoles.

I have no way of testing the claims by Ortho that their insoles wick moisture away from your feet. I also can't test the claim that the insoles have a microbial formation on the insoles, and that the insoles spring back after being compressed during use of the shoes. Ortho is an established company, and I assume their claims about the construction of the insoles are correct. I was, though, surprised to learn of the use of open-cell foam, because that foam compresses more than closed-cell foam. As the Ortho web site explains, open-cell foam allows more air circulation around the foot, and the "springingness" of the insoles probably compensates for the greater compression of the foam.

The insoles can be purchased online from Amazon and other web shoe stores; just be sure you follow the recommendations given above for getting the right size of insole.