Our Verdict

Superfeet Green is over-charging at $50-$60 for non-custom insoles which offer little arch support and a flat plastic shell.  If you have a known condition like Flat Feet, Plantar Fasciitis, or Heel Spurs, we would recommend an orthotic with a bit more strength throughout (like Powerstep). However, if you have strong arches, are athletic, and are just looking for a bit of extra padding, Superfeet is a good option.

Pros & Cons

Comparison

• If you are looking for a sturdy and versatile cushion to add to your shoe and give some shock absorption with stability, this is a good option. The deep heel cup will keep the achilles area stabilized to somewhat prevent overpronation. 

• If you don’t have any major conditions, but are just tired on your feet after a long day, this is a good option.  

• Superfeet is also a good option for athletes that just want a bit more cushion in their shoe. With a hard foam athletes will get good energy responsiveness and will find it quick to return to shape after a hard step down. 

• Finally the deep heel cup will keep the heel locked in place, making it a great insole for playing a laterally dominant sport like tennis or pickleball. 

Who should not buy

• We would steer clear if you have a more serious and painful condition like flat feet, plantar fasciitis, or tendonitis. The overall lack of arch support outside of foam means it will not re-destribute pressure as well as other insoles like Powerstep.  Foam is also quick to depress and won’t keep its shape over time given the orthotic below it is flat and doesn’t have the orthotic shape built into it.  

• Finally, with no toe support, we would not recommend Superfeet for those suffering from toe or generalized metatarsal pain.

Material Overview 

• Layers: 3
• Top Layer: Microfiber
• Middle Layer: EVA Foam
• Bottom Shell: Plastic

Shell separated from foam and top layer

Cross section of Superfeet

Superfeet upside down showing the plastic shell bottom

The orthotic itself is made up of three layers. First is a plastic shell bottom. This looks to be injected molded and goes about ⅔ up the sole. Its construction is durable and has little bend to it. Plastic is a generally accepted material, although it is prone to cracking.

5MM EVA foam seen from the side

On top of the plastic is a 5MM foam mid layer to offer a level of shock absorption. We noticed that after not much wear, the layers are starting to separate a bit. However, this is likely a minor issue as movement with an orthotic is generally straight down and not horizontal. 

Glue holding foam and plastic sole

Small microfiber top layer. 

Finally, there is a thin piece of microfiber to prevent odor and keep the core orthotic fresh. This top cushion is made up of 5mm of EVA foam. This is on par with other cushioned layers we see in this space. It is a fairly dense piece of foam, as we will see in the later sections. 

Core Support

Support Level: Low

The bottom layer of the orthotic is generally the most important element of an orthotic. It’s what gives the orthotic its shape to provide corrections for the patient's gait. This is really where the orthotic falls short. 

As you can see, the orthotic itself doesn’t have ANY arch support: it’s simply flat. In most orthotics, we would expect the arch area to be raised to provide mid foot support, especially for flat-footed individuals. With this approach, superfeet is solely relying on the foam layer to provide support. Unfortunately, foam is not the best under load and will lose shape pretty easily. 

The shell does have a deep heel area. While this won’t offer any additional support, it does that job fairly well of keeping the top foam layer in place and cradled around your heel.

Metatarsal Area

Quality: 1 of 5

On the undercarriage, we see the most small metatarsal bar. These are usually placed behind the ball of the foot to offload pressure from the metatarsal heads. It can also have a secondary effect of improving the toe-off mechanics by creating a smoother transition as the foot rolls forward. In this case, it’s just too small to have an impact on the individual. The area just immediately depressed upon weighted pressure. 

Arch

• Arch Height: 8.5MM
• Quality: LOW

Without a strong arch to support your weight, the insole cannot help distribute weight properly from the arch area, leading to pain and over-pronation. 

Unfortunately, one of the weaker areas of the Super Feet Insole is the strength of the arch. The plastic orthotic itself does not have a raised arch area at all, leaving the EVA foam to take the brunt of the load. While foam is great for absorbing impact, it’s not the best for maintaining it’s shape.

With weight put on the arch area of the superfeet green. We can see it break down almost immediately. 

The arch height itself is 8.5 mm high (13.5MM- the initial 5MM). This is a bit under average for an arch on an OTC orthotic. The issue here is that its made of foam. Without any rigid element to it, the foam will eventually collapse under the heavy load of the foot. Remember that the body places 2X it’s weight on the insole while walking, and up to 6X while running. Foam, while good for deflecting shock, is not ideal for strength. 

Not only is foam bad at keeping shape, but over time it’s not going to go back to it’s original position. The foam in time will be permanently be depressed. For this reason, it’s better to have foam just be a top layer, and have something like TPU plastic or even cork below it to add strength. 

Heel Quality

Superfeet has a deep heel cup, measuring in at .8 inches. This will allow the foot to stay locked in place and prevent over-pronation. We also find deep heel cups comfortable as you don’t slide around as much if you are wearing loose shoes (which is common for Americans).

Forefoot

Corrections: None (Flat Foam)

The forefoot of an insole is very important for gait mechanics. One third of the gait is spent on the toes leading to the forefoot. As such it’s a very common area to experience pain and imbalance. 

The superfeet insole has no corrective elements on the toe area. There is no place for offsetting pressure as it’s completely flat. While there is 5MM foam over the forefoot, this is the bare minimum element on the insole. 

Cushioning

• Shock Absorption: Low
• Energy Return: High
• Hardness: Medium High

To measure shock absorption we ran our standard test of dropping a 2 pound ball onto the insole from a 12 inch height. The ball itself bounced 4 inches at the toe area and 3.5 inches at the heel. Compared to other orthotics, this is bounced quite a bit higher. For example, Powerstep bounced 3.1 inches, while Bilt Labs bounced 3.5 inches. This is primarily due to the dense foam top layer, and simple plastic bottom, which do little to dampen the force. Based on shock absorption scale, this gives Superfeet a score of 110 SA. 

On the opposite end of this spectrum, this does show that Superfeet does a good job of returning energy back to the foot. For this reason it’s a pretty helpful orthotic for athletics, although from a cushioning perspective it’s not ideal. 

Measuring Hardness of superfeet

From a hardness perspective, this has a shore hardness of SH A 60. To put that in perspective it’s a bit softer than a yoga block or dog chew toys. So overall it’s not the squishiest foam, but if you are looking for an athletic orthotic that returns power back into your feet, this is fine. 

Lateral Strength

Strength Score: 4 of 5

Having lateral strength is important in preventing over-pronation or supination. As the foot begins to turn inwards while stepping, we expect a quality insole to offer some level of stability to keep the foot from rolling too much. For this reason we do not recommend gel insoles for anything more than cushion… they simply do not have the strength to improve a wearer’s gait. 

Superfeet excels in this area as the rigid plastic shell keeps its shape while under our twist test. With over 100 Newton Meters of power, the orthotic barely bends. 

Durability

• Stated by Superfeet: 1 year

6 months of wear (Via Amazon review) with arch partially intact 

Superfeet estimates that the orthotics last around 500 miles or one year, whichever comes first. Of course that is very person specific given variability in weight and athletic use. However, our research shows this to be closer to 6 months of timeline. 

Superfeet is a fairly rigid orthotic with its hard plastic shell outer layer. This adds a level or durability to an orthotic. However, the plastic shell doesn't have any shape to it, so it's really the foam layer above which is most important: The foam element degrades in under a year. In the above 6 month image, we can still see the protrusion of the arch element, although it's starting to lose it's height that is there on first use. 

In the below picture, we can see the orthotic after 12 months is needing to be replaced. The arch has flattened and the top layer is starting to come off. (The positive is that the heel cup seems to keep it’s shape after some time. )

12 months of wear (Via Amazon). Arch is completely flat. 

Moisture Wicking

Pouring water on the insole

Waiting until the insole would dry

For our sweat simulation test we put water on the insole and measured how long it would take to dry. Unfortunately, the top layer was not the best at resisting the water and within a few seconds the orthotic was soaked down to the core. I believe they could have treated the top layer with some sort of water resistant material. 

As such, it took a total of 5 hours and 32 minutes for the orthotic to become completely dry. This is opposed to a standard of 1 hour 15 minutes for synthetic leather options.

Weight

Superfeet weighs in at 52g. This is a relatively lightweight insole/orthotic compared to podiatrist made ones. This isn’t surprising, however, given it is just two layers: plastic and EVA foam.