mountainviper
Active member
So what the consensus on these...are they decent or is it a better idea to just spend the extra money on the hand made footbeds?
Heat moldable custom footbeds?
- Thread starter mountainviper
- Start date
mountainviper
Active member
So ya think the heat moldable ones are def worth it?....they're like $100 whereas handmade customs are about $250....of course I don't want to blow money if I don't need to....so I was hoping I could jus get away with the $100 jobs.....
tomPietrowski
Active member
What do you mean by heat mold footbeds instead of custom? The best custom footbeds will be heated up and then fitted into a mold produced from your foot. Those are the best ones to get, the only ones in my opion. The tech will stabilise the medial and lateral arch with foam and the forefoot can also be posted if the met heads do not sit level. They will cost around $200-$250 but are worth every penny. Always spend less on boots to get some, there worth it every time. Do however find a very good tech to make them. If he knows what hes doing they will be great, but I have seen quite a lot of bad ones made by techs who dont really know or maybe care about what there doing.
onenerdykid
Active member
When it comes to footbeds, it comes down to 2 things: your foot and the technician doing the work. I have made some of the nicest custom molded footbeds (based off the Conform'able HD Vac system) but have switched to ALINE footbeds about 6 years ago and never looked back or wished for something different. All of the athletes I have fit over the years are on ALINE and prefer it over the Conform'able platform.
Any footbed discussion usually turns into a pissing contest and I'm not going down that road... But always get a footbed from a boot-fitter who is known as a boot-fitter first, footbed person second. A skiing footbed is a tool of the boot-fitter, part of the boot-fitting process. A guy who just makes footbeds but doesn't know boots will probably end up making the wrong thing. Make sure they have a program that offers adjustments and tweaking in case things need adjustment down the road. At the end of the day, a good footbed is a good footbed and as such it will do it's job nicely for you.
Any footbed discussion usually turns into a pissing contest and I'm not going down that road... But always get a footbed from a boot-fitter who is known as a boot-fitter first, footbed person second. A skiing footbed is a tool of the boot-fitter, part of the boot-fitting process. A guy who just makes footbeds but doesn't know boots will probably end up making the wrong thing. Make sure they have a program that offers adjustments and tweaking in case things need adjustment down the road. At the end of the day, a good footbed is a good footbed and as such it will do it's job nicely for you.
Pipe_Munky
Active member
you mean that classic debate between Conformable and Superfeet? Ahhh I always loved that!
Get the customs done. You're getting something that matches your foot exactly. Not just something that is mass produced and cut down to fit inside your boot.
The nice thing about the customs is that the fitter can always adjust how ridgid or soft the beds are during posting depending on the customer. For a bigger/more aggressive skier, they can be made slightly sitffer. For park skiers I always made them softer to absorb landings.
Get the customs done. You're getting something that matches your foot exactly. Not just something that is mass produced and cut down to fit inside your boot.
The nice thing about the customs is that the fitter can always adjust how ridgid or soft the beds are during posting depending on the customer. For a bigger/more aggressive skier, they can be made slightly sitffer. For park skiers I always made them softer to absorb landings.
mountainviper
Active member
Yeah I guess in that repect they're all technically "hand made"....it jus seemed to me like one fitter had some that were $100 and another had some that were $250 that he made it a point to keep saying that they're "hand made"....the first is a general shop where the latter is more of a racing oriented shop....both said they would continue to tweak as needed...but the $100 ones reminded me of an off the shelf type where the $250 ones appeared completely fabricated by the fitter....guess I shoulda remembered the brand on the $100s....was jus wondering if they were legit.....
RIP_leos_shack
Member
My superfeet beds are awesome and this is the second pair of boots I've used them on. And they were only about 100 bucks.
Pipe_Munky
Active member
i don't like to generalize but when it comes to things like bootfitting, race oriented shops know their shit better than most. with them you've got at least 1 fitter on staff that can do an entire assessment of the lower body and make the appropriate modifications to boots to compensate for any discrepencies with leg length, range of motion, etc...
yes their footbeds are more expensive but if you plan on spending a lot of time in your boots, it's definitely a good investment.
personally, i will not ski with an "off the shelf" footbed. after having full customs for the past 10 years in everything from my Lange WC 150s to my Dalbello Kryptons, i just can't go back.
yes their footbeds are more expensive but if you plan on spending a lot of time in your boots, it's definitely a good investment.
personally, i will not ski with an "off the shelf" footbed. after having full customs for the past 10 years in everything from my Lange WC 150s to my Dalbello Kryptons, i just can't go back.
onenerdykid
Active member
A footbed's primary purpose is to create an interface between your flexible foot and the rigid boot. In doing so, it controls the movement of your foot and ankle while skiing thus (when done properly) eliminating problems like toe bang, shin bang, ankle pain, etc. It is also the necessary requirement to have before getting shell work done (if your foot is not properly supported, any shell work is fruitless).
Now, there are a few different types of footbeds: trim to fit and moldable/custom. Typically, if you wanted the best interface between your foot and the boot, moldable/custom was the best way to go because it was adapted for your specific footshape. Trim to fits are great because they are so cheap, about 1/5 the cost.
Typical trim to fits are a good start but they are what is known as a static footbed- the do not change shape nor are they moldable. The ALINE footbed is the only trim to fit that actually is dynamic- it changes depending on your footshape and alignment needs. It is the only trim to fit worth spending money on, in my opinion.
Custom footbeds are only as good as the person making them, and this is the difficult thing- none are created equal, even from the same fitter. But when done correctly, can produce an awesome interface between your foot and the boot.
The ultimate answer is getting the right match for you- creating the best interface between your foot and the boot. Customs are usually the answer, but I've seen ALINE out perform/align people better than the nicest customs made. It just depends on what works for you.
Now, there are a few different types of footbeds: trim to fit and moldable/custom. Typically, if you wanted the best interface between your foot and the boot, moldable/custom was the best way to go because it was adapted for your specific footshape. Trim to fits are great because they are so cheap, about 1/5 the cost.
Typical trim to fits are a good start but they are what is known as a static footbed- the do not change shape nor are they moldable. The ALINE footbed is the only trim to fit that actually is dynamic- it changes depending on your footshape and alignment needs. It is the only trim to fit worth spending money on, in my opinion.
Custom footbeds are only as good as the person making them, and this is the difficult thing- none are created equal, even from the same fitter. But when done correctly, can produce an awesome interface between your foot and the boot.
The ultimate answer is getting the right match for you- creating the best interface between your foot and the boot. Customs are usually the answer, but I've seen ALINE out perform/align people better than the nicest customs made. It just depends on what works for you.
mountainviper
Active member
Yeah pipe munkey I hear ya but....that same race oriented shop is the ones that put me in those spk pros...haha....your argument makes perfect sense though, don't get me wrong....it's jus that's the whole reason I was asking if I could get away with the $100 ones if that makes sense?
onenerdykid
Active member
sometimes yes, sometimes no... it just depends on your alignment and footshape requirements. think of it this way- a $100 semi-moldable footbed might work, but a real custom molded Conform'able based footbed will definitely work. Again, it does depend on the guy molding them though... Your best bet is to ask around in your area and see what the word of mouth says.
mountainviper
Active member
I have and people swear by those $100 ones....I've been told on numerous occasions that I have a very average foot(size, arch, heel)....in fact they're always fairly impressed by how close in size both my feet are....so i dunno...thanks for the effort though guys....it'll def help me with my decision.