FP is lab certified
- FP – Nike comparison
- FP destroys Z liner (false advertisers) and Dr. Scholl’s insoles in shock absorption.
- FP absorbs nearly twice as much energy as “Remind Insoles” that claim to absorb 90% of shock.
Gel Insole companies are lying to you
Lately we’ve been seeing insole brands imitate the impact tests we made famous, but using fragile test objects or faking results altogether to fool consumers. So we sent these insoles to a third-party lab to measure the peak force that passes through each insole into the body, using an internationally accepted running simulation.
Insoles tested:
Z Liner – $29.99
Dr. Scholl’s – $18
FP Insoles Kingfoam Elite Mid – $27
FP Kingfoam Elite Low – $22
Results – Peak Force (damaging shock energy entering the body):
Z Liner: 6,599 N (worst)
Dr. Scholl’s: 5,976 N (nearly as bad)
FP Insoles: 2,500 N (far superior)
FP Insoles absorbed nearly twice as much peak force as the other insoles and deformed less on impact, making them a more efficient surface for running.
Over 10,000 steps a day, that difference means your body absorbs roughly twice as much shock with gel insoles.
To confirm the results, we tested TWO Z Liners ($29.99) against one FP Elite Hi ($32). The peak force of the impact passed right through the Z Liners and broke the cinder block.
Nike doesn't come close
The ASTM F1614 test measures how much energy is absorbed by footwear.
Adding an FP Insole to a Nike shoe, or wearing FP Footwear, increases shock energy absorption to 90% — and it lasts the life of the shoe.
Imagine if Toyota ran an ad showing their Prius beating a Tesla in acceleration. Remind Insoles Inc did just that.
It came to our attention that Remind Insoles Inc had released a video demonstrating how their new Impact Series insoles outperformed and absorbed more shock than FP Insoles.
In the video they compared their $55 Medic Elite model to our $32 Kingfoam Elite Hi Profile model. (Why didn’t they at least compare insoles in the same price range? It turned out that even our budget $24 insoles beat their $55 insoles.)
Upon seeing the video, we knew this was a false and misleading claim — we were very familiar with the material they were using, so we ordered some insoles and debunked the video.
Remind Insoles not only adopted the exact tagline we had been using, but used this video to mislead consumers, the general public, and retail buyers into believing they had beaten Footprint.
We immediately notified their attorney, Steven T. Coopersmith, that the video should be removed. He refused to cooperate and said they would counter-sue us for testing their insoles in the past, despite the fact that comparative testing is protected to clear confusion and protect consumers. As of this publishing, the video remains pinned to their social media with over 50k views on Instagram alone, and paid ad versions have run as well.
THE STUDY:
We sent various insoles to Intertek, a leading footwear testing company, to measure the kN (kilonewtons) absorbed by each insole at Joule levels calibrated to simulate the ground reactive forces generated in action sports.
Intertek dropped an anvil representing the heel of the foot onto the heel section of each insole, while a force plate below measured the kN transferred through.
For reference: 2–4 kN is generated while jogging/running, and up to 13 kN while jumping in place.
Micky Papa's 4 Month Old Insole:
To spice things up, we called Micky Papa and asked for the insoles out of his shoes. He’d been using them for four months. We made the video below, then sent his insoles along with new Remind Insoles to Intertek.
RESULTS:
The lower the kN, the more energy absorbed
SUMMARY OF RESULTS:
Full test reports can be found here.
FP Insoles reduced impact to a level similar to an average human jumping in place, while the Remind Insoles Impact line was far less effective at absorbing the impact energy that causes injury. We had to reduce the test energy from 37.5 to 25 Joules to get the Remind Insoles Medic ($55) to perform the way the used FP Insole did at 37.5 Joules. It’s also worth noting that Remind Insoles don’t maintain the same level of impact absorption after repeated impacts the way FP Insoles do.
For reference, running generates 2–4 kN on average, while jumping in place can generate up to 13 kN. 6 kN is enough to snap a bone from a direct fall on the arm.
- How many consumers bought Remind Insoles because of the false/misleading video and claims?
- Were consumers fooled into paying more for a product that performs worse?
- If consumers knew the actual amount of energy absorbed, would they still have purchased them?