Comments on: Buy Shoes that Fit Every Time

By: ShoesThatFit

ShoesThatFit — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:30:03 +0000

That was a great article. At the Shoes That Fit stores in Elk Grove, Ca and Modesto ,Ca everything mentioned in the article above is what we specialize in. We give free foot assessments making sure that everyone who leaves our stores with a new pair of shoes are perfectly fitted to their specific needs. Please check out what we are all about on our website!!!

By: Lee

Lee — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:45:56 +0000

You article completely ignores the last of a shoe. While you address the arch as high, low, etc, you do not address pronouncement of the foot (roll). Kilikopeple hints at just such a problem. He (and your wife) could spend ten YEARS in a shoe store looking and trying on an almost endless range of shoe sizes, but if the store only carries straight-lasted shoes (most stores), the fit will never be proper if a semi-curved or curved last is needed.
I have found that even so-called orthopedic shoe stores try to sell a wider shoe to address a toe problem that can more correctly be addressed by a different last. I wear a 12B on a curved or semi-curved last. I have actually had “trained fitters” try to sell me up to a 12EEE and tell me they can add “fillers” to get the fit…yeah, right…sure…you betcha!
Measure your shoe size by the arch, just be sure the size selected permits enough toe room. In MOST cases, the arch will be longer than the toe so there will be no problem. My arch is size 12, the toe is size 11.5. A size 11.5 places the arch too far back on the foot resulting in improper support resulting in pain at the end of a long day. If the arch is not correct, the shoe cannot properly support the foot, unless custom inserts are used.
We each need to be more demanding that shoe stores carry a wider variety of sizes and lasted shoes.

By: Kilikopele

Kilikopele — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:22:10 +0000

@anthony: same prob here. I “measure” to a 10.5 D with 11 arch, but I’m generally wearing larger because of the fan out of my toes. 2 of my 3 inner toes are longer than biggie with “ring toe” being about the same measurement as biggie. A shoe that fits to the measurements CRUSHES that toe. Incidentally, just picked up NB 570 all-terrain runners that fit like a dream.

@Perky: Go at least once to a reputable shop who will measure, observe your current shoes, and be able to make recommendations and bring out 20 shoes for you to try on. Once you are truly fitted for a shoe that works for your feet, you have a baseline for future online purchases. It took my wife 2 hours of trying shoe after shoe, but she’s gone from hating running to doing 5k runs.

By: Perky Mac

Perky Mac — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:37:35 +0000

I am a woman with a very narrow heel that slides out of every shoe, but wide feet (not sure whether I’m W, WW, WWW? The biggest problem is my high arch/instep. Nearly every shoe except lace-up athletic shoes cuts into the top of my foot, which also swells a lot due to a medical condition. Is there any hope to find a comfortable pair of attractive walking shoes? I have to shop online, and I’m spending a lot of money returning shoes that I can’t even get my foot into.

By: cj

cj — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:07:01 +0000

wow great article .
this was really helpful information

http://heelsandsteals.com

By: anthony

anthony — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:32:19 +0000

What about the toes! In your measurement of the foot you have :Lenght,width and arch. My feet are not shaped like your example from the small to great toe. I have used the New Balance 582 SL-2. It helps a little, but they should make an SL-3 or 4! I still need to get a larger size to fit the toes. And my foot is narrow heal and wide at the toes. Do I need custom made shoes?

By: jojo99

jojo99 — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 01:01:28 +0000

Now how do I get my orthotics to stop squeaking with every step in my hiking boots? I’ve got full length orthotics in the boots, a hard carbon fiber part in the rear and a soft extension up to the toe.

What is causing the squeaking noise??? It comes form both shoes and is driving me crazy.

I’ve tried the talcum powder solution but that only made it worse.

By: LaManchaDQ

LaManchaDQ — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 03:04:16 +0000

I’ve learned lately that although my foot length remains approximately a 11 it is my arch LENGHTH that makes the difference in whether I get shoes to fit. While it is important to know what kind of arch you have for the reasons the author stated, the shoe size you should be can be more colely lated to the arch length, not type.

My arch length dictates that I wear size 12 shoes. It is only when I started to buy the larger shoes did my shoes become truly comfortable.

By: Wade

Wade — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:43:00 +0000

Thanks for pointing that out. I changed the link to a chart that is much more accurate.

By: thefunkofprospectus

thefunkofprospectus — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 11:24:17 +0000

I’ll say firstly, you got a great article thats full of good info, very useful. I’m confused tho, the part that has me confused is where you measure your foot (10.25″) and list the size as 11. When I checked your link to the conversion site (http://www.i18nguy.com/l10n/shoes.html), I couldn’t figure out how you got size 11 from there. If I read the chart right, it shows 10.25″ to be size 8.5 men/10 women, there’s also some inconsistencies where the size chart jumps from size 10.5 to 11.5 (even from 12.5 to size 14!) in one step.

Your second link for width size also has a length conversion table on the same page (http://www.boot.com/bsizcvt.htm#SizeTable), although for boots, it seems to have the better info. Its noted on the same page that mens size 1 is 7 2/3″ long and each size up is 1/3″ extra, but with inconsistencies in sizes between different shoe manufacturers, results may vary.

In case you’re wondering; my measurements are 10.25″ (with sock, but pre-daily swelling) which puts me in the size 9 – 9.5 range and a width of 4.5″ so EEE (or even EEEE, dang I got wide feet!) for me, with a low arch.