Stepping Out with PCSsole: First Impressions on Slide Sandals & Arch Support
I spend a lot of time walking. Between walking to work, hikes on the weekend, and wandering around on my lunch breaks, I usually log between eight to twelve kilometres a day. All that walking can be a little hard on your feet. Due to all that distance, I do try to make sure that I am choosing shoes that are comfortable and nice to look at. One thing I haven’t done is purposely gone out to buy insoles or shoes meant to help you recover from all those kilometres on your feet. A few weeks ago, PCSsole reached out to see if I’d be interested in testing out some of their orthotic footwear. Having put my shoes and my feet through their paces over the years I was interested to see if proper orthotic insoles and recovery slides could genuinely make a difference in how my feet feel on a day to basis. As with anything sent my way for review, these were provided to me for free, however, I was not paid by the company and what follows are simply my honest, initial impressions after the first week on the ground.
For those unfamiliar with the brand, PCSsole has spent the past decade focusing on how walking actually works. According to their website, they build their inserts around real gait analysis of people, and then build their insoles accordingly. PCSsole then took that design information and philosophy and put it in their range of slides and sandals. This brings us to the boxes that landed on my doorstep for review. PCSsole sent a pair of insoles and two pairs of the arch support recovery slides in different colourways (Jet Black and Cool White). I have only just started to try them out so I am not ready to give my final verdict on them, but I will let you know how they look and what they have felt like so far. I will start with the insoles and then the slides.
Universal Arch Support Insoles
First out of the box were the Universal Arch Support Insoles. They don’t look anything like the Dr. Scholl’s ones that we are all used to. They are multi-coloured with a blue white and black pattern that is quite nice looking. The structural difference between these and standard factory foam inserts is also obvious. Underneath a breathable top cover and cushioning sits a semi-hard plastic arch bridge which moves into a deep heel cradle. I took out the old factory insoles from my Steve Madden shoes I mostly wear for my daily walks to work and around town during the week. Getting the arch support insoles in was surprisingly easy as I had ordered the same 42 size. There was no trimming required, though if you do need to there are cut lines if you need to fine-tune the fit. Stepping down for the first time, I immediately could feel the difference, a firm, supportive sensation rather than squishy cushioning, and the shape makes it so your food doesn’t move around within the shoe.
Out on the street for my first walk to work, I had a little trepidation that there would be a transition period or some discomfort, but I made the first two kilometre walk in with no issues, in fact, they felt great!. My feet felt fine by the end of the day as well, if anything they felt less tired due to the support that they had all day. As I am only just the first couple of days into it, I can’t give a long term review of how they will handle my regular walking distance, but I can say that over the first day they still look brand new. I will write a follow-up in a couple of months on how they are doing to see if the benefits continue.
The Arch Support Slides
PCSsole sent me two pairs of the Arch Support Slides, one in the Jet Black colourway and one in Cool White. They both look great. If I am being honest, I prefer the Cool White as it is closer to my regular style. Apart from the colours though, the two pairs are exactly the same. Most pool slides or cheap slip-ons on you get at the main stores around town are essentially flat, and made of light foam or just rubber. These type of slides are fine for sitting by the pool, but don’t give you an option to go for a walk and certainly would be uncomfortable if you went for a longer trek. The Arch Support Slides take a radically different approach. These slides are made of a thick cushioning foam or rubber combination and have a very similar foot layout to the insoles, including pronounced arch curve and a deep, cupped heel. I first put the Cool White ones on after walking around the house in my bare feet and you feel like you are stepping onto a supportive cloud. Also despite the size of the sole, they are not heavy on your feet. The material is soft and forgiving as you step, but dense enough that you don’t sink right into them. Hopefully that makes sense. It is really hard to describe the feeling.
Because they are structurally identical, I’ve have just split my time between them, though as I said, I am leaning towards the Cool White ones as they are more my style, though I am sure the Jet Black would be preferred by many others. I don’t wear shoes inside my house, so these have been my walk around the neighbourhood or run out the back to the shed shoes for the last couple of days and I have really been enjoying them. Both pairs feature a textured footbed pattern that stops your foot from sliding around, and the wide straps comfortably hug your foot without pinching or chafing. This was something that I was a little worried about when I first saw them as the outside is a grippy rubber, but thank goodness, the inside is a nicely padded soft material. I need to put these through their paces a little more before I can give a definitive review, but so far I am very impressed.
Conclusion
It is still early days with the insoles and slides from PCSsoles, however, I can say at first glance, I am impressed. You will see links to each of the items I have reviewed here in the appropriate sections. I just want to emphasize again that PCSsole has not paid me for this review and I do not have an affiliate link deal with them either. This is just my opinion based on trying them. I will keep using these products for the next few weeks and see how they stand up and will provide an honest update after that. If you have any questions about these three products, please do not hesitate to ask in the comments or send me an email. I would be happy to provide more specific details to you.
