Base Wiivv custom insoles review

The Base by Wiivv custom insole on Kickstarter

The Base by Wiiv custom insoles are a set of insoles I backed on Kickstarter. They are custom 3D printed insoles that are measured using your iPad or smartphone. The process to measure and receive the Wiivv custom insoles was painless. I simply followed the instructions, snapped some pics of my feet using the iPad app, and bammo. I received my custom printed insoles a little while later.

Here’s a better description taken from their campaign page:

BASE by Wiivv is a body-perfect insole that is engineered to maximize comfort, promote alignment and lessen fatigue. Your pair of BASE insoles will closely follow your unique foot curves to give you the support and stability that you need to keep going. To customize your pair of insoles and get measured, all you need is 5 minutes and a smartphone. With this kind of convenience, you’ll never want to go for off-the-shelf again.

The Wiivv custom insoles review – initial thoughts

The Wiivv insoles don’t go the length of the shoe. Instead, they stop just past the mid-foot and start at the heel. There is one huge problem with this – it’s really damn hard to put the shoe on. The insole will slide to the front of the shoe as you are trying to put the shoe on. This was a MAJOR pain in the ass for me at the beginning, so much so that I emailed their customer support to request a refund. Eventually I made it work and didn’t end up following through on the refund, but even these days it is a pain in the butt if I’m in a rush.

They also don’t feel that comfortable to me. In the mid-foot especially, my feet begin to get sore if I’ve been walking with the Wiivv on for more than a couple of hours. I don’t have this problem without the Wiivv in place. At the edge of where the Wiivv insole ends you can also feel it across your feet – like a stiff piece of plastic slicing the bottom of your foot in half after prolonged wear. That sounds much worse than it actually feels, but just something to be aware of. I think they have full-length insoles that wouldn’t have this feeling.

Conclusion

I don’t love the Base by Wiivv custom insoles, but I do wear them when I wear the one pair of Nike Free shoes I have them in. I still think they are a pain to put on and the rigidity in the mid-foot is not something I particularly enjoy, especially if wearing them for long periods of time. I do feel they nailed the fit of the insole and the process of measuring them and ordering them, though. So if you feel you need custom insoles, I’d say they are worth checking out.