[oldguy00]

I have been through the ringer for custom shoes.....so much $$ spent... Much of my 'journey' has been documented on the forum..



My feet have always been a problem for me, pain that I used to think had to do with width, but in the end was more of a styloid issue, plus now small bunions.

- if you have true issues, don't waste time with heat moldable off the shelf shoes like bont or lake. Its marketing and will fix next to nothing for you. Yes you might be able to squeeze the top of the heel cup a bit narrower etc, but that is not what I'd consider a true fit/foot issue...

- I tried Rocket7's. Issues were - very uncomfortable the way they purposely shape the mold to have the front of your foot angle up. The straps would not pull through properly, like they were cut too wide, not sure. And the end product looked like it came from a school art class. I know that sounds harsh, but I'd be happy to post pics... I've literally only used them for a few minutes, they were so disappointing that I didn't even want to start the process of going back to R7 about them.

- Simmons - very cool hand made product, super light, but I would never do it again unless you have him doing the molds himself, and even then its a big challenge to get them comfortable because they are essentially a solid shell. If you have anything like a bunion etc. even if he molds it for them, it'll still be a rock hard upper pressing/rubbing on it. So in summary, cool shoe, hard to get perfect for comfort. If you have a pretty easy to fit foot, no issues, and you like the feel of a solid shoe like Bont, then Simmons might be a cool choice.

- Lamson - these are my favourite and currently what I am using. They aren't super light, but not much worse than an off the shelf typical pair of shoes. I like that, as others have mentioned, he has a bunch of sizes/widths to choose from, I like that the shoe is essentially flat, no big curves, and then he builds a custom insole for your specific needs.....not only based on a crush box, but more importantly, to take care of any special needs you may have, communicated via phone calls / emails. I had a long conversation with him about my pain points, about what my local podiatrist said was likely the issue (styloid, etc) and about how to correct it. The shoes turned out great. I did need to send them back once for a small fit correction, which he handled immediately, and they have been great since. ALSO, unlike the other two, I really like that his shoes look like a well built production shoe. I wouldn't hesitate to get another pair, but the quality seems so high that I don't see these wearing out for many many years.