So, I have a slightly clubbed foot that has led to weak ankles and, now that I'm getting older, has started to mean a brace to prevent me from causing damage to my Achilles tendon. I have been trying various braces over the last several months because my feet just aren't that big and also, because even though it LOOKS perfectly normal (even the husband can't remember which one it is WHILE giving me a foot rub no less!), the bones inside are most definitely "weird" so, ANY kind of "arch support" hurts like hell really, really fast! So, I decided to give this particular brace a try because it seemed to have what I needed: heavy duty ankle support and zero "arch" compression. Now, I'll admit it, when I first pulled this brace out of the package, I was a little disappointed. The bottom felt weirdly stiff and the sides felt weirdly flexible. It also looked oddly small too. If you're guessing that I put it on and changed my mind, congratulations, have a cookie. First off, the thing actually fit. One thing I've been learning over this last 6 months is that half of them SAY they're "Small" when, they really mean, "Small for Sumo Wrestlers." But, I would measure, and I would trust and time and time again, I would be disappointed. (The ASO speed lace "small" was freaking HUGE!) That's why at first sight of this brace, I kinda shook my head. I even declared: "Oh come ON!...I may not be a linebacker but I'm not a Smurf either people! WTH?!" And yeah, of course, it fit. It didn't just fit, it actually fit into my work boot! And COMFORTABLY! First time in MONTHS, I was able to wear my every day boots to work and yeah, I was able to wear it ALL DAY! And yep! Sure enough, no pain at the back of my ankle. So, for TL;DR, here's the lowdown: PROS: Way more adjustable than it looks- Adjustable straps at all points including the stirrup part so if following the chart correctly, odds of fitting are really, really high. Seriously low profile- Have confirmed fit for the following styles: tennis shoes, combat style work boots, zippered fashion knee high boots, even zippered ankle high fashion boots. (Tried sandals during trial and it'll fit into them but, it felt a tiny bit wiggly to me- I have NOT tried while walking around though because it's winter at the moment of writing this.) Pretty comfortable- Easy to forget it's on during the day. CONS: May require a shoe- Feels a little more wiggly trying to wear around the house in bare feet or just socks- it DOES still provide some support that might still be enough for other people but even a pair of cheap tennis shoes seems to increase the support by a surprising amount so, some folks may NEED that extra support boost for this thing to work for them. Bottom likes to stick to socks- TO BE FAIR THERE'S NO WAY TO "FIX" THIS PROBLEM ANY MORE THAN THEY ALREADY HAVE! Because the bottom strap is adjustable, the velcro likes to stick to my socks making it kind of annoying to try to rip the brace off of them at the end of the day. Amazingly, on bare feet with no socks it doesn't feel scratchy- so what they made it out of was a really good choice but, yeah, I can see that causing a slightly faster wear on my socks over time- which isn't a super happy thing but imho is a fair trade off for a far better fit. See, the problem about that strap is that I canNOT see any way to "fix" that without removing the adjustable part completely- which would make it harder to fit to people, so my suggestion for the manufacturers is to leave it the hell alone and keep making it just the way that their making it right now. For those of us using it, I suggest just setting aside a few extra pennies in a piggy bank for our sock budget over time and deal with it. Well, either that or find a length you like and sew a small strap of thin cloth from a dish cloth or an old set of sheets across that part of the inside of it if it bugs you too much. Me? Since I wear a lot of different thicknesses of socks, I'm just going to cope. Anyway, this is a really good brace and I fully plan on getting more for backups. It is well worth the money for me and because of the being so adjustable, I would suggest giving it a try before dropping money on more expensive braces like it.
