Seeing most of the shoes that you guys posted in this thread worn out so quickly, I have a question. Do you wear your badminton shoes indoor only or outdoor as well? I play 3 times a week, every session 3 hours, and I only wear my badminton shoes indoor. I noticed the interior of my shoes worn out pretty fast but not the sole/gum and the exterior. It is because I only wear it indoor. After about a year, they are still in pretty good shape except I need to add a layer of inner sole for the shoes for more padding. A friend of mine who is wearing the same shoes, he wears it indoor and outdoor, only less than half a year, he is in need for a new pairs of badminton shoes already.
my court shoes are used only at the club, never outside - only the occasion to the the parking lot in case i forgot something in the car. even then, i would take a good look if i tracked any dirt or small pebbles into the sole - this can damage the court surface at the club. i normally trash my insoles within a couple months, will usually replace the insole 3 or 4 times before the soles of the shoes wear down significantly. i also have a pair of cross trainers that i use at recreation centers, and this pair i would use both indoors and outdoors, usually in community centers or schools where there is no locker room or when i do not want both with changing my shoes.
Only indoors.. Only have a dedicated badminton shoe for baddy. Most of the time, the badminton shoes are not fashionable enough to wear outside when going out with friends. Even if you do have a dedicated shoe for badminton they still won't last more then a year. My soles are half worn, inner left shoe is all scratched up, and deteriorating very bad. All that dragging of the left foot... Right shoe is perfect.
Re: Only indoors.. I dont mean to wear it outside for party or hanging out with friends. I mean wear it outdoor after finished badminton because of too lazy to change another shoes. This is what my friend does, I feel sorry for his shoes when he walks on the rough surface.
Nic, i agree with you. i always bring my shoes to the gym and put them on there. i was told that wearing badminton shoes outdoor will cut into the sole and also encourage dust to accumulate there and make the sole less sticky. which make sense. unfortunately, most of the gyms i visit are also very dusty. so not much help. Chu Pa brought some a good point. it'd be great if shoe manufacturer start selling a single shoe, then all we need to do is replace the left one.
badrad what kinda insole you use for your shoes? the gel type or the cushion type? full length or the half length of your foot? which type you prefer?
guys, also check this post for some more info on insoles. http://www.badmintonforum.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3071&highlight=insole
Our club has an indoor court broom (the huge and flat type, about 2 feet long), we wipe the floor everytime before we start playing for the night. so, should they manufacture more for our left foot or the right one?
replacement insoles NIC: yes, i replace the insoles. usually get full length replacement ones from sportsmart or other locals sport shops - avg cost around $6-9 cad. the white foam replacements are usually fairly decent, considering i wear them down so fast anyways. I have tried expensive gel insole replacements in the past, but they are more expensive and they wear down just as quickly, some tend to break down in tiny pebbly pieces instead of an even wear. if the original insole is glued in (my current pair was such - btw- i bought three pairs of these addidas on sale - $30 ea) i had to scrape and dig out the old insole. if you leave the original with the worn parts (ie hole or pits) placing a new replacement insole over it will not help with filling in the holes, it's like putting a carpet over a hole or a bump. I use a putty scraper for do the job of removing.
insoles just for clarification, the white insole replacements are the molded sytrofoam (or similar) type, not the flats ones like Dr.scholls for normal shoe inserts. The cloth layer is usually a smooth cloth, not terry like which will tend to bunch up very quickly. I have tried simple inserts in in the past, and with the amount of movement that you normally will make in a game these soft inserts will disintegrate quickly in your shoe. i have also noticed though that the amount of wear on my insoles will depend on the quality of socks i was wearing. i use only ankle highs, but have different ones from different sales - yes i only buy things on sale. the cheapers thin ones really tend to trash the insole quicker than my higher quality socks (like the Thor-Lo). just an observation.
thanks badrad and kwun, I have just bought a pair of the Dr. Scholl's Advantage Sports to try it out, see if I will like it.
Nic, let us know what you think about it. that's the one i am using right now as well. i like the feel of it. if there is any gripe, it will be the fact that it is narrow. the side flaps doesn't fit the wide shoes i have perfectly. besides that. it hasn't worn out at all after a few months.
Kwun, my feet are considered wide but I think it might be smaller than yours. The insole instead is a bit too wide and makes my shoes a bit narrow after I trimmed and inserted it to my shoes. However, afterall, it is a pretty decent insole. It doesnt slip and it holds up pretty well. I like the feel of it too. I will see how long they can last.
cheap insole protector i recently made a set of insole protectors, out of an old three ring binder cover. i used this to place over the replacement insoles, where the cloth cover wore off. having used this for a couple weeks now, i find the shoe much more comfortable and the socks have less wear. cost me the price of an old binder...
trashed insoles here is image of the inside of the shoe, trashed insole (cloth has been removed) and the replacement cover i made.
plastic it is a plastic cover, but with my thorlo socks, the sweat is wicked by the socks. it is smooth, but not slippery. the majority of the wear i put on my insoles and shoes is under the ball of the right foot. usually i trash the cover of a new insole in a few weeks, so i had to look for an alternative.
badrad Does it take a lot of time to cut and sew for the replacement? Please let us know how long can the plastic cover last. thanks.
