42 ENTRIES · 2020–2025 · HEELUXE LAB
Field notes from the testing floor
Research and testing notes from the Heeluxe lab — logged as we test, not written after the fact.
2025
05 logged
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Did your favorite brand change the fit of their running shoes in 2025?
Finding —The most valuable fit information for brands, retailers, and customers.
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Optimizing Work Shoe Performance with Dr. Geoffrey Gray
Finding —READ FULL SR Max ARTICLE HERE
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Experts break down the science behind the new DAPS pickleball shoes
Finding —READ THE FULL KITCHEN ARTICLE HERE!
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Can You Actually Run in Athleisure Shoes?
Finding —Read the Full Article at OUTDOOR MAGAZINE here!
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Testing the Tracksmith Super Shoe at Heeluxe
Finding —The shoe underwent lab testing at Heeluxe, a company that researches footwear performance in Goleta, California and according to the Heeluxe’s testing, the Eliot Racer’s energy return was in the top 5 percent of all the shoes tested within the company’s database.
2024
01 logged
2023
13 logged
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Design Develop and Test The Best Insoles
Finding —Learn the tips and tricks the best brands are using to make top performing insoles.
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What Are Features of Top Performing Insoles?
Finding —These features help you make the best performing, most comfortable insoles and orthotics.
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Do Insoles Matter? Part 1
Finding —Insoles have a massive impact on cushioning, durability, and fit...and are often overlooked by footwear brands.
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How Long Do Running Shoes Last?
Finding —One of the most commonly asked questions we receive at Heeluxe is, "How Long Do Running Shoes Last?" Since 2012 we've been running shoe research studies to answer this question with objective data…
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Hidden Factors Causing Shoe Cushion To Miss Its Mark
Finding —Let's review the common mistakes and best approaches of making better cushioning in shoes
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Impact Testing With Andrew Hahn
Finding —Why is impact testing one of the most commonly requested tests by shoe brands? Let’s hear from Heeluxe Researcher Andrew Hahn on why footwear brands are requesting Impact (ASTM 1976F) to complement…
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Do Professional Athletes Need Custom Shoes?
Finding —Footwear brands spend millions of dollars sponsoring elite athletes, yet they equip them with the same $150 shoes that Average Joes purchase. Will elite athletes have better performance in custom…
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What Makes This Shoe Great: Glycerin 19
Finding —Heeluxe’s database makes it easy to identify what makes a shoe great. In this new video series, we are taking a deep dive into the data behind the best performing shoes. Today we’re looking at the…
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How Does Comfort Change in Different Shoe Styles?
Finding —Customers expect that different styles of shoes will have different comfort. This video empowers footwear brands with data on the shoe comfort scores from different product categories in Heeluxe’s…
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Measuring Ride and Transition for Better Shoes
Finding —Surely, you’ve heard someone say, “This shoe has the smoothest ride” or “It transitions well,” but is there a scientific way to measure this? This blog post explores the science of Ride and how you…
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The Best Cushioning for Comfortable Heels
Finding —Now more than ever, customers want more high heel comfort with the best cushioning. Many fashion brands are missing the easiest opportunities to provide better cushioning and comfort to their…
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Making The Most Comfortable Shoes In 2023
Finding —Footwear brands are asking Heeluxe how they can win Most Comfortable Shoe after reading the “Best of 2022” post. This article provides a blueprint on how to exceed your customer’s comfort…
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Why Did Nike Change This Shoe?
Finding —Nike changed the footwear world when it released the first production shoes with “strobel-less” construction—so why did they change it for the new Zoom X Invincible 3?
2022
12 logged
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Designing for Optimal Heel Fit
Finding —Heel fit is often overlooked in many shoes tested at Heeluxe. Bad heel fit reduces comfort, increases the likelihood of blisters, and causes early breakdown of a shoe. Our lab data on shoe fit…
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Designing Shoes for Insulation
Finding —Entering into the cold winter months means that feet are going to need insulation to stay comfortable and warm. Since 2015 Heeluxe has tested how boots keep feet warm in freezing environments, and…
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How tall should a running shoe be? Rise of the “SuperStack”
Finding —n the past decade running shoes have been getting taller, providing new amounts of cushioning and performance for runners and non-runners. With the men’s winner of Ironman Hawaii wearing an…
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Finding the Most Comfortable Insole
Finding —Insoles are often overlooked and underappreciated in footwear. But they’re also an easy way to improve the comfort and durability of your shoes. Let’s cover the best ways to find the most comfortable…
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Heeluxe’s Biggest Failures
Finding —Not every shoe is going to perform well in the marketplace. At Heeluxe we’ve tested 1000s of prototype shoes. Here’s a list of the biggest failures to come out of our lab and what you can do to avoid…
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Modernizing Dress Shoe Fit and Comfort
Finding —Dress Shoes are BACK! 2022 is showing a large number of consumers returning to buying dress shoes for work, weddings, and walking around town. After 2+ years of wearing cozy shoes at home, making the…
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Customer Expectations for Shoe Fit in 2022
Finding —Early in the COVID pandemic a post discussed how more time at home was changing your customer’s expectations of shoe comfort. Now that we are returning to social activities, working from an office…
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Shoe Durability 2.0
Finding —Your customers expect certain levels of performance from your shoes. People are not happy when shoes fall apart earlier than they expect. How can you predict durability of a new shoe sample before it…
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Ultimate Shoe Cushioning in 2022
Finding —In the last few years, the number of cushioning materials used in footwear has exploded. As footwear brands continue to innovate with new foam compounds, molding techniques, and constructions, the…
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“Smart” Ways to Measure Shoe Fit
Finding —How do YOU measure shoe fit?
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Should you change your sample size?
Finding —Working with hundreds of footwear brands from around the world provides Heeluxe a lot of data on the sample sizes that brands are using. Between 2010 and 2020 the sample sizes were very consistent…
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SmartLast Success Story: Product Developers
Finding —“How are other brands using SmartLast for footwear development?” is one of the most commonly asked questions from brands when they see SmartLast for the first time. This post shares the details on…
2021
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SmartLast Success Story: Consistency
Finding —Quality footwear requires consistency, and footwear brands make major efforts to improve consistency in their production lines, branding, and even online experience. But how consistent is your fit…
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Did COVID19 Change Shoe Comfort Expectations?
Finding —Shoes did not get more comfortable during the COVID19 pandemic. Your customer’s perception of what is comfortable did change. Brands that quickly adapted to this change in customer comfort are…
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The Challenges of Shoe Traction Testing
Finding —Back in 2016, a group of frustrated restaurant and hospital CEOs came to Heeluxe to complain about their distrust of current shoe traction tests. They wanted a test that could accurately predict if a…
2020
02 logged- LOG 008
Does Toe Box Depth Matter? Truth About the Space Above Our Toes
Finding —The human foot has a lot of nerve endings in the toes, this makes it easy for your customer to feel something uncomfortable in front of their toes. How sure are you that the shoes you’re making are…
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How Long Should Your Shoes Be?
Finding —How Long Should Your Shoes Be?
Undated — early archive
06 logged
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5 Findings From A Time Machine
Finding —Heeluxe’s Time Machine rapid durability test recently celebrated its 30 millionth step. To celebrate the occasion, here’s a list of the 5 most valuable things we have learned from testing the…
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Case Study: Successful Launch of 3D Printed Shoe
Finding —Many brands and customers are wondering if 3D printed shoes will really exist following the shutdown of multiple high-profile 3D printing factories. Customization of shoes using 3D printed parts is…
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Heeluxe’s Best Fitting Men’s Shoes of 2019
Finding —“What’s the best shoe?” is one of the most common questions footwear brands ask. In this post you’ll learn what are the best fitting shoes tested at Heeluxe in 2019. It is an elite group of shoes…
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Heeluxe’s best fitting Women’s shoes of 2019
Finding —“What’s the best shoe?” is one of the most common questions footwear brands ask. In this post you’ll learn what are the best fitting shoes tested at Heeluxe in 2019. It is an elite group of shoes…
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The Secret Ingredient for Step In Comfort at Retail
Finding —Every shoe brand wants a potential customer to think their shoe is comfortable when they first try it on in a store or after an online purchase. After all, comfort is second only to style when it…
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Using AI to Predict Fit Shoe
Finding —Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are intimidating terms—but they shouldn’t be! Heeluxe is using AI to change the footwear testing landscape and the benefits will soon be realized by all…