Back heel insert

[softy]

So I had a pair of older C&J loafers lying around that were too tight in the toebox.

Had them stretched, which alleviated this entirely, but it produced some extra room at the back, not excessive, but enough to cause a slight discomfort when walking. The foot doesn't slip out, but it threatens to, and this was uncomfortable as hell.

Took them to a shoe repair place and without being too meticulous asked them to do something about it.
His solution was to insert an adhesive heel grip at the back. It has a sueded texture.

This works perfectly, and the shoe fits as intended. The side effect? The fairly rough sueded texture of the grip is scraping my beloved socks to pieces at the back heel. They're getting this unseemly parmesan cheese effect on the back in the form of little pills.

Is there a real solution? Are there more "fine" or at least more gentle, smooth grips? Is there a more elaborate mod that can be physically altered into the shoe, without having to resort to these after-market stick-on things?

Save my socks!

 

[cptjeff]

Yeah, there are all sorts. You can get smooth foam ones at just about any drugstore.

 

[twistoffat]

I find a padded bandaid stuck on the rim of the heel helps till the leather softens on its own. The padding gives comfort and the shiney bandaid allows the socks to move more easily against the heel thus avoiding ruined socks and blisters

 

[Nick V.]

A competent cobbler will remove "heel grips" and apply a "back liner".
This is a tin piece of leather that will remedy 2 different problems.
1. When the counter liner wears out it's covered by a back liner.
2. If the heel is a bit to loose, it's just enough to take up some room without changing the fit of the upper or feel of the shoe.

Back liners should be cemented and stitched on.

 

[softy]

Originally Posted by cptjeff

Yeah, there are all sorts. You can get smooth foam ones at just about any drugstore.

This will do in the interim. I'll look for something soft.

Originally Posted by Nick V.

A competent cobbler will remove "heel grips" and apply a "back liner".
This is a tin piece of leather that will remedy 2 different problems.
1. When the counter liner wears out it's covered by a back liner.
2. If the heel is a bit to loose, it's just enough to take up some room without changing the fit of the upper or feel of the shoe.

Back liners should be cemented and stitched on.

I figured such a thing had to exist. Time to find a more savvy cobbler and not a run-of-the-mill "shoe repair guy."

 

[nelly]

Doesn't Dr. Scholls make a slim fit insert designed for dress shoes? I think you find that at a chain drug store or amazon.

 

[softy]

I got some soft foam inserts at CVS. They seem pretty squishy and comfortable.
Upon removing the previous insert, I discovered what wreckage the adhesive wreaks on the substrate -- harmless but ugly. Clearly the way to go is a real cemented/stitched liner.