It seems that over at Shoelift.com they have released their 2008 lineup of heel lift inserts. From the blurb:

Patent Pending  adjustable Insoles

* Sleek Polyester resin adjuster
* Silicon drop Shaft
* Adjustable Height Differential
* Gain 1.25/1.5 or 1.75 as you adjust the silicon shaft
* Odour Breather elevation holes inbuilt
* Each set comes boxed in a pair
* Adjustable height shafts Included

Perhaps this new model will overcome the shortcomings of the previous model.

We’ll try to get a pair to review as soon as possible. Has anyone tried them yet? We would love to hear from you at admin@heightshoereview.com

So many people worry about how they can grow taller or increase their height and look into complicated medical procedures such as the Ilazarov technique or leg stretching exercises. Well then, I have one thing to say – stop! I hate to break it to you, but if you are over 21 it is very, very unlikely that any more growth will occur (although very occasionally, some people do stretch a few inches more).

So what can you do? Well the first thing is just to accept it, you will probably always be at your current height. It’s not so bad. But there are things that you can change, and the main one is to change your shoes (short of growing your hair one foot tall like the guy from House Party)

You can buy height increasing shoes from a variety of places, and some of them are very good. However let’s face it, a lot of these shoes aren’t going to be winning any awards for their looks. Most of them are dress shoes, and at the other extreme are big punk things such a New Rock boots – not something you would want to be seen in while escorting granny to church on a Sunday.

Why Using Heel Lift Inserts Can Sometimes Be Better

Enter stage left a better option – heel lift inserts. Heel lifts can be fitted inside just about any type of shoe, allowing you to wear normal, trendy shoes while still adding a couple of inches onto your height. What is even better is that it will be impossible for anyone else to tell that you even have heel lift inserts in – you will look just like a normal guy.

Now you don’t have to wear them all the time – maybe you only want to wear them for job interviews or dates. Some people think shoe lifts are bad to wear all the time, and so use them sparingly. I can only comment that I have walked (miles!) with 2 inch heel inserts in my boots for at least 4 hours a day for the last 2 years with no problems. As long as you have some time where you wear normal shoes you should be fine – I wear slippers while in the house for example.

Obviously some types of footwear are better than others for height shoe lifts (at Height Shoe Review, we have no preference). If you are a fan of sneakers or trainers then you are probably only going to be able to fit 1 inch lifts into the shoe without it being uncomfortable or looking silly. Boots on the other hand, such as those made by Timberland or Caterpillar are a much better option since really quite big lifts (as much as 2.5 inches) can be placed inside them and still remain comfortable. Another advantage of using boots with shoe lifts is that the sides and back of the boot will support your ankle, and with the laces loosened slightly the boot can really grip the foot snugly – sometimes I find using this combination to be just as comfortable as wearing normal shoes.

Ok, onto the guide!

The guide – inserting the lifts in shoes and making them comfortable

Step 1 – order the correct heel inserts.

I recommend buying something like inch ups as a base for the bottom of the shoe and also regular insoles to cover the heel lift inserts. The insole will cover the lift and make a better fit with the sole of your foot.

Step 2 – prepare the shoes / boots

Loosen the laces on the shoe, this is because there will be less volume in the shoes for the feet once the shoe lifts are placed inside.

Step 3 – place the lift inside the shoe

Sometimes you might have to trim the lift to sit flat in the shoe – adjust as necessary for comfort.

Step 4 – Place the insole over the top of the lift.

You want to get it so that the insole creates a nice smooth surface for the foot. Again, you may have to trim the insole slightly with scissors.

Step 5 – Try the shoes on

Ok, try on the shoes and tighten the laces one by one till the foot is gripped firmly. In the case of boots, it is probably a good idea to only tighten the laces up to the natural flexing point of the ankle. If the laces are really long because of this just wrap them round the back once.

Step 6 – Finished!

Conclusion

Ok, so now put them on and walk about in your new height increasing shoes to test them out, if it hurts your knees when you walk then you should probably reconsider the size of your heel lifts. Try 1 inch instead of 2 inch. One thing you will probably want to do once you have finished is buy longer trousers! I generally have to add an extra 2-4 inches onto the size of trousers I would normally buy – although having legs that appear longer is always a good thing!

So there you have it. Start off by wearing your own homemade height shoes for one day to begin with, and then extend the amount of time if you find them comfortable. Remember to take them off and make adjustments if they hurt in any way. It’s not just small people that can benefit from shoe lifts, taller people can too – the extra height will give a great boost in confidence.

Product:Shoe Lift

Cost: $38

Country of Origin: Canada

Shoelifts, Shoelift.com, who has not heard of these heel lifts? For those of you that have not heard of this product or the company due to having your head buried underneath some sand here is a recap. Set up in 1989 and based in Toronto, Canada, Shoelift.com have had the longest internet presence of all heel lift / shoe lift companies. The Shoelift.com website (which now redirects to www.shoelifter.com) boldly announces that ‘OUR PRODUCTS ARE SIMPLY THE BEST’, so surely it must follow that the heel lift inserts offered are far and away the best, unmatched – right? Read on to find out.

About the Company

Shoelift.com advertises that it has nearly half a million satisfied customers – which must make it the largest manufacturer of heel lift inserts around. The company also runs promotions monthly in various cities around the world – check their website to see more details. From their glossy and professional website, the impression given is of a very professional company offering a variety of products. It is important to note that this is a review of the 2006 model of heel lift, the wedge that is NOT full length. Shoelift.com have a new adjustable full length wedge model out for 2007 which we have not tried yet. However they still market the older model as the main product on their website, so this review is still relevant.

Service – Time to Deliver

We ordered the 2 inch model from the website, and it arrived very soon after with us, with the delivery time at just under a week. The packaging of Shoelift’s is very simple, with the lifts themselves contained in a plastic wrapper with a piece of cardboard with ‘Shoelift.com’ printed on it – it’s nice and simple. The outer packaging however is a little bit flimsy . it was just a brown paper baggy envelope with the address slapped on the front. By the time the package had arrived here the outer envelope was covered in rips and tears making it quite conceivable that the heel lift inserts could have fallen out during transit. Shoelift.com could easily make the package a lot better by adding a protective layer of bubble wrap around the lifts or by using a stronger external bag such as one made out of plastic. One thing I like about Shoelift.com is that they offer a 30 day money back guarantee – reassuring!

Initial Impressions

Upon taking the lift out of the packaging, the product looks and feels solid. It is definitely gives the impressions of being a mass produced, professional product. The rear of the heel lift has the shoelift.com company logo laser-etched onto it. The material of the lift itself is a type of very strong foam that has very little compression when squeezed with the fingers or, surprisingly, when all the weight of the body is on top of the lift.

So far so good then, the shoelift.com heel lift scores highly on initial looks and from the material it is made of. It even has a patented adhesive strip that secures the base of the lift to the shoe or boot that you will be placing it in. However, once the lift is placed into a shoe or boot, the problems begin. Since our lifts were 2 inches high, we chose boots to use with the lifts. Sure enough, the lifts added the extra height specified , but they were not comfortable – at all! We tried about 3 or 4 different boots and shoes to see if it was maybe a problem with the sole or shape of the footwear itself but every time we did the result was the same, the lifts give the feeling of a block of solid wood being stuck in your shoe. A small tin of baked beans would probably be more comfortable than using these things!

Design

The main problem with the design of Shoelifts is that it has an almost triangular shape with sharp angles between the part that supports the heel of the foot and the slope that guides foot arch onto the front of the shoe. The ridge that separates the slope and the heel support digs into the arch making for one thing – major discomfort after 5+ minutes! Perhaps if there was more of a gradual gradient beween these two surfaces then the heel lift would be a lot more comfortable, but as it stands, we honestly could not see ourselves wear these lifts for more than a day at most.

The length of the insert seems to be a lot shorter than comparable lifts  with it taking up only a third to a half of the shoe, which might be a factor in the way the lift is uncomfortable.

The shape of the lift seems more akin to a door wedge than an ergonomic mould that will support your foot all day. It is very conceivable that the smaller lifts such as the 1 inch variant will be a lot more comfortable than the 2 inch model we received since the slope on the lift will be a lot shallower . It seems like they have just developed the one inch model years ago and then added the different height models without giving any real consideration to the need to support the foot delicately over time.

We notice that Shoelift.com has recently added a gradual sloped, full length height shoe insert to its catalogue, perhaps aware of the problems with the later model.

Conclusion

If the problems with shoe lifts could be fixed then it is conceivable that later revisions of the model are a lot better. As it stands though, it is difficult to recommend shoe lifts especially since the price of them is a lot higher compared to other products on the market. They do however offer some of the tallest lifts on the market so it may be a good idea to get a some if you only want to wear them for a job interview or something similar for a short period of time. For long time usage though, it is difficult to recommend Shoelifts 2” heel lifts.

Solid, well made, but generally uncomfortable to wear.

6/10
Pros: Good build quality, long lasting, stylish, nigh-on impossible to tell that they are height increasing elevator shoes

Cons: Most of the product line look quite similar, more expensive than a normal shoe

Product:

Parnell Hiteshoes

Cost:

$130

Country of Origin:

USA
Parnell have had quite a long internet presence for a company selling height shoes, a lot longer than most of the companies that appear when you perform a Google search for height shoes. From the information that we’ve blatently taken from the website, Parnell are based in Los Angeles and have been selling shoes since 1993. The vast majority of the shoes that Parnell sell are dress shoes, with nothing currently selling in the sneakers section, and only one model selling in the ‘boot’ section. As well as the aforementioned models, the Parnell website also has a casual shoes section with height shoes that have a little bit more colour and style than the other sections. We are guessing that the target age range for the company is 25+ , since most of the styles seem aimed at the more mature customer.

Service – time to deliver

Hmmm, swanky shoes! Nobody’s going to think that these are height increasing shoes, and they look cool too.
We ordered our selected model of height increasing shoes and received them just over one week later, which is quite fast for an international delivery from the USA to the UK. We’ve heard that our American friends receive them a day to few days later, so there are no complaints with their delivery service. They offer a 15 day returns policy which starts upon receival of the item. This is long enough for those based in the USA, however it does mean that if you are an international customer then you would have to send the height shoes back almost immediately upon receiving them to get them back in time. Perhaps it would be better if this could be extended a little those of us that order from overseas?

The returns policy happily though does mean that it is possible to receive the shoes, wear them about the house for a while to see if they are comfortable, and send them back if you are in any way unhappy. Luckily, given how great these things are, it is unlikely that you will want to send them back!

Looks

One thing that is noticeable about Parnell Hiteshoes when looking at their website is that almost all the have a certain similarity with each other – they all seem to us to be of the same basic design with slight variations of colour on the outer layer. Luckily though, the basic design is excellent and stylish. The model we ordered was a basic black model, with a slight depression running down the middle of the shoe. I’ve had a few people compliment me on these shoes and asking where I got them from since getting them. The height increase from the shoe is quite large at 2.5 inches, and the design makes it almost impossible for others to tell that there is an elevated heel in the shoe at all.So altogether Parnell’s Hiteshoes do a good job of looking stylish while hiding the fact that they have a height increasing sole – in fact the design is better than most designs for normal, non-elevated dress / casual shoes that are in shops nowadays.

Initial Comfort

View from above – with the Parnell branding.
The initial impression of the shoes comfort-wise is very positive. The slanted sole of the shoe is shallow enough that the centre of gravity is not too far forward, making the shoe incredibly comfortable. The upper layer of the shoe grips the foot tightly and ensures that the sole does not move around while walking – something that can be a problem with lesser height shoes. Parnell’s Hiteshoes also feature a raised heel support at the rear that seems to support the ankle very well while walking.

Have we mentioned how light these things are yet? They are lighter than a comparable dress shoe, and yet they are rock solid and feel extremely well made.

Long-term Comfort

As far a long term build quality goes, the pair are still going strong after nearly 2 years of continuous use. They are a little bit scuffed on the outside heel from bumping off steps and the like, but other than a few marks they are still in great condition. I still wear my shoes to formal occasions with a little bit of polish, and they are still as comfortable as when they were first received, so plus marks here also.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a quality, height increasing dress shoe, we at heightshoereview.com fully recommend Parnell Hiteshoes. They look good, they are stylish, they are very comfortable and it is nearly impossible to tell that they are elevator shoes. As for price, they are not the cheapest at around $125 – $130 at the time of writing, which is a litte bit more than a standard shoe. If you are on a tight budget then maybe these are not the shoes for you, maybe try heel lifts to begin with instead. However the build quality is excellent, and if you do purchase them they should last you for a couple of years at least.

Recommended.

8/10

Pros: Good build quality, long lasting, stylish, nigh-on impossible to tell that they are height increasing elevator shoes

Cons: Most of the product line look quite similar, more expensive than a normal shoe