About
Sole Survey is a buying guide site for shoes. We write for people who are tired of ordering two sizes, keeping one, and returning the other — and for people who want a pair to last more than a single season.
What we cover
Every guide on this site starts from a measurement or a material, not from a brand. The questions we keep coming back to:
- How do you measure your own feet accurately, and what do those numbers tell you about width and arch?
- Why does a UK 9 fit differently in two different shoes, and how do you compare lasts before you buy?
- What does sole construction cost you in money and in comfort over the life of a shoe?
- Which upper materials age well, and which ones look tired after three months?
How we work
We read manufacturer specification sheets, sizing charts and returns data, and we compare them against the published experience of people who wear the shoes daily. Where a claim cannot be checked — for example, an unverifiable longevity claim in marketing copy — we say so rather than repeating it.
We do not publish sponsored reviews. Where a guide mentions a specific product category, it is because the category illustrates a principle, not because someone paid for the placement.
Corrections
Shoe sizing charts change, and manufacturers quietly revise lasts between seasons. If you find something on this site that no longer matches reality, the correction is welcome and will be made.
Funding
Sole Survey is funded by advertising and by affiliate links to retailers. Affiliate links do not change what a guide recommends, and a guide is never written around a link. If a recommendation and a commission conflict, the recommendation wins.
Contact
Questions, corrections and guide requests can be sent to the address on the contact page of the site.