Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Ok, so thanks to the lockdown from the Covid19, I had to quit going to the gym and start running outdoors on pretty much a daily basis again - 3 miles per day. And of course I found that I was not thrilled with the shock absorption on my Asics which have a gel heel but my model does not have a gel forefoot feature, so that is where my support was lacking. So I ordered all 3 insole types below in hopes of finding the ones that felt the best. By the way, I've been running off and on since the mid-70's on my cross country team and then a 10K or 2 most years, so lots of shoes and running experience. So here are the ones I tested and my net feelings for each (all had good reviews on Amazon): X-Muscle $30 - Overhyped. Perhaps some fake reviews here. Decent support but nothing special. About equal to the Dr. Scholl's below so save the money! Forefoot support decent but thin so not what I was seeking. Dr. Scholl's Running $13 - big name in the industry. Basic and better than what you get in your name brand running shoes. Good thick heel support . Thin forefoot support even though there is supposedly some gel support there. I'll use these some but was not thrilled. These Insoles $9 - I don't even know what brand these are but they did have good reviews here and were cheap so I tried them. So you guessed it, these felt better than the other 2 pairs. Soft, yet comfortable and providing good support where needed after my 3 mile test run. Better forefoot cushioning than the other 2. Very decent heel support as well. Most comfortable and no pain during or after the run. I cannot tell you how well these will wear over the long haul vs the other 2 brands but I can tell you my experience on my first run with these was better than the other 2. So netting it out, I suggest you start with these and see how you like them. They're the cheapest and feel really good and provide excellent cushioning. If they hold up more than a couple of months then you got your money's worth for sure. So lesson learned - unlike my wife's philosophy - the most expensive is NOT always the best. That's why I keep an open mind...