I must just have a strange body. Off the rack shirts and pants are either too short or too wide. I can rarely find shoes to fit as well. I usually take what I can get.

The Brannock Device says I’m a 10 regular width but trying on a 10, I cannot get my foot in. An 11 will fit but if it’s not an extra wide, the shoe folds my little toe under the other toe. The only thing that generally fits me is a New Balance 608 size 11 4E. However, many times they’re made differently and the back of the shoe curves into the tendon on the back of my heel and it will rub the skin off. I have to try on many pairs and I don’t usually get a choice of color. I take what I can get.

I tried on an Under Armor shoe today, 11 is too short but a 12 fits length-wise but again it cramped my little toe. I’m sure there are tolerance in shoe making but a 2 size difference doesn’t make sense.

Does anyone find the Brannock Device accurate?

They're accurate so long as you know how to use them and understand the various fit-profiles of the brands on the marketplace.

I've fitted & sold footwear for several decades both on the retail and wholesale side, the VAST majority of shoe sellers who have Brannock devices, aren't very knowledgeable of its use and what to do with the information, ALL the information, that is shown. The other half of fitting a persons feet is knowing the brands that are appropriate for that foot profile. Even then, the device doesn't solve all, you may have a high instep, you may have a narrow heel, you may have a large ankle bone which could cause problems with mid & high-cut boots, bone spurs, bunions, etc. In short, you need to know which brands & their models, that will work for that foot shape.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
They're accurate so long as you know how to use them and understand the various fit-profiles of the brands on the marketplace. …

Ok, here’s what I do. I put my right heel into the back of the Brannock Device. I stand putting pressure on that foot. My big toe reaches the line marked 10. So I slide the slider on the left to the 10 mark which is where the joint at the back of my big toe is and slide the width slider to touch my little toe.

Size 10 width A is what I get. Did I do it wrong?

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
I've fitted & sold footwear for several decades both on the retail and wholesale side, the VAST majority of shoe sellers who have Brannock devices, aren't very knowledgeable of its use and what to do with the information, ALL the information, that is shown. The other half of fitting a persons feet is knowing the brands that are appropriate for that foot profile. Even then, the device doesn't solve all, you may have a high instep, you may have a narrow heel, you may have a large ankle bone which could cause problems with mid & high-cut boots, bone spurs, bunions, etc. In short, you need to know which brands & their models, that will work for that foot shape.

I wish you were around here. Shoe stores are either self-serve or staffed by cashiers. No one fits a shoe for a customer anymore.

No. I need a very wide shoe, but more because my instep is very tall, and the Bannock device doesn't really see that. The width itself of my foot is wide, but not crazy wide.

As Corsair said, I have to know what shoes are taller to feet my feet.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
They're accurate so long as you know how to use them and understand the various fit-profiles of the brands on the marketplace. …

Ok, here’s what I do. I put my right heel into the back of the Brannock Device. I stand putting pressure on that foot. My big toe reaches the line marked 10. So I slide the slider on the left to the 10 mark which is where the joint at the back of my big toe is and slide the width slider to touch my little toe.

Size 10 width A is what I get. Did I do it wrong?

The right gender Brannock device was used right?
Did you measure your heel-to-ball?
Does that measurement align with the heel-to-toe measurement or are they off? You take the higher measurement
Were you measured standing or, sitting....hint, you do both. The foot expands and your arch will settle when weight is applied.
Were both feet measured? Yes, they both need to be measured one is larger than the other, this is normal.

The device isn't a self-use device, you need to have a second person aligning the device and evaluate your foot shape. Brown shoe stores, comfort shoe stores, some technical outdoor/ski shops usually have a handful of employees that understand how to use that device and weigh those readings, along with your foot shape and figure-out what shoe(s) will be appropriate. After all that, you still need to try on various models and walk around in them, no puttering around or, rocking back n'forth. The device is simply a starting-point for the sales person/boot fitter to evaluate and gauge what is going to work. You can try on a shoe that 'should' fit but, if the toe isn't breaking right, there's too much pressure on the side, the instep is too tight, the heel cup doesn't fit right....then you tighten up the laces, you change socks, you change footbeds or, move-on to another.

Foot measuring is as much a science as it is an art, it's not hard but, it takes some experience to understand things. When I fitted backpacking and mountaineering boots, we'd tell the customer, 'this is going to be an hour-long process, do you have that much time?'

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
The right gender Brannock device was used right?

Yes, but it seems the female one would have given me a better size reading. I'm closer to a 11.5 than I am a 10.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Did you measure your heel-to-ball?
Does that measurement align with the heel-to-toe measurement or are they off? You take the higher measurement

Yes, they are both 10 on the Brannock.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Were you measured standing or, sitting....hint, you do both. The foot expands and your arch will settle when weight is applied.

Standing but the variance is negligible.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Were both feet measured? Yes, they both need to be measured one is larger than the other, this is normal.

No, only my right foot which is the larger one.

Mt. Emey shoes from big wide shoes.com.

11 9E.

Shoes that fit my baby elephant feet.

We need to go back to the XRAY foot machines of the 1950s. You could see the bones in your foot and stuff!

Hmmmm.... Brannock Device. Googling...Googling...
Aha! That thing that measures your dogs at the shoe store. SF educates me again!

I think the devices are accurate, I think shoe sizing has gone out the window at the manufacturer level. I am an 11.5" EE on a Brannock and anywhere from a 12 to a 13 in an actual shoe, depending on the brand. Only in boots do I fit an 11.5 wide and not consistently, either.

For what it's worth - if you have a company Red Wing Shoe store near you they actually do a 3d scan of your feet and the sizing seemed pretty accurate for me. They ordered a pair of shoes based on the sizing and they fit well. Granted it'll only cover their brands.

i usually never wear, clothing or shoes, in the sizes that measuring says i should. especially shoes. maybe its just me, how i feel the item actually fits, but i am definitely off in size i wear to size i measure.

on shoes i measure out at a 12 but i always have to find a 14. no matter brand/model. a 12 is way too short for my feet and they all crunch my toes, even in wides. a 13 my toes are touching the shoe. a 14 is what fits. and of course finding a 14 is not easy. and when i find a shoe i like i usually keep buying that brand/model until they dont make it anymore then i find something else. recently i have found KEEN to fit well with its wide toe area.

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:
I think the devices are accurate, I think shoe sizing has gone out the window at the manufacturer level. I am an 11.5" EE on a Brannock and anywhere from a 12 to a 13 in an actual shoe, depending on the brand. Only in boots do I fit an 11.5 wide and not consistently, either.

I was wondering if the issue was the manufacturers not sticking to a standard.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
I was wondering if the issue was the manufacturers not sticking to a standard.

This. Especially if we're talking athletic shoes. I don't think a single manufacturer makes shoes close to Brannock sizing. When I bought my Aldens and Vibergs, I bought a Brannock - and while that helps, even their different shoe lasts fit differently and are sized differently.

With sneakers, I have been forced to wear them using "gap lacing" to get more height for my foot shape. Then I use "runner's heel lock lacing" to secure the heel area from excess movement. This along with heel inserts and good insoles made a world of difference for my footwear fitting.

I second going to a red wing store. One of the best fitting I experienced took about 30 minutes and the man did a fantastic job.

Mark,

you mentioned 2 brands and they fit differently. Nike fits differently. Have you tried a running shoe store? The staff there is typically more knowledgeable than the large retailer.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
understand the various fit-profiles of the brands on the marketplace.

This has been my experience. I typically try to stay with New Balance as I know their fit to my feet but sometimes something is on sale in another brand.

Hell I think finding the right shoe is like finding the right holster.

quote:

Originally posted by TRIO:
With sneakers, I have been forced to wear them using "gap lacing" to get more height for my foot shape. Then I use "runner's heel lock lacing" to secure the heel area from excess movement. This along with heel inserts and good insoles made a world of difference for my footwear fitting.

I don’t know what any of that means so I’m requesting pictures.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
Mark,

you mentioned 2 brands and they fit differently. Nike fits differently. Have you tried a running shoe store? The staff there is typically more knowledgeable than the large retailer.

This has been my experience. I typically try to stay with New Balance as I know their fit to my feet but sometimes something is on sale in another brand.

Hell I think finding the right shoe is like finding the right holster.

i also stick with New Balance but you have to be careful. Sometimes the back of the shoe is made differently and it curves into the tendon above your heel.

Mark,

Not sure your age but for me, I believe my stride has changed as I've aged. At least that's what my knees and feet are telling me.

There's a guy with an online store who sells New Balance. Personally I don't like their "foam" line or whatever it's called.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
I was wondering if the issue was the manufacturers not sticking to a standard.

This ^^^^^

I take anywhere from a 12R to a 13W, depending upon shoe/boot type, manufacturer, and model.

Only thing to do it try 'em on. Then I wear them only inside the house for a couple days to make sure.

That paid off, last year, when I'd thought I'd found ideally-fitting spikeless golf shoes, only to find, on Day 2, they were pinching my feet. I was able to exchange them for the next size up, which subsequently survived the two-day-in-the-home test.