Trib tested: Kiwi In Between Toe Gel Cushions

The claim: These gel cushions are designed to protect the sensitive toe area from rubbing and friction while wearing flip flops, strappy and thong sandals. The gel pad also cushions the ball of foot and prevents slipping forward. This product works especially well on rubber and jelly flip flops, which can be particularly uncomfortable — especially on hot days and at the beach.

Cost: $5

Where: Drugs stores and supermarkets

Chalk it up to the law of unintended consequences. Given a chance to test Kiwi's new In Between Toe Gel Cushions, I stepped right up — with a cute pair of thong sandals that have multicolor beaded straps that go with most of my favorite summer clothes.

I peeled and stuck the clear pads to the footbed and around the toe thong of my sandals. It was a little weird-feeling the first few steps as the part that wraps the thong effectively makes that part of the shoe about twice as thick and more noticable. Unfortunately, the thickness of the gel pad is just enough to make the beads on these particular sandals rub. But, the cushions removed easily, and probably because I had only worn them for a day, left no stickiness behind. I replaced them in a pair of sandals with a little more heel and thinner straps to much greater success -- and comfort.

In the long run, the best answer is probably well-fitting shoes. But if the shoes you thought fit in the store start to give you a problem, the Kiwi cushions are worth a try.

— Vaunda Bonnett

I had such high hopes for this product! Even though I know I'm not comfortable in shoes with thongs, sometimes they seduce me, and I buy them anyway. That happened when I was getting ready for a vacation at a beach resort and thought the metallic lavender shoes with the purple flowers clipped above the thong would be perfect when dressing up for dinner. I wore them briefly and uncomfortably on the trip, and since then, they have languished in a box in my closet. When I heard about Kiwi In Between Toe Gel Cushions, I thought I finally might be able to wear my cute shoes.

I decided to test them out on a trip to the library that would require some walking as I browsed the stacks. Before I installed the cushions, I wore the shoes briefly so I'd know what the comparison was. After I put in the cushions, I couldn't decide if using them simply made wearing the shoes equally uncomfortable or if they actually made it worse. I never got the chance to test them at the library because I didn't want to wear them outside of my apartment. Trying them at least helped me determine that I really should donate the shoes to Goodwill.

— Madelyn Dinnerstein

Pretty sandals do not always equal comfortable sandals and I may own a pair or two that don't exactly feel as if I'm walking on air. I've bought shoe cushions before to make long days in dressy shoes a bit more bearable, but they never fit into summer sandals. I once made a small slice into a pair of cushions to go around the thong, but that inevitably resulted in the cushion ripping the rest of the way.

The Kiwi cushions fit right around the thong and didn't seem to add too much in thickness to my sandals, however, that meant there was no real padding advantage. The cushions worked best in a pair of completely flat, leather thongs that I usually wince my way through wearing. Where the tiny leather thong on its own would dig into the skin between my first two toes, the in-between-toe piece added a much-needed buffer and kept my skin from becoming red and irritated.

I have a feeling these cushions could give new life to quite a few pairs of sandals.

— Caroline Hirt