Am I the only one who has this problem when walking in heels?

[PleaserFan]

I find when I walk in my heels (which are all Pleaser heels with 5”+ heels, usually a platform), I hear this friction sound. Maybe it’s because I am hypersensitive and self conscious, maybe it is because I am on the heavier side of things and these shoes aren’t built to accomodate me but I get the clicking sound when I step but then just as I am about to move, I get this relatively loud rubbing or friction sound. Am I doing something wrong?

I should add that these are all stiletto heels. 

[spikesmike]

PleaserFan : I have stilettos that have the same clicking sound. However, They never interfere with walking in them and the heels have never broken. 

The heelless high heels in this photo never present the clicking problem.  spikesmike

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cali]

Do you lift your foot completely or do you more slide you foot forward. Since you hear friction I suspect you are sliding.

[nzfreestyler]

13 hours ago, PleaserFan said:

I find when I walk in my heels (which are all Pleaser heels with 5”+ heels, usually a platform), I hear this friction sound. Maybe it’s because I am hypersensitive and self conscious, maybe it is because I am on the heavier side of things and these shoes aren’t built to accomodate me but I get the clicking sound when I step but then just as I am about to move, I get this relatively loud rubbing or friction sound. Am I doing something wrong?

I should add that these are all stiletto heels. 

I'm not sure what you mean by a friction sound?

I don't get any sounds from my heels other than the stiletto - Personally I don't like the shape/styling of almost all pleaser shoes - so I haven't tried any on so I am unfamiliar with them because of my style preferences. I have heard they are well made shoes so I am puzzled as to what you might be meaning by 'friction sound'. I am very used to wearing high heels - mostly stilettos all the time - and I don't get any unusual sounds from my shoes.

 

[PleaserFan]

12 hours ago, Cali said:

Do you lift your foot completely or do you more slide you foot forward. Since you hear friction I suspect you are sliding.

It’s actually just before I am about to lift my foot up, I find. 

[Cali]

Then are you rubbing the insides of your heels together?  

There's not many sources of friction.

I wear heels everyday and I haven't hear or felt any friction.

 

[subtle]

Sometimes the is a little flex tension when weight is it and you can feel the heel tip kinda drag toward the front of the shoe. 

Edited July 30, 2018 by subtle

[nzfreestyler]

2 hours ago, subtle said:

Sometimes the is a little flex tension when weight is it and you can feel the heel tip kinda drag toward the front of the shoe. 

if this is what is happening then in my opinion I fear the shoe is not well made.It suggests the heel is not sturdy - or the heel height is out of proportion with the shoe size. I do see this in a lot of larger sized styles that the heels haven't gone up as high as they look like they should have - its as though the manufcturer just lengthened the last and didn't make any extra heels for the last few sizes?

Still sounds like we need more detail to be certain though?

[subtle]

I’m only talking about 1mm of movement or so.

[nzfreestyler]

31 minutes ago, subtle said:

I’m only talking about 1mm of movement or so.

Well my stilettos don't budge at all. They're firm - and even if I bend a heel (which is what happens to me - I usually slide along and band a heel rather than snap a heel - even then the heels aren't loose and flexible. Its weird that eh - I always bend a high heel rather than snap it.

[pebblesf]

Well, some of my boots make a bit of a creaking type noise, that have nothing to do with the heels, but this is only on fairly high mileage boots that have had a rough life.  I attribute this to having the soles/heels starting to come apart internally.  Kind of like an old car tire that makes noise or is out of balance/out of round....

Do you have relatively new heels that make this same noise?  Do all your heels make this same noise?  If so, I'm guessing the noise has something to do with the way you are walking....

[Pumped]

I have a pair of heels that the platform came loose from the instep and would move slightly and click when I walked in them. I eventually pulled out the padding and ran a couple screws into where the platform meets the instep and they have been find. I eventually bought s second pair, same style, different color and they are doing the same thing so I need to spend s few minutes in the shop with them too.

So it is possible the shoe is slightly broken, just enough to make s noise.

[TXGuy]

I believe it is due to how you put your foot down, at least in terms of heel first when walking. As you put more of your weight on the shoe, and prior to the front part of the shoe taking any of the weight, the heel is bending a bit toward the front of the shoe. Assuming the heel is out in front of  with the heel at an angle to the ground as you put weight on it. As you have all your weight on both front and heel, the heel remains slightly flexed. As you walk forward, as weight is removed from the heel, and the point friction/weight is less than the flex/spring force, the bottom of the heel slides back along the floor to relieve the tension. How much you hear depends on how fast you walk/take weight off the heal relative to the time the flex tension is working again the friction of rubbing against the ground.

This doesn’t happen with a wedge...

Or at least in my opinion....

 

[nzfreestyler]

I know what you're saying TXGuy, but my stilettos don't flex like that. We should always walk heel-toe and the heel should always strike well before the toe, or else we walk like a duck.

I can lean back and balance on my heels alone - both stilettos at once and balance like that - which is not good for the shoes but the heels hardly flex at all. I don't think the heels should flex much - if at all. The flexibility should be in the toe area definitely but none around the back and the heel or arch of the shoe.

I have had shoes that developed loose-ish heels so I know what you mean - and I have had plenty of high heels that don't. I think its to do with the design and manufacture of the shoe. I try all my shoes and won't buy anything that feels like it might have any looseness and flex in the heel.

[TXGuy]

I have experienced what PleaserFan is describing. At 180lbs, the heels I was wearing did this and how noticeable it was determined by how fast I walked so that the heel was put under tension in that it was slightly closer to the front of the shoe until Intook my weight of. It may that some are better at heel toe in which the heel tip doesn’t flex. I’m not sure if it is the heel that actually bends, or the heel “rotates” toward the front of the shoe at the point the heel connects to the shoe body. The particular heels I’m referring to still look solid in the heel, but they do seem to flex. I’m not sure how many stilleto shoes are designed to be really strong/rigid under a man’s weight(assuming 180 lbs+). I assume shoes are made to support a certain amount of weight, but there has to be a max, otherwise they would be outrageously expensive.

[Pumped]

54 minutes ago, TXGuy said:

I’m not sure how many stilleto shoes are designed to be really strong/rigid under a man’s weight(assuming 180 lbs+). I assume shoes are made to support a certain amount of weight, but there has to be a max, otherwise they would be outrageously expensive.

Most of us wear larger sizes. Put a woman in a 10, 11 or 12 and what would she weigh?

The other day I read an article about a woman that lost a bunch of weight. She was down to 175 pounds, and she looked good, not over weight at all, she there are heavier women out there so I don't see weight being an issue.

[nzfreestyler]

I weigh 65kg and my heels don't flex at all and I can be quite hard on them they still won't flex. I mostly wear a EU 41 so perhaps it is a shoe size thing ?

[Pierre1961]

My own experience,with some heel flex and break has made me understand that could happen if:

- the shape of the shoe doesn't fit your foot.So you won't walk properly

- the heel is too high.So: same concequence 

- the quality of the manufacturing is poor. I noticed( after it broke and repaired by myself) that some heels are fixed with only one short screw and 2 poor nails. 

I now only buy and wear shoes with strongly fixed ,non flexing heels,in which I Immidiately feel good ( comfort and balance) 

Following these rules I haven't experienced any more problem. So far! 

To be honest it takes time before finding the right brands,sizing,heel height. And so...

Pierre 

[TXGuy]

I do agree that we’ll made shoes, those that use better materials, etc, will seem more solid. But as an engineer, I don’t believe there is any metal known to man that is the size of a stilleto that will not flex a little under a load. And I doubt shoe companies use titanium in their heels...

[Pierre1961]

Some shoemakers use heels with a metal insert. So they don't flex. Maybe they can break ? 

For me the main problem is still the way the heel is fixed to the shoe itself. 

Shoes made in China are often poorly made. The Italian ones are much better. 

[Jkrenzer]

16 hours ago, TXGuy said:

And I doubt shoe companies use titanium in their heels...

Pleaser heels actually have thicker than normal stiletto heels and use reasonably thicker walled tubes between the heel tip and upper. Pleaser have always been designed with men in mind, hence they all come in very large sizes. I have many and they don't do what is described here for me. Can only guess he's not walking correctly. 

As for titanium, even though in it's base alloy it's stronger than un heat treated steel it will flex more since it's modulus of elasticity is only slightly more than half of that of steel. 

[TXGuy]

11 hours ago, Jkrenzer said:

As for titanium, even though in it's base alloy it's stronger than un heat treated steel it will flex more since it's modulus of elasticity is only slightly more than half of that of steel. 

Sounds like someone else had a Materials class...

[Jkrenzer]

More than that I spec out materials all the time. Always amazed how people hear titanium and always assume super metal, far from it. Strength and hardness are the steels and nickel alloys.

[Pumped]

I have a couple pairs of Luichiny heels with a 2"-3" platform. The instep stops a little behind the toes and is fastened there with a couple nails and a few staples. I have had to take all four shoes, pull off the inner sole pad and drive a couple sheet rock screws through the instep and into the platform. I just repaired two of them tonight. The other pair I did has been holding up well. I love the shoes, but really can not recommend them unless you are handy with tools!

Edited August 4, 2018 by Pumped

[ChipsHH]

On 8/2/2018 at 5:15 AM, Jkrenzer said:

Pleaser heels actually have thicker than normal stiletto heels and use reasonably thicker walled tubes between the heel tip and upper. Pleaser have always been designed with men in mind, hence they all come in very large sizes. I have many and they don't do what is described here for me. Can only guess he's not walking correctly. 

I'd agree with this bolded statement, if there weren't heels that they have that isn't available in a size 12 at the moment. I did want to also stand - and maybe walk - in the 9" or 10" line, but alas. Sizes stop at US 9  Owning a pair would be for novelty sake, by the way.

To the topic, I have had heels "scratching" underneath my foot as well. I read that the OP was trying to describe the scenario of his predicament, and the best I could come up with was a "scratching" against certain surfaces, sometimes loud enough to hear a distinctive sound from your feet. It might explain why I actively avoid stilettos anymore! (I'm neither light nor into super high arched heels anymore).