Victor replacement insoles buyer guide: XD12, XD11, XDNL, and the 7mm option compared
A practical guide to Victor's replacement insole lineup — which insole comes with which shoe, which to keep, which to swap, and which to budget for.
Overview
1. Preface: over several years of play I have worn mostly Victor shoes—the 9500, 9200, 8500 series, and so on. On Yonex I have only tried the Power Cushion 65Z4; I have never worn Li-Ning shoes. To keep this short I will only comment on Victor insoles. Issues mentioned here exist across brands as common traits—not a Victor-only critique, please note. 2. New XD12: likely the default insole on recent Victor shoes. It uses the older Energy 3.0 tech combined with XDNL design ideas—stronger cushioning at the heel, forefoot, and big toe—while keeping the upper anti-slip wave pattern. Rear heel U-slot support is acceptable; anti-torsion is acceptable; press feel is relatively firm; upper grip is good; overall usable. For older shoes that ship with the old XD12, my advice is swap on arrival: it is weak and not durable, and a fresh insole also helps resale—new insoles are a plus. 3. XD11: an old model, but genuinely good. Rear heel U-slot support is strong; anti-torsion is stronger; press feedback is medium; upper grip is good; overall usable. There is some arch support, though not very obvious. Downsides: you cannot max both forefoot cushioning and the anti-torsion plate; rear cushioning may collapse over time. Overall still good. During promos (watch Taobao/Tmall blind-box sales), at around 30 yuan the value is excellent. Many XD11 copies exist, but after watching a teardown comparison, the gap seems real. I do not recommend buying poron patches to repair insoles: thickness is hard to control, and EVA life is limited anyway—not worth the hassle. I have tried cutting poron sheets as a secondary insole underneath—effect is acceptable. 4. XDNL: also old, rated as just OK. The upgrade feels incomplete—or "toothpaste" updates are common everywhere—and this one is bland, neither exciting nor terrible. It removes the classic wave upper grip; rear heel U-slot support is weak; anti-torsion is average; press feel is firm. From photos the forefoot has no arc—hard to praise. At around 35 yuan you can try it, but I cannot really recommend it—too many weaknesses, no clear strength. 5. 7 mm simplified version (stripped from CHP): this differs a lot from the 118-yuan 7 mm—anti-torsion plate gone, anti-rollover material cut, arch plate gone, upper grip cut. In a way it is a microcosm of OEM insoles getting slowly watered down—but at least the 7 mm thickness remains. In my experience the CHP bundled 7 mm is better built than the 118 version, where big-toe edge wrapping is uneven and thickness can lottery—hard to judge. The 118 is expensive (though promos often hit ~88 yuan) and has strong presence that may affect feel. Besides average upper grip and needing shoe space because it is thick, this insole has few problems. Press feel is softer—clearly different from XDNL. Life is not long either—around 30 hours and rear cushioning is obviously flattened vs new—but even then it is still better than a new XDNL.