Tuli's Cheetah Heel cups

[ZJsMom]

My dd has been using these for years. She wouldn't vault without them. The problem she's been having lately is that the heel cup is tearing away from the neoprene part. They used to last for a year or two and her most recent pair has only lasted two months. Anyone else have this problem? I'm wondering if she's doing something (e.g., pulling them off by the heel cup part) that's causing them to wear out sooner. She says she's not, but I feel like something's wrong.

 

[Blackie6]

My DD also wears one on her foot, mostly just for vaulting two. First, I try not to wash it too much. Stinky & gross I know, but the few times I did wash I noticed more of a break down in the material. We started using them last Dec after the heel break and then when that healed and we then went to the Sever's it became part of practice, LOL. We are only on second one. I ordered it the next size up because she was having a hard time getting it on herself at practice. Knock on wood she has not been C/o heel pain this past month and since states is over and not actively running and vaulting all the time (tumble trak stuff and vaulting over stacked mats) I noticed she has not been wearing it too much. But, I think the more you wear, the more break down (quicker) it goes. The foot gets really sweaty in there and the moisture plus the wearing might just make you go thru them faster? Maybe call the company and ask best way to care for the cup?

 

[kevchriswilli]

We went through 2 pair in 3 weeks....also have not had this problem before. The drug store exchanged them the first time....and I didn't take them back the second. I did go up a size and was wondering if that was it. Curious now to see if others have had the same problem.

 

[ZJsMom]

Blackie-- I don't wash them frequently so that's not it. (and yes they do get stinky).

kevchriswilli-- That's exactly what I was looking for--someone else who noticed a difference because it didn't seem right to me. I thought maybe they starting using cheaper rubber or something. Did your dd's have the rubber heel cup tear away?

I get them over the internet. I called and asked, but they didn't offer to refund my money. The woman said they hadn't received any other complaints and there's no warranty. I just ordered some more-- hopefully they last a little longer.

 

[Ampoule]

I've had this problem with them also, that the cup tears from the binding. I tend to tape them together with strong tape, but they wear out quickly it seems. They slip a lot, pulling at the stiches when you run, which breaks them even more. I have a few pairs, but they are all also slowley breaking.

I guess they aren't made for long training hours.

 

[kevchriswilli]

Blackie-- I don't wash them frequently so that's not it. (and yes they do get stinky).

kevchriswilli-- That's exactly what I was looking for--someone else who noticed a difference because it didn't seem right to me. I thought maybe they starting using cheaper rubber or something. Did your dd's have the rubber heel cup tear away?

I get them over the internet. I called and asked, but they didn't offer to refund my money. The woman said they hadn't received any other complaints and there's no warranty. I just ordered some more-- hopefully they last a little longer.

yes the rubber seperated or tore at the stitching. I know last year when we had them they lasted a good 6-12 months.(never tore, just got too stinky) I think also they are defective.....

 

[bookworm]

Have you noticed more wear and tear with the cups as her skill level has increased? My daughter used to wear them on beam and i noticed increased wear when she did front tucks on the beam ( I thought maybe the forward motion of the landing caused it) but when she changed to a side aerial, no more issue with the heel cups...and then she decided that her heels felt the same with them or without so we were (fortunately) done with them.

I did have three pairs that I washed on a regular basis and rotated ( so the stink was not an issue) ...I never dried them in the dryer but they were washed at least once a week and that was never the cause for us.

Once the rubber separated from the neoprene, I threw it out because i thought it compromised the safety of the heel cup and I didn't want THAT to be an issue.

 

[gymbratsmom]

The same thing happened to a friends dd's heel cup after just a few days of use. She used Gorilla Glue and it has really held up. Much cheaper then buying new heal cups.