Why I recommend and sell ENGO Blister Prevention Patches

Now that marathon, season is underway, we asked our sales agent Phillip Howells to reflect on how he became involved with ENGO.

It was way back in September 2005 at the wedding of a fellow long-distance runner in Cambridge that the ‘Ed & Phil’ partnership was formed.

The first fruit of the partnership was a runners’ training logbook which we first sold direct, but then cottoned on to offering customised versions to running shops. In 2009 we decided that we could and should look to leverage the excellent relationships we now had with many of the independent running shop outlets in the UK, to find other running related and complementary products we could sell that would fit in with our focus on the small independents.

We targeted the annual ‘Leisure Industries Week’ and ‘Outdoor Trade Show’, held at the NEC at Stoneleigh, first visiting in 2008, to find product partners. We were rewarded with making excellent contacts with companies whose products met our objective and who also took our running retailer contact credentials seriously. This led to distribution and agency agreements with several vendors including the prestigious US-made Wigwam sock brand, Silverpoint head torches, the UK manufacturer of ToeToe socks - and ENGO Blister Prevention Patches.

ENGO Blister Prevention Patches do exactly what they say they do on the tin! The patches use patented technology to reduce the friction that causes blisters and makes running painful. This means if you are a sufferer, by applying ENGO patches in the affected areas you don’t have to stop running, hiking or being active. They do this by being applied to the shoe, and not to the foot, so staying in place and working for many miles.

ENGO is one of those products that is a pleasure to sell since they really work, so you know you can reliably promise results. You don’t have to take my word for it. Here are just two testimonials that aver to their unique and proven blister management qualities.

First, in 2020, from a new customer trading as Events Podiatry (based in Scotland, which explains some of the vernacular):

“I have worked as a podiatrist for over 26 years and about 8 years ago became involved in providing foot care at charity walking events. Up until then, yes, I had come across the odd blister or two in practice, but shamefully to admit, my understanding of the best way of treating or preventing them wasn't great. I always carried a bit of moleskin in my handbag on a night out just in case one of us were unlucky enough to develop a blister because of our silly shoes.”

Anyway, after a very hectic weekend patching up goodness knows how many blisters at a charity event, I thought I really needed to understand blisters a lot better.

A podiatrist colleague of mine, who now works in Australia (lucky him!), happened to mention ENGO. Since being introduced to ENGO I believe every podiatrist should be using them in their practice as, although they are advertised as blister prevention, the properties these amazing wee blue patches have mean they reduce the amount of shear to the skin. They are so thin that they take up no room at all in footwear. And the great thing is they last a lot longer than any padding you might stick on the skin.

Within my practice I have used ENGO for numerous treatment plans where my aim is to reduce friction or shear and all my patients have been extremely happy with the results. My biggest disappointment with ENGO is the fact that so few people have ever heard of them; we need to be getting the word out there about this amazing product. The general public still believe Compeed are the go-to blister product!!! Price wise, ENGO are a fraction of the price in the long run”.

For the more technically minded, and demonstrating why professional podiatrists see the proven benefits of ENGO for blister sufferers, there was a great plug for ENGO in the March 2021 edition of Runners World:

“The search for a targeted solution to blisters inspired Marty Carlson, who spent 16 years as Director of Habilitation Technologies, to develop a self-adhesive film that combines slippery PTFE with adhesive backing like a Compeed. Crucially, unlike Compeed, you do not apply an ENGO patch to the skin. Instead, it goes directly on the shoe, creating a more durable alternative than materials affixed to sweaty feet. ENGO, Carlson says, allows the skin in that at-risk location to glide a small amount back and forth experiencing less friction-induced shear.

The coefficient of friction of materials typically used in shoe insoles, uppers and the material at the back of the heel is typically between 0.5 to 0.8. ENGO patches by contrast, have a top surface-to-sock interface CoF of 0.2. Carlson claims that they can reduce the maximum possible surface friction/traction by approximately 60-75 per cent in blister-prone locations.

Unlike with other approaches, moisture makes little difference. With virtually all insole surface materials, moisture in the 0-30 per cent range by weight will increase the CoF, but the CoF between a sock and an ENGO patch is consistently close to 0.2 or less.”

It is professionally rewarding to know we are able to deliver products that our retailers trust as being cost-effective and reliable. ENGO Blister Prevention Patches help runners, walkers and others living an active life keep on going without the painful interruption of blisters.

Phillip Howells, Director Ed & Phil Ltd