If you’ve read our footrest roundup and are trying to decide between the top two picks, this kensington solemate plus review is for the specific case where dial precision matters more to you than raw maximum height.
The SmartFit dial vs. stepped height settings
Most footrests, including our top overall pick, use a small number of fixed height settings — you climb a step or two and pick whichever is closest to right. The SoleMate Plus instead uses a SmartFit dial that adjusts continuously, which means you can land on the actual height your legs need rather than rounding to the nearest available step. For some people that difference is negligible; for people whose ideal height falls awkwardly between two fixed settings, it solves a real annoyance.
Where it gives up ground to the HUANUO
The trade-off is straightforward: the SoleMate Plus’s dial range doesn’t reach as high as the HUANUO’s tallest stepped setting. If you need maximum possible lift because your feet dangle significantly even with your chair lowered, the HUANUO is the better fit. If your needed height sits somewhere in the middle of the range and precision matters more than ceiling height, the SoleMate Plus is worth the trade.
Stability and the rocking platform
Like the HUANUO, this platform rocks and tilts rather than staying flat and rigid, which is the detail most footrest reviewers credit for reduced end-of-day fatigue — your ankles get to shift position gradually instead of locking into one spot for hours. Reviewers who’ve used both describe the SoleMate Plus’s base as feeling marginally more planted, likely a byproduct of the dial mechanism’s construction underneath the platform.
Who should pick this over the HUANUO
This is the better call if you’ve tried a stepped footrest before and found yourself stuck between “a little too low” and “a little too high” — the dial removes that guesswork entirely. It’s a worse call if your main problem is that your feet don’t reach anywhere close to the floor and you need the tallest lift available; in that case, the extra height ceiling on the HUANUO solves your actual problem more directly.
Prices and availability change constantly, so we don’t quote figures here — tap through to see the current price on Amazon.
Winnie’s take: I recommend this one to the “I measured twice and I’m still not sure” crowd. If you already know you need maximum lift, skip the dial and grab the HUANUO. If you’re not sure exactly what height you need, the dial takes the guesswork out of it.
Best for precise, incremental height adjustment
Kensington SoleMate Plus (SmartFit System)
A SmartFit dial system that adjusts height in fine increments rather than a few fixed steps, paired with a rocking, tilting platform — the pick for anyone who wants to dial in an exact height rather than pick the closest of two or three settings.
SmartFit dial gives genuinely fine-grained height control, not just a couple of steps
Rocking platform lets ankles shift through the day
Solid, stable base that doesn't feel flimsy under regular use
Lower maximum height than the HUANUO's tallest setting
Dial adjustment takes a moment longer than flipping a stepped footrest
