if you've been wearing the original footbed for years, and/or you have a really high arch, skip the soft footbed.  the structure under the padding is supposedly the same as the original, but the added padding makes it somehow fee like the arch isn't as high. from what I read, fans of original birks are having a hard time getting the sandal to mold to their foot -- the padding gets in the way. I've been wearing birks for years so I'm capable of wearing the originals brand new without a problem. also note that the footbed adds bulk so it's smaller on the inside. you'll have to go up an entire notch on the straps.

if you're a person who only needs a normal amount of arch support and/or doesn't plan on wearing their birks a lot, then you might like the padded version.