FootFitterPremium Professional Boot Width Stretcher, Adjustable Boot Stretcher for Wide Feet Men & Women, Relieves Tightness

Will this boot stretcher work to make a tight shoe wearable? Possibly.I have wide feet and buy wide shoes (size E) or shoes formed on lasts with broad toe boxes. A good deal on suede Chelsea boots made me question if I could make a regular size D fit my foot. I bought the FootFitter to help me out.Here's how I made the FootFitter work for me (better than the directions that came with product).1. I used shoe stretching spray, but this is not necessary if you are willing to spend a little more time stretching the shoe and perfecting the shape you need. Tinkering around, at the end, I probably did four 8-hour stretching sessions per boot.2. I put one boot on my foot and noted where I needed more space. I put a small pen mark on the side of the rubber outsole (I could rub it off if necessary) where my foot pressed uncomfortably against the inside of the boot. In my case, this included my big toe and small toe.3. I suggest then putting the FootFitter in the boot and check to see if, when opened, it will press against the shoe where your marks are. If this works, then crank away and leave the FootFitter in your boot for a few hours; test and repeat if necessary.4. In my case, however, the FootFitter did not press against the boot where I needed it. This is where the "bunion plugs" came in handy even though I do not have bunions. I used them to make the necessary space for my big toe and little toe. Luckily the holes in the beech wood FootFitter were placed perfectly for for my right foot...but not my left foot (a design flaw IMO, more on this below).5. I put in bunion plugs, put a thick wool sock over the FootFitter (I did this to make the FootFitter a bit larger to make it stretch the boot vamp upward a bit too, one could certainly put on several socks), crammed the FootFitter into my boot (I could see the bunion plugs pressing out of the side of the boot right where the marks were on the outsole), and cranked it open. I first let it sit overnight.6. In the morning the bunion plugs made space where I needed it, but it was not a perfect fit. I moved the plugs to adjacent holes and altered their angle slightly and stretched the boot again. After a little fiddling and testing, the boot now mostly fits. One could theoretically do the same for the other boot and call it a day, but...An Issue:As I noted I needed to use the bunion plugs to make the FootFitter stretch my boot where I needed it, without the plugs I would have simply returned the item. However, while the FootFitter is two pieces of beech wood, the left and right halves are not entirely symmetrical. Critically for me, the bunion plug holes were in different locations on either half. I assume this is the case for every FootFitter. I needed to use a hand drill to make new holes so I could symmetrically shape both my right and left boots to fit my toes. This was not difficult at all, but this could be a deal breaker for some.Another Issue:At two points I had to take the FootFitter apart because the screw-opening mechanism stopped working. This is easy and just requires a screwdriver. I will not belabor a description here, but there is a small washer that can get lodged in the screw-opening mechanism causing it to lock - this problem would have been avoided if the washer was just a little larger. After jostling free the washer from the screw mechanism, the FootFitter worked again.Last thoughts:You could add layers of socks, newspaper or cloth, or other objects to help shape the boot with the FootFitter the way you need, but you cannot expect miracles. I had upsized the Chelsea boots I bought one half-size to give myself more room in the toe box initially. Even with the FootFitter and my repeated stretching, I would never plan a whole day walking in my still-too-tight-but-much-better Chelseas.

As a woman, most of us have multiple pairs of shoes to compliment the outfits we wear daily, but unfortunately for me, I have a foot that I have had a few surgeries on to correct an issue with my toes growing crooked causing pain on a regular basis- especially painful in certain styles and/or brands of shoes. The problem is - when I purchase my new shoes, they feel a absolutely great walking around in the store, however, once I get home and wear them a few days, on some shoes/boots I start to get pain from where my toes are rubbing against the side of my toes, which of naturally means I have to try on EVERY pair of shoes before purchase:( Over the years, I've tried sizing up, getting wider shoes and even wearing corn/bunion protectors on the effected toes, yet nothing helps. As a last ditch effort, I found this on Amazon and after reading the reviews- (which are so tremendously appreciated by the way!) , I decided I would give this a try to help on the pairs that at least cause me the most pain. First of all, this item arrived immediately- kudos to the seller!! But in all fairness, there are both pros and cons to the foot fitter.PROS:Comes in a very nice box that is awesome for storage when not in use (for those of us we are particular about shoes and item storage)This stretcher is constructed of good quality, actual wood, not some flimsy plastic. Fairly easy to use, which mine arrived with instructions for use, which is wonderful for someone if you have never used a shoe/boot stretcher. Although this is called a 'boot stretcher', it does work in shoes as well. The first item I tried to stretch was a long pair of lace up boots that simply must have had a design flaw because both the left and right boots were extremely tight both across the top and in the sides of the toe area which I started to notice like the third time I put them on. I also purchased the kiwi universal shoe stretching spray, so I generously sprayed the inside of the boot and put in the foot fitter, hoping for the best. On my boots, with the tightness of the leather, I had to stretch them a little at a time as to no ruin the boots. To my surprise, low and behold, the foot fitter did the trick! Now granite, with MY particular issue, the boot is still a TINY bit tight, but nothing that is unbearable and/or to complain about but I was fearful to keep stretcher and ruining one of my favorite pair of all boots. Keep in mind, shoe/boot leather can only give so much so don't expect to gain like 2 sizes or anything with this- but yes- it definitely works, depending on your shoes and needs. I could literally hear the leather stretching each time that I opened it wider, which concerned me at first, but then I realized, this was a good sound, as it meant that it was working. For those particular boots, I left the stretcher in for two days, moving it just a tiny bit every few hours as the boots were expensive and I was fearful as to what the stretcher may do to them.CONS:Ok- lets be honest. In this day and age when money is a concern for most of our daily purchases, the cost of this stretcher is a slightly high, however, being that it is more expensive and time consuming to find a cobbler (Can you even find one now or days?) and/or countless hours traveling to shoe stores to find that perfect pair of shoes. So for the money, its almost a wash- depending on how you look at it. Just remember, you get what you pay for. The second 'con; is that it does not stay tight in the toe of the boot, so depending on what area of the item you need stretched, this could be an issue. For me, I need the area near the tip of the shoe, directly on the side where your pinky toe is, so this was a problem. I tried using the included plastic bunion accessory but it was as if the pre-drilled holes are not close enough to the tip to do what I needed it to do or just the design of how the stretcher opens, it was not working for what I needed. So to compensate, I would open the stretcher slighter and just push very hard on the base to insure that the entire stretcher would stay tightly in the tip. For some of my shoes, this was a bit of a chore, but I do not think it simply depends on what particular issue you have with you feet. Needless to say, I got the desired result I wanted after a true battle with some of the pairs of shoes I own. The next 'con' is that this stretcher does not do length, only width, so depending on the design on the shoe (like very narrow or extremely high heels) it was a little bit of a struggle to get this in place. So.... if you have very high, narrow boots, you may be slightly disappointed- for me, all of my high arched boots/shoes have zippers on the side, making the larger wooden base work ok, but if you are someone who has a lot of narrow shoes, this may not fit that well, as the larger part of the base is probably the size of a small apple. Just a side note, be careful when you are turning this- I thought I had broken it after like the 2nd day but my husband had to show me that I was trying to open it too wide, causing the handle to literally unscrew from the base- so keep that it mind.All in all- I highly recommend this stretcher- I only gave it four stars because I would have liked to have seen the pre-drilled holes closer to the toes and due to the fact that I had to be 'Hercules' to push it high enough into the toe area for my particular needs, but because I did end up with the results that I needed (after painstaking hours of doing ALL of my undesired fitting shoes) I have to say I am pleased with the purchase and urge you to consider it - reading all the reviews similar to what your needs are. Also, should mention, this is very universal- will work in both left or right side of most boots and shoes. You may also want to look at the stretching sprays- I'm not sure if I would have went without it.

This stretcher helped me get some favorite pairs of boots that had gotten too tight back into service. Wetting the leather helped the stretching process. The bunion spot reshaped easily.The only problem I had was overall toe box stretching. With the metal buttons removed, the smooth tapered stretcher slides back towards the heel as tension is added. Had to place an object between the stretcher and the heel to keep it in place. Also lubricated the threads, which made a difference. The plastic handle could be more robust - felt like I had to be careful not to break it.

I’ve been plagued with regulatory safety shoe rules, so I did the totally sane normal thing and invested in expensive redwings, at first it was ok but they really started to crush my foot. I was in pain from my feet to my back and neck, im barely 30 and in decent shape, I should not be suffering like this right? behold this contraption made my boots feel like the luxury price I paid for them was worth it 🤣 I think I just need wider boots but for now this thing is MAGIC 🪄

Bought this product to stretch new leather boots. Works really well and allows me to target areas to make the boots as comfortable and shaped to my foot as possible.

Had a really expensive pair of boots that were tight in one spot. This loosened them right up!

I bought this to help stretch a new pair of cross country ski boots. It worked fabulously. It has various anatomical attachments such as for bunions etc. I used the bunion attachment on the outside of the inner boot and used a hair dryer to stretch the boot. It still has maintained it’s new stretched shape. I would highly recommend this product to anyone needing to give your foot a little edge in a new pair of shoes or boots.

Excellent quality. Worked as advertized

It worked very well for stretching all my boots

I ordered the Large based on my size 11 North American shoe size and other reviews and it is sized just small enough to work for my shoes & boots...but if I was size 10.5 or smaller the next size down would be best (otherwise too difficult to push the stretcher to the end of the shoe/boot).Good sturdy, quality product that has worked extremely well, salvaging a pair of bike shoes that were too narrow for my wide, bunnioned feet. I also used them on another pair of shoes that were "broken in" but still were a bit uncomfortable after half a day, they now fit like slippers 😊.We bought the boot stretchers instead of the shoe as this does allow us to stretch the toe box area of all our footwear, including ski boots.Good product and would recommend to a friend if asked. and but any bigger and

Surprisingly, I used it for boots stretching ;)

Worked great while it worked! But now the threads are stripped on the main shaft and subsequently does not work anymore