FootFitter Premium Professional 2‑Way Shoe Stretcher for Width & Length

This has to be the very best product of its type on the market. The quality is impeccable and it does everything that you could expect it to do.

Extremely well built of solid wood. Includes a generous supply of metal inserts to add stretch capacity is specific areas. Well worth the price.

UPDATE: Received largest size today. Fits well for my US Men 12 shoe. I took the time to rub some beeswax on the threads before attempting to use the device as the dry metal on metal is difficult to use and will increase wear on the device. (For the premium price of this unit the threads should have been better polished and then lubricated at the factory at the time of manufacture.). To the manufacturer: If the knurled knob were more like the one I uploaded with this review it would be much easier to turn while holding the other knob steady. Pretty good quality though the metal threads are a bit rough, could use a bit more polish / some silicone dry lube to get them to turn easier. Main problem I have is I ordered the Large size which should work for my men's US size 12 shoes, and I ran out of travel on the threads before reaching the point of stretching my shoes. Returning for the larger size.

I broke my tibia/fibula at my right ankle a few years ago. Now, that foot is a bit larger than my left. For shoes that fit like a glove on my left foot, they're a bit too small on my right foot. OR I recently made the mistake of buying AA shoes. I've used the shoe stretcher three times, and it hasn't broken! Other ones usually broke after two uses. Now, this is going to sound strange, but it really helps if you *read the directions*. That sounds like a no-brainer, but I figured that you insert in shoe and twist, right? First of all, you need to pretreat it. Spray with a shoe stretcher spray (I had some left over from when I had to stretch a boot) or spray/rub generously with isopropyl alcohol. The isopropyl alcohol.is what is in the little bottle of shoe stretcher spray, which costs $5. If you run out of shoe stretcher spray, you can fill the bottle with isopropyl alcohol. Be sure to use 70%; 90% can be flammable. So you pre-treat it, and place shoe in front of space heater/on heat register for about half an hour. The heat makes the leather more pliable and helps stretch leather/suede. Next, spray liberally with more alcohol inside/outside shoe, insert shoe stretcher, twist the mechanism at the end clockwise to stretch the shoe wider, and twist the disk counter-clockwise to stretch the heel. Leave there for 48 hours, occasionally spraying with the alcohol. When removing the stretcher, you have to alternately twist the handle at the end and the disk. Twist the handle counter-clockwise; the disk, clockwise. You don't just twist the handle at the end counter-clockwise and the shoe falls off. You have to play with the disk a bit, tightening and loosening, as you unwind the handle at the end. So, here are the directions: 1. Pretreat with alcohol 2. Place shoe on/near a heat source 3. Spray/rub liberally with alcohol 4. Insert stretcher and adjust 5. Place shoe on/near heat source 6. Occasionally spray/rub liberally with alcohol again 7. Adjust stretcher more if you can 8. Check after 48 hours ALSO! If your leather shoe fades a bit because of the heat, massage a very small amount of coconut oil in a buffer sponge or a soft rag. (Coconut oil is great for leather shoes/bags/garments/brief cases, as well as skin/hair. I highly recommend it.) Rub over the shoe. If the shoe looks very dark after rubbing the oil into it, the leather will absorb it, and in about 24 hours, the shoe will be back to it's true color. DO NOT USE COCONUT OIL WITH SUEDE!

Having used a variety of these types of devices from various manufacturers (or distributors, who knows?) I can say that the FootFitter Premium Professional is strikingly superior. This type of device MUST be heavy duty with a sturdy mechanism of action in order to effectively "stretch" a shoe without breaking (the device not the shoe; although I suspect this could also ruin a shoe if "cranked" too far.) When used in conjuction with Eagle Boot Stretch spray, the process is made more effective and the end result is longer lasting if not permanent. Leather is a tricky material and a certain amount of aquired "finesse" will serve you well.

I bought this stretcher on the assumption that I would never have to buy another. That seems not to be the case. Superficially, it feels like a professional-quality piece. Large, heavy, smooth wood, big metal parts. Only the small plastic bunion attachments seem cheap and sparse in number. I used this unit to stretch two pairs of men's dress shoes, both size 12. The first pair was inexpensive, around $50, with rubber soles, and fit modestly well. The second pair was $125, very stiff, leather soled, and much higher quality, though perhaps a half-size too small. I drenched the inside and outside of both sets of shoes with rubbing alcohol before employing this shoe stretcher on each shoe for two days. Each time, I tightened the stretcher until it would no longer turn. The force to achieve this did not feel unreasonable and required no awkward positions or histrionics. The result: the cheap shoes stretched a half-size in width. Where my pinkie toes would go numb before, they no longer do if I wear thin dress socks. The expensive shoes stretched very little, if at all. They were tight. They are tight. Realistically, further stretching would require much more force for much longer. I could deal with that if the stretcher was reusable, but the threading of the main screw has begun to curl. The screw no longer threads smoothly. Tightening it for another use would probably ruin it. For what it cost to have this single wooden foot shipped, that's just not reasonable. I've sent a message to the vendor for a refund or replacement. I'll update this with their response. UPDATE: I've added back one star for customer service. I didn't receive a response to my email, but when I called, the wait was minimal and I was connected to a very pleasant lady who refunded the cost of the item. She suggested that the company sold thousands of this model and that complaints were exceedingly rare. She also recommended the following procedure to stretch a shoe: 1) Heat the shoe with a blowdryer 2) Coat the inside and outside with stretching formula or rubbing alcohol 3) Apply the shoe stretcher or, for more modest results, wear the shoe while keeping your foot near a heater In sum then, based on the strength of customer support that stands behind the product, it may be worth considering.

Seems like a very high quality product. Works pretty well for widening. Haven’t tried lengthening yet.

Works as advertised. I have several shoes I will now be able to comfortably wear.

This German made shoe stretcher is quality made, heavy & hard Beach wood with metal screw rod along with metal turn handles. My new $489 leather shoes were chaffing and giving me open sores on the back of my heels. I purchase the stretcher a few days ago, doing (stretch over 24 hrs.) one at a time over a couple of days. There was a noticeable stretch the next day (about 1/2 inch) compared to the other shoe. Wore them both today, and wha-La - I had no chaffing or sores on my back heels, my shoes were com-fort-able to walk around in. This is a extremely well made shoe stretcher, harken back to the days of my father back in the 1960's when he stretched his leather shoes - this one is highly recommended, just like the old days only better today.

Great quality and does the job perfectly. I have tried several other cheaper options, which all were useless and cheap for a reason. Ignore the others. This is the one you want!

Looks well made, for a high price. Only three bump inserts included, but one is long which is how such should be made. (Perhaps I can mold more.) Deluxe feature is heel pusher, so acts as shoe lengthener if needed - but that will tend to narrow shoe.(It gets in the way of using for widening.)

Very disappointed with this item. The item was broken after the second use. The shoe stretcher thread broken , which seems to be the design flaw. Makes me angry as this is 4 times more expensive than the Chinese ones and regardless of the quality of the wood or what not. It’s construction is basically a small nut that threads the long bolt. And it wore out rather quickly. Waste of time and money returning even. My advise buy from eBay and you will have the cover with PayPal. And amazon said they will cover $32 in postage. It will cost me $50 plus to ship back. I should really be able to throw this in the bin and except either a replacement or my money back.

This is well made and is doing a great job of stretching my shoes both in length and width. It works as well as my shoe repair shop.