Shoe stretchers (wideners, expanders) I recommend

[Darrell KSR]

I ask for so many recommendations about products that I need, I thought I would actually contribute a solution for a change. It may not be a problem for you, but it is for me.

I have a wide foot, and sometimes the toe box and shoe pinches. Other times the roof of the shoe is too low and it squeezes the top of my foot. And of course, shoes are different. One shoe size 11, which is what I normally wear (I might wear a 10 or a 10-1/2 in another shoe), may not be another company's size 11. In fact, I just picked up a pair of running shoes a month ago in a size I have purchased before from Asics. They were a good 1/2 to full size smaller than the company's own shoes for other models.

And some shoes I like to be tight, while other shoes need to have plenty of room. So there's the problem. Here's the solution.

shoe stretcher.JPG

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have used these in the last month to stretch the length and width of the Asics shoes I mentioned, and I have now run 30 miles in them more comfortably. I have used them to lengthen a pair of Oxford dress shoes I have that were simply about a half size too small. I have used them to widen the toe box in a pair of New Balance shoes that pinched my left foot only. I am currently using them to raise the instep of an old pair of dress shoes I did not wear because it put a lot of pressure on the top of my foot.

I do not recommend intentionally purchasing shoes too small, but if you end up with some that do not fit perfectly, these things are a godsend. I would caution you to not expect it to perform miracles, nor to necessarily work overnight, or the first time. For my Asics, which were really small, I conservatively stretched it several times for several days. I wore it for brief runs in between, and the combination worked. But it wasn't a one-time deal. It is a process.

I would say that the solution is simply to go to a store and have your shoes fitted each time, but for some of us, that isn't a real solution. We don't have time to do that, we find better deals online, we have others purchase shoes for us, and in my case, I have tried shoes on in the store, and thought they fit okay, but after a day or so of wearing them, found they did not fit as well, or they pinched at a certain place.

Enter the shoe stretchers. for the price of two or three cups of Starbucks coffee you get two shoe stretchers, a long shoe horn, 12 bunion plugs, and 3 heighten pads.

[dan_bgblue]

Any chance they could be made to work on the instep and the width of a pair of these?

I had been buying pairs of these wellington style boots from the same company for over 30 years. The size was always consistent and I never had a problem with fitment. I bought a pair 5 years ago, wore them a few times and then oiled them up,. put them back in the box and they have been lounging around in my closet ever since. They are too narrow, and the instep is too low. I happen3ed to check the inked label on the inside of the boots. Yup hey are the right size, but they were built in the wrong country. My boot builders had pulled stakes and moved south of the border.

I would love tp make the pair I have usable to me, but I do not know if I can stuff the apparatus down the throat of a pair of these wellingtons and make the device work. Darrell, what do you think of that idea?

[Darrell KSR]

Dan, I'm reading this on my phone and didn't see the picture. But I think it works for dress shoes, boots, sneakers, and just about anything, within reason. I can't remember what the company says, but I think it would work up to maybe one full size, over sometime, and it definitely will widen the boot. Instep is definitely doable as well, again, within reason. I would not expect miracles, but a slight improvement is sometimes all that is needed.

If you wear a size 12 and the boot is fitting like a size 9, it is not going to work for you. But a 10 to an 11, with improved instep? I think so.

[Darrell KSR]

Dan, I I am no longer sitting at a red light, and can focus on your question. I don't think it will work for a boot. I was focused on the stupid question about whether it would stretch it, and I was positive that would occur, but you got another issue. I don't know that it can't work, I just would be hesitant to recommend it.

[Darrell KSR]

Manufacturer says it will not work for boots. Sorry I didn't pay close attention.

[Darrell KSR]

There is a similar device made strictly for boots at double the price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0788...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[dan_bgblue]

Appreciate all the info Darrell

[KentuckyWildcat]

Kind of related. Seems like every shoe I wear anymore hurts my big toes except Boombah. Some are loose, some are tight, some seem just right, but they still hurt.

[Darrell KSR]

After looking at my foot and shoes that fit very well, I think that my foot itself isn't so wide, as much as it is wide in the toe box. So I don't need any pointy shoes, and they need to stay relatively wide almost to the end. Or I need to have the shoes be a little bit longer so they fit better because of that.