HOUNDSBAYBoxer Professional Boot Stretcher for Men and Women; Boot Expander Boot Shoe Stretchers For Wide Feet or Bunions

I've only stretched 2 pairs so far, and I have to say it's working very well. Note that trying to fit all of the custom stretch points into the shoe at one time may not be the way to go. In my experience, stretching one spot or area at a time worked best. Additionally, soak a cotton ball with isopropyl alcohol, and wipe the inside of the shoe where you want the stretch to happen, to speed the process up.This product seems sturdy, but don't over crank the mechanism. Instead, turn it to snug, and over time give it a quarter turn more. Overall it is easy to use and, adjustable to accommodate my unique foot shape.I definitely would buy again

I bought two of these awesome stretchers. I use them pretty much every day to stretch footwear and to maintain the form over time. One of the units I bought had a stray piece of metal caught in the threads from the manufacturing process. I thought the threads were just rough and would "wear in" over time but it ended up eating into the threaded rod until it began to slip. After a over a year since the purchase I thought it would be up to me to either repair or trash the stretcher but the company wanted to send me a replacement at no cost at all to me! They are an uncommon company who really stands behind their product!! I could not be happier with this product or the company!!

The good:This boot/shoe width stretcher is a decent quality consumer grade tool and in less than 24 hours allowed me to adjust the fit of a pair of shoes that were probably two width steps too narrow for me to wear comfortably. These shoes have thick dense leather and comparatively thick lining leather, the adjustment required a significant amount of force against the inside of the toe-box and instep areas. I never felt that the tool was in danger of breaking or failing to apply enough leverage.Materials are quite decent, with actual beech wood forms and all-steel mechanical parts.The less good:This is certainly NOT "professional" grade, if you interpret that as meaning it would last for years of every-day use at a shoemaker or cobbler's shop.Also, as delivered the acme thread screw mechanism (!! acme thread is good !!) is literally DRY... not even a hint of lubrication is present. This leads to binding and requires application of much higher force to the screw handle than is actually required if the mechanism was correctly lubricated.I bet that 95% of the broken universal joint complaints are caused by this.The good news is that a few drops of light machine oil on the screw and at the forcing cam completely fixes this issue, making for smooth and low-effort actuation.Now for the washer... I just can't fathom why they chose to use a washer that's too thin and incorrectly sized for the actuator shaft to retain the spring that's between the forcing cam and the screw shaft.If it was an easy fix, then I'd gladly replace it with the correct washer, but it isn't (need to drill out a pin that's in a blind hole in the shaft to disassemble, then make a new pin out of precisely sized mild steel, or find a roll pin that fits).I'm going to see if I can find a "c" clip that will snap onto the shaft and prevent my washer from getting lodged on the threads, like others have experienced.One more minus column item, but this one's a bit nit-pickey: I'd also be happier if they included some spot adjustment plugs that have lower or less abrupt profiles, so that you could make more subtle adjustments for toe shaping in narrow footbeds. That said, the ones that are included give a nice range of adjustments and with careful use can be used to adjust fit in small increments.

My boot stretcher arrived within 48 hours thanks to my PRIME membership. Opened the box and was pleasantly surprised by the quality. I had read multiple reviews prior to buying and saw a lot of comments about the poor quality primarily with the u-joint. Either the Manufacturer has improved the quality or I got lucky but either way it’s built good. It did not come with any paperwork/instructions. Although it’s not complicated to use it would be nice to initially know where the best position is for the 6 attachments. Anyways, here’s how I use them. Number 1- they are built for width stretching and not for the top of your foot. My boots were too narrow and too tight at the top. I don’t have any bunions or corns so I used all 6 attachments at the top of the wooden stretcher to get a little stretch at the top. I inserted the wood as far as I could and then tightened the laces pretty tight. After that I torqued the stretcher tight. Once the attachments started being noticeable through the leather I stopped. I stretched one boot overnight and the other throughout the day while at work. I tried them on after work and there was indeed a difference in the width. With a thin sock it was comfortable. With a wool sock it was tight. I should note that prior to stretching I couldn’t even lace the boots with the heavier sock. Number 2- I repeated the same procedure. After the second stretch I let the boots sit for 24 hrs. Then I did a third stretch. Each time placing all 6 attachments at the top. After all of that the boots reached a comfortable level. Now it’s as if I just bought the boots and my foot is naturally wearing them in for the custom, long term fit you get from a well made pair of boots. It is a labor of love. If you don’t have the time or patience you would be better off just buying a better fitting boot. For me it was worth it. When I’m not wearing the boots I have the stretcher in one of them and alternate as I go. My recommendation for how much torque to use is this, once the handle feels fairly tight give it 1/4 turn more and stop. I believe over torquing will either stretch the stitching of the boots too loose or the u-joint will get damaged. I’m satisfied and glad I bought it. I hope you all have similar results.

Clear this wasn't new. Seal broke not packaged as described. All the pcs seem to be there. Have tried couple times on new boots results TBD. Packaged nicely quite the presentation actually. If needed a second would purchase again

High quality item that provides great results. The various adaptor “ relief plugs “ can be precisely placed for a truly “ custom “ fit.

Muy buen producto, bien elaborado, de materiales resistentes y con muy buena estética. Llevo usando éste producto por dos meses y hasta el momento, todo ha funcionado de maravilla. Uso zapatos de 27 cm, compré talla mediana y funcionó muy bien para mis botas, pero si tu bota es estrecha, te recomendaría ordenar la talla pequeña

As promised. Good quality

I bought this stretcher to help break in a new pair of hiking boots and I must say that I am amazed at the difference it has made. I usually rely on hundreds of miles to break in a new pair of boots but this stretcher has streamlined the process and achieved great results in a short period of time - cant recommend this product highly enough - I'm a 4E and life has been painful till now!

The screw mechanism just broke down on first day. Had to return