FootFitter Western Boot Stretcher

This boot stretcher did the job. My right foot is wider than my left foot and causes problems with the toe box of western boots.Going up a half size in the boot size caused other issues After years of coming up with home made solutions including ice bags in the freezer. None of them really did the job on the toe boxes. I decided to buy a stretcher. I looked at the reviews for various stretchers and decided the Foot Fitter was the best bet. I then researched prices and Amazon was the best price ( with the Prime membership free shipping).I used the boot stretcher with a water alcohol solution. Stretched once and it was not far enough. Second stretch was a charm. By the way this is a good strategy. You can stretch but it is very difficult to shrink if not impossible.Took me a bit to figure out how to remove the stretcher once the stretching was complete. Loosen the stretcher completely and push in the sides. You will waste a lot of time and energy trying to wiggle or pull it out without doing this.Well made. I will pass it on to my children. Figure you might as well have one that will last rather than buying several over a period of time. With the cost of well made boots and the discomfort of a too small toe box this is a good investment.

I bought the large for use with a men’s size 9; it fits as I hoped.As the stretcher is for use with western boots, it needs to be a little taller at the back end, but using the stretcher in combo with other spacer pieces such as wood pieces, etc. works fine for stretching the throat area.I would offer a bit of advise regarding stretching western boots. In the tip of of the toe of a traditional western boot (not the square toe version), and back for a couple of inches cannot be stretched. This area is the "toe cage" and is encapsulated in a piece of plastic that will not allow a stretcher to stretch it out even a smidgen. With that un-stretchable area in mind, trying to stretch the area just behind that piece of plastic might is easier if you don’t keep the stretcher's toe forced all the way into the boot's toe when operating the stretcher.

I needed to stretch out pair of western boots. The Footfitter worked very well but it took me three sessions to get the boots where I needed them. I discovered that the best way to use this s to put it in the boot, tighten it as much a possible, eight eight hours and try on the boot. The first time the boots were still too tight so i again inserted the Footfitter, clamped it down as tight as possible, waited another eight hours then had to repeat one more time. So the process was a bit time consuming but I now have boots that fit very comfortably.

I have mild diabetes swelling in my right foot which makes wearing shoes and boots uncomfortable. I purchased some high-quality Tony Lama boots and even though the retailer stretched the right boot, it was not enough. Instead of taking them back, I purchased this and was able to stretch them another half size so that putting on the boot and wearing it throughout the day is much more comfortable. I also partially leather stretcher spray it seemed to help. I left the stretcher in several days now I am a happy boot walker

I have used shoe stretchers for years on my shoes, but I did not realize that boot stretchers even existed before. I bought a pair of Justin Western style round toed boots and despite a couple of applications of leather conditioner and Neats Foot oil, they were still pretty stiff. I saw these on Amazon and thought I would give it a try. They don't stretch the length of the boot from toe to heel because there is no rear piece to engage the heel area as in regular shoe stretchers. They are pretty sturdy and are made of Beech Wood. Smoothly crafted and finished with strong, solid hardware. They come with 3 metal inserts (like smooth bumps on the surface) to plug into a series of holes along the top and side surfaces of the wooden foot piece to add some extra space to help stretch hot spots better. I added 2 of the inserts and cranked away on the handle. The bump spots were a little too aggressive, so I removed them as I was afraid they would leave distinct distension marks on the boot leather. This is where I ran into a slight problem. The spindle handle didn't seem to be doing anything to loosen them. I stopped to actually re-read the directions as to whether to turn them clockwise or counter clockwise to loosen them. The handle just seemed to turn and not do anything and then I just couldn't turn it at all. I thought that it was broken after just one use. I was dreading having to try and take it apart. I am 62 years old and recently injured my elbow and had a spell of moderate to severe pain when trying to grip anything tightly. I got a leather utility glove on and cranked it again. With some resistance, it popped and began to turn and loosen. I removed the bump inserts, applied another dose of Neats foot oil, inserted the stretcher and cranked away. You have to be careful as this thing will pop the seams in the base of the shoe/welt if you crank it too much. You can see the boot actually expand under tension as you tighten it. You really have to be careful. I gently heated the boot with a hairdryer and added more leather conditioner paste and Neats Foot oil, particularly at the base of the boot all round the stitching that bonds the upper to the sole/welt area. I even used a bit of a tube of Nokona baseball glove conditioner which is basically like Vaseline. I used the hair dryer again to thoroughly melt the oils into the boot. I gave it another few turns to tighten it some more. I left it in place for a day and a half and it did the trick, no more tight/hot spots in the instep and it is definitely wider as well. It does not really do anything for the length of a boot, just the width. I was not able to push it deep enough into the boot to have any real effect on the toe box area at all. It did widen it a bit about 3 inches and rearward from the actual toe of the boot. This did darken the leather, my boots were a dark brown to begin with, but if you have lighter colored boots, give it some thought if you don't want them to become darker, as the conditioning oils WILL darken them. Just make sure you thoroughly wet (almost to the point of saturation) the boot. I preferred oil based leather conditioning stuff instead of water. Baseball glove break in liquid would work too. You HAVE to be CAREFUL as it is sturdy and strong enough to pop stitching and seams if you overtighten it. A shame to destroy a brand new pair of boots. You can hear popping sounds as you tighten the handle. They aren't cheap, mine was around $55 just for one stretcher. If you need to do both right and left boots, plan on 3 to 4 days to do them both with the one device.

Product looked and felt well made.Worked well with the first couple of turns until the handle snapped and the spreader becoming stuck in boot.Disappointed as product isn’t cheap.

Unit widens boots does not lengthen them. Wish there was a lengthening function. Does a very good job of widening. Appears to be sturdy. Worked well on 2 sets of boots. Did not use liquid boot stretcher that was recommended.

Product seems good but I didn’t use it. I wear 9 1/2 western boots and large was way too big. Had to return the Footfitter

It stretched my boot as per instructions. Love it. It’s made from wood do will last a long long time.

c'est exactement ce que je recherchais, fonctionne à merveille

Width not at the toe box where I need it :(