Yes, they are solid cedar, and they are more or less the correct shape and size to work as shoe trees, however these have two serious flaws when compared to my higher end shoe trees:

1. They are not side-specific.  In other words, they are not contoured for the right and left foot separately.  Instead they are generic and "straight" which may cause some weird results in soft leather shoes that are easily deformed (like soft Italian loafers).

2. The spring does not put enough tension in the heel.  In my size 11.5 dress shoes, there is not enough tension to keep the toe of the shoe (and thus the sole) from "curling up" since the heel of the shoe tree isn't even coming in contact firmly with the inside heel of the shoe, and therefore the shoe tree can't do its job of "pushing down" on the toe of the shoe to help it keep its shape.

Lesson learned - these are a bargain price, but like so many things, you get what you pay for.  If you're just looking for something to stick in your gym shoes, these are probably fine.  But if you're looking for something to keep your prized dress shoes in tip-top shape (and I mean "shape" in all senses of the word) then look elsewhere.