I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of thought that went into the design of what appears to be a very simple tool. I was prepared to drill new holes to properly align the metal expansion plugs into the area where I have an issue. I my case I had broken and severely jammed my big toe many years ago, resulting in a lumpy joint on top of my foot (first metatarsophalangeal joint). This usually requires me to buy wider than optimal shoes with ill fitting results for the other foot and for the heel of the affected foot.

When I looked at the photo of the shoe stretcher I incorrectly assumed that it would go deeper into the shoe than it does which would have misaligned the appropriate expansion plug location. Not so! It was located exactly where needed.  The stretcher was obviously designed by a podiatrist familiar with common foot anomalies.

With regard to sturdiness, it is very well made and should in general use last many years. Those saying otherwise are perhaps attempting too much stretching in a single go and either have extremely strong wrists or are using a tool for torsion. In my case, I used the stretcher on four consecutive evenings to achieve my desired results.  This slower technique also allows for a bit of position tuning as you go.