I decided to try this medieval looking device for stretching shoes because my 79 yr. old husband was complaining that no shoes in his stuffed closet were comfortable. He has an extremely extended bunion projecting out of his right foot by his big toe. Even though he always bought extra wide shoes and placed a wooden shoe stretcher in them at night, his bunion always hurt and appeared red and swollen. His doctor suggested surgery for his pain and discomfort but after considering that option, we decided surgery was a last resort because of the long recovery during which he would not be able to walk daily as is his usual routine. We spent a couple of hours researching what devices were on the market for bunions. After seeing this bunion stretcher on Amazon, we thought we would give it a try. We bought some Kiwi shoe stretcher spray also. At first, we could not fathom how to use this strange device but soon my husband figured it out and adjusted the metal ball to stretch out exactly the location of his bunion on the shoe. Then he sprayed the outside of his shoe at the spot and inserted the stretcher. Wow, it really worked!! After a few hours, his shoe was stretched out unnoticeably in the perfect spot. No staining from the spray.  Now he is switching the stretcher from shoe to shoe and is really excited to be able to actually wear his large variety of shoes, boots, and sandals. We tried the stretcher on my stiff, almost new Ecco walking shoes which were pressing on my little toes, making it painful to walk. Voila! My expensive shoes are now comfy without having to take them in to be stretched. We highly recommend this bunion stretcher and we are being super careful not to drop it or exert too much pressure since other reviewers have warned that the cast iron could break under extra stress. If you have shoes that you're not wearing, give this stretcher a try! Way cheaper than buying more shoes!!