I bought this stretcher on the assumption that I would never have to buy another. That seems not to be the case. Superficially, it feels like a professional-quality piece. Large, heavy, smooth wood, big metal parts. Only the small plastic bunion attachments seem cheap and sparse in number.

I used this unit to stretch two pairs of men's dress shoes, both size 12. The first pair was inexpensive, around $50, with rubber soles, and fit modestly well. The second pair was $125, very stiff, leather soled, and much higher quality, though perhaps a half-size too small. I drenched the inside and outside of both sets of shoes with rubbing alcohol before employing this shoe stretcher on each shoe for two days. Each time, I tightened the stretcher until it would no longer turn. The force to achieve this did not feel unreasonable and required no awkward positions or histrionics.

The result: the cheap shoes stretched a half-size in width. Where my pinkie toes would go numb before, they no longer do if I wear thin dress socks. The expensive shoes stretched very little, if at all. They were tight. They are tight. Realistically, further stretching would require much more force for much longer.

I could deal with that if the stretcher was reusable, but the threading of the main screw has begun to curl. The screw no longer threads smoothly. Tightening it for another use would probably ruin it. For what it cost to have this single wooden foot shipped, that's just not reasonable. I've sent a message to the vendor for a refund or replacement. I'll update this with their response.

UPDATE:

I've added back one star for customer service. I didn't receive a response to my email, but when I called, the wait was minimal and I was connected to a very pleasant lady who refunded the cost of the item. She suggested that the company sold thousands of this model and that complaints were exceedingly rare. She also recommended the following procedure to stretch a shoe:

1) Heat the shoe with a blowdryer
2) Coat the inside and outside with stretching formula or rubbing alcohol
3) Apply the shoe stretcher or, for more modest results, wear the shoe while keeping your foot near a heater

In sum then, based on the strength of customer support that stands behind the product, it may be worth considering.