i read all of the reviews for this item before i purchased it. yeah, it could be a little cheaper, and the 'japan' in the store name does mislead, but still, i think it a worthy product. it's wood, not metal, so one should treat it accordingly and use it to slip one's foot into the shoe, not force it to do other work, such as stretching the heel of the shoe out if the shoe's really too small for the foot. i've had mine for months, and love using it. the wood feels smooth, and my heel glides gently across its supple surface. i've found that plastic equivalents can bend--i don't knock them, but those of any length don't tend to be stiff enough, and this defeats the length's purpose, namely, to be able to use the shoe horn without having to bend over. i imagine those made of metal would be good, but they're pricy. in all, i'm very happy to own this, and i gave one to my father. he's never been one to indulge in creature comforts, but this he uses daily.