It might not be the most perfect or sturdy shoe stretcher but for the price it gets 5 stars. I could do both shoes at once for a reasonable price and the strecher was made out of wood. Because of previous reviews, I was careful not to push the strech too much at once. I used vodka to wet the shoes since I had nothing else and placed the streching shoes in the sun behind a window pane to warm them. Every 10 or 15 minutes, I could easily strech a little more in both directions. When I had done as much as I thought was needed, I let the shoes with strechers rest for three days. Voila! An expensive pair of shoes that I loved but was not comfortable now fit perfectly. The strechers paid for themselves in this use alone. They look just fine and I plan to use them again as needed. Only problem is that my shoes smelled like vodka for a few days...