I hated these but my situation is also a little unique. With past ligament injuries in my arch (from pointe shoes), the tight squeeze of the band was incredibly painful over time even though I bought the correct size. I tried hand-stretching them, even having a fellow dancer friend with larger feet wear them over a weekend to stretch them out. No go.

I switched to Dance Paws. While more expensive, the 'paws' gave more cushion on the ball of the foot and had a better turning surface and a smoother fit. Also they didn't cause excruciating pain, which was nice.

These do offer protection to the big toe, which is really nice and would be a great addition to other half soles. However, the long sleeves on the other toes feel like an unnecessary and annoying feature, particularly since they don't even protect those toes. Also, I won't lie - they were unattractive and my fellow dancers found them hilarious. And we wear a lot of funny looking things.

I would most recommend these for someone with a long narrow foot, especially if you don't require much arch support.