FootFitter Instep & Vamp Boot Stretcher, Relieves Foot Tightness Across Top, Men & Women Boot Raiser

I bought this because a beautiful pair of cowboy boots had a bizarrely VERY tight instep- I couldn’t even get the left one on. I really wanted to keep them. The reviews were variable but I thought I would give it a try.Basically, it is important to understand this is only for stretching the instep. The thing does not go all the way in, because, well, you couldn’t expand it that way!Follow the instructions. I used a 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and water, this stretcher, and a radiator to make the whole thing warm. In less than an hour it was done. Foot slid in, perfect.Great effective product, well built.

Works great but you need to be patient. Leather relaxer helps it work. Check size. Very important to get a stretcher that sized for your boots

Good product for stretching the instep of heavy leather boots. But does not go as far as stretching the toe area of the boot.'

What a disappointment. As you can see from my pics, I own a suite of FootFitter products which have served me well and reliably – these were all purchased in 2020 and were great for tweaking boots to fit perfectly. However, the Boot Vamp and Instep Stretcher, purchased in late 2023, isn’t fit for purpose. It actually has TWO points of failure – each separately renders it a useless object. Perhaps the company’s quality control has gone downhill or manufacturing been outsourced – but I wouldn’t have confidence in ever purchasing another of their products unless I called up to make inquiries on construction beforehand.On to the two points of failure:1. This product is for boots – the metal shaft hinges at the heel of the boot and is meant to be cranked while maintaining the angle – about 90°. But the mechanism doesn’t function properly – it will only turn if the metal pieces are almost completely straightened – which obviously won’t work for a boot. If you compare the shaft pieces between my 2020 ‘FootFitter Width Stretcher,’ which does function, and the non-functioning ‘Boot Vamp and Instep Stretcher,’ you’ll see that the latter is much thicker – I suspect this is one reason it doesn’t function – some of the pieces are too ungainly to slide past each other and enable rotation at 90°.2. The first issue makes the product impossible to use for boots, but maybe you could use it in shoes instead? Nope! I tried turn the crank to see how wide the wood piece would open and it only opened minimally – the screw is poorly machined and prevents considerable resistance for a rotation until it can no longer be turned. The screws on the FootFitter products I purchased in 2020 turn like butter – you need those screws to be well-machined and well, turnable, in other to stretch at your boot leather. Again, with this 2023 Boot Vamp and Instep Stretcher, I’m struck at the absolute lack of any quality control.Lastly, and this wasn’t the deal breaker, but their sizing for this product is a little off. I wanted to use it in a size 10 women’s boot and bought the appropriate size. The location of the hinge in the bend arm makes the length of the combined wood and metal piece within the boot a little too long. The women’s large size meant for size 9.5-11.5 would better fit sizes 11+.Bummed I have to give this the lowest rating, but it wasn’t fit for purpose – it’s a hugely flawed product.

This is super well made and very durable feeling. I think this is for more of a high heel style shoe and not for a boot. When I insert it into my boot it doesn't fit properly because of the overly rounded up toe. It isn't able to sit flat in my boot so when I try to use the stretching part, it just pushes itself out.

You know what.... I streatched my boot and now it fits.. Go figure , what a great product.

Purchased this to stretch the top arch of some boots that were tight. The boots are size 13 and the stretcher fit perfect. I used it at the end of a day when the boots were warm from wearing and left it in overnight. I repeated this over a few days and the boots now fit perfectly. The stretcher is really a professional quality tool, solidly built and will last many years. A little pricey but, you actually get what you paid for in this case. Two thumbs up!

I think I was given the wrong size feet. Nothing fits me out of the box. I recently got a great pair of boots that I love, but, OH, did they hurt me. Hurt me bad. I needed to use both the instep stretcher and also the width stretcher - but now, I can wear them without bursting into tears with each step. It was either this or surgery. (I considered returning the boots for about 1 second, but they are so nice... and the color...) Surgery would have prevented me from wearing the boots for a lot longer than using FootFitter. Thanks, FootFitter.