I feel like I’ve tried everything available in all the stores, at the shoe stores, I’ve bought the “good” ones off Amazon, the DUBEFWEE style brands too.
They all break or deform within a year, I can’t take it
The shoe horns are fine, there’s something funny about your technique.
I can’t wait to discover that OP is a space marine and utterly despairing at the lack of suitable shoe horns for his 50 kg power armour boots
Definitely this. OP should try to position the shoehorn alongside his leg. If you use it in a wider angle over and over, not only makes it the process harder and more uncomfortable, it also bends the metal after some time.
Ooooor, OPs feet are a freaky affront to nature.
They are probably blowing too hard. Classic mistake
We have the long steel ones from IKEA. Solid. Never had any problems with them.
Really? You are asking this?
When I search “shoehorn” literally the first hit is a steel shoehorn.But as many here write, maybe your technique put more stress on the horn than necessary.
The further put the shoehorn down the shoe, the more you stress the shoehorn.
Try to use the horn more just on the edge of the shoe.Get a new one. Go to a shoe cobbler, also to a good shoe store. Then show them your technique. I found it odd that you are bending them so soon. Have them watch you use it. Maybe it’s your technique.
“Ah, user error.”
All kidding aside, I use a brass and wood shoehorn that I inherited from my grandparents. Thing is at least 50 years old.
Whatever you’re doing, it’s not the horn.
Get a steel one
is it possible that you’ve been buying the wrong sized shoes?
There’s metal shoehorns which are nearly indestructible.
You probably can’t order from this shop wherever you’re from, but my parents have this model: https://shop.wenko.de/Wohnen/Zubehoer/Schuhloeffel-Extra-Lang-58-5-cm-rostfreier-Edelstahl
And yeah, that very much feels like you could repurpose it as a makeshift katana in some fictional zombie outbreak…Nearly?!? I mean sure a furnace or a steam roller or a nuclear blast might do it but….putting on shoes?
Well, you do have a pretty big lever there. If your shoes are rather tight and you really gotta work your way in there, then you’re gonna exert quite a bit of force…
Dude. 1/2 size larger maybe?
I kid but seriously. I once made the mistake of getting new shoes RIGHT before a convention where I was on my feet for 8-10 hours a day and no time to get different ones. They were too tight and that pressure caused me pain for years.
I mean, I don’t know what shoes OP is wearing, but if you’ve got uncushioned shoes (leather shoes or fake leather or whatever), then you do want them to be basically skin-tight. Otherwise, they’ll grind up and down your feet and give you blisters.
But yeah, of course, if they crush your feet, that’s no good either. 🫠
I find it weird that nobody mentioned this. If you don’t have back problems and you’re tired of shoe horns breaking, in addition to reconsidering your technique, get a short metal one.
My ex GF bought me those and they were great for the first 12 months then they both deformed.
I’m surprised so many people here use them. I remember seeing one in my grandparents house in the 80s and thinking it was a relic then.
From dress shoes to hiking boots to sneakers to you name it, I’ve never needed assistance getting a shoe on or off. What is their purpose?
Help you keep the shape when sliding the foot in, especially in nicer shoes.
Huh. Never had an issue even with nice shoes. I guess I just have slippery feet.
I actually do have some joint hyper mobility so maybe that’s why I don’t see the utility of it? Dunno.
Less of an issue if you take the time to properly untie your shoes, I usually pull two rows of laces out as much as I can when taking them off and putting my feet in is basically as easy as in my Crocs
I am surprised also, the only person I know that uses one is an old cowboy that got hit by a truck 45 years ago and has mobility issues. He has a long wooden one, possibly designed for riding boots.
WTF is going on here??? I have literally NEVER known of or heard of anyone using a shoehorn. Even my grandparents. I live in the US. Is this maybe a niche thing in some other country???
I use a shoe horn. It’s stainless steel. It’s never broken and I’ve had it for over 20 years.
I don’t use it often, but for those times when your feet are wet/swollen or the shoes are leather dress shoes, it’s the only way to go.
Plus, anyone with high arches will need that extra assist. It’s not a nationality thing, it’s a foot and shoe type thing.
Have you ever tried loosening the laces?
Have you ever worn a pair of Florsheims or a pair of riding boots? You can totally remove the laces and you’ll still have the same difficulty.
My grandparents from Poland, and my grandparents from Italy had them, my parents and brother have them. I’ve never owned them. But I grew up in Florida, so you don’t need them for flip flops
I think I’d be afraid to wear flip flops in Florida considering how many nasty little critters you guys have down there.
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“To shoehorn something” is a literal common expression in Spanish, lately often used to indicate a deliberated misdirection of a debate into a different argument at the minimum occasion (usually via any fallacy)… and there are even shoehorns literally with long sticks for the elders…
It’s a fairly common expression in English, too, with much the same meaning. I don’t know what sort of rock these people are living under.
Some higher end brands come with shoe horns. I have a few now. I will say in all my years I have never broken or deformed one though, and I have some cheap ones from amazon too.
I’m with you. Everyone in this thread arguing for shoehorns comes off like an actual kook. Buy shoes that fit your feet, and loosen the laces if you’re struggling. Anything else is stubborn insanity.
Leather slippers (or loafers, think they are called differently in some locations) don’t have laces you could possibly loosen.
Hiking boots and winter shoes are often challenging to put on due to the rigid ankle support.
Other shoes such as Converse and the likes get really worn out and flimsy on the heel, to the point where trying to slip in without support will just wrinkle them up.
Some people are unable to bend down properly due to knee or hip issues, etc.
Shoehorns make life easier for almost everyone. I’ve been using them for 20+ years and wouldn’t miss it.
lol I feel like I’m living in a different planet. I’ve got leather loafers. I just pull the on with my finger—never considered they a tn be a problem. Boots, umm, have laces. I also wear sneakers—the only ones that have a crumpled back are those that I’ve knowingly abused by making them effectively slip ons (not untying the laces).
lol I feel like I’m living in a different planet.
😂 Are you just now learning that people experience different things in life?
I don’t use a shoehorn, and I’ve finally embraced the Skechers Slip-Ins lifestyle and loving it, but shoehorns would definitely have made my life easier in some respects.
You a thin person? Only people I know using shoe horns can’t see their feet.
I got a stainless steel one on Amazon, it’s relatively thick steel, I have no idea how you’d be able to break it with only your hands and feet. I agree the plastic ones are shit.
Edit: The brand was apparently “NINEMAX”. (Not a sponsor lol)
Are you SURE this comment isn’t sponsored by Big Shoehorn?
Have you considered you may simply just have freaky strong feet?
Perhaps the technique is off. Never broken a shoehorn.
I wonder if he destroys the back of his shoes too
No. I just have large feet. All my shoes are in great condition and the reason I use a shoehorn is to protect the backs.
HULK FEET SMASH PUNY SHOEHORN
Ikea OMTÄNKSAM
I used the OMSORG, the ikea one with a cute lil face on the holding end. Shoe horns don’t break in my experience but I always put on nice shoes slowly with them, rushing might cause me to step on the shoe horn and deform or snap it…
The one made out of plastic? That one sucks compared to the one I mentioned before.
Yeah the one you mentioned is probably better but if you use it properly, holding the horn vertically and don’t step on it with your heel, that should drastically have the shoehorn last longer even if plastic.
What you really need is a carbon fiber shoehorn. If you do manage to deform it the thing will go right back to its original shape.
But if you break it, won’t it splinter and stab you through your Achilles tendon?
Possibly, but life is full of risks.
Plus it works a treat if your normal shoe horn is far too heavy.
Ikea, standing shoehorn. Goofy thing is styled like a snake, but gets the job done.
Just wondering, how wide is the lace gap on your shoes when you’re laced up? I’ve never needed a shoe horn unless I was trying to get my foot into a shoe that was too small.
