Shoe trees

[bagofpucks]

Hi all, any recommendations on where to buy good quality wooden shoe trees preferably downtown? I'm having trouble figuring out where to get some.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

O'Connors by Scotia Center is where I got mine. A reasonable price if I recall for articulated cedar ones.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Yeah the last time I bought them there they were $30ish.

[Locke]

Shoes dont grow on trees!

[CaptainYooh]

There is a small show repair store on Stepehen's Ave; it's in the basement, next to the Irish Pub and Tribune. I bought a few pairs of cedar shoe trees there for $20/pair this summer.

[DoubleF]

If you consider online, I got these ones which overall I have been happy with minus a 1/4 having a crack due to what looked like temperature differential and slightly lacking packaging in the box (and when I contacted the company, they just sent another two pairs of shoe trees to me for free and didn't ask for the originals back):

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and was very disappointed in these ones due to oils in the spring mechanism as well as a packaging that caused cedar oil to exit the wood (looked like mold at first when it was damp, turned into crystals when dried):

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I've seen them in Harry Rosen and Nordstrom. Around $25-$30 which isn't bad, but others have already pointed out better deals.

[squiggs96]

The Allen Edmonds ones are excellent and they'll sell them anywhere AE shoes are sold. I'm guessing Harry Rosen. I have them in all of my dress shoes. I believe they are $25 for a pair or two for $40.

[Hammertime]

I bought some at O'Connors then saw almost the same ones at winners for way cheaper.

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[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Hammertime

I bought some at O'Connors then saw almost the same ones at winners for way cheaper.

Yup, I started seeing shoe trees at Winners in the last few months. I don't recall seeing them there before. Good call.

[CaptainYooh]

How much are they at Winners?

P.S. Winners has an incredibly useless web-site for a large retailer...

[jwslam]

Am I the only one who uses $2 Ikea ones?

[Hack&Lube]

If he was still here, I would have thought Peter12 would be the only one who used these. Do people actually use these at home? I thought it was just for travelling so your shoes don't get crushed.

[CaptainYooh]

It depends on what you're using them for. Ikea plastic inserts are good for travel, because they're lightweight and preserve the shoe shape in a suitcase. But they do not deodorize the shoe like the cedar tree ones.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

If he was still here, I would have thought Peter12 would be the only one who used these. Do people actually use these at home? I thought it was just for travelling so your shoes don't get crushed.

I leave the shoe trees in my shoes when they are stored on occasion. The ones I bought have the spring resistance just right which is nice. I tried a pair and the spring was too strong which made me concerned about some pairs of shoes ripping. I have 4 pairs of shoe trees. I only needed two, but when I got 2 extra pairs for free... why not?

I have several pairs of older Steve Maddens that were completely abused for about 3-4 years which I think regular shoe cedar tree usage might have extended the life and look of them a few years. Wicking and shape retention on those shoes would have helped immensely with those due to the water damage they may have sustained when walking in salt, slush and water...

There was also one pair of dress shoes that were slightly tight for me that suddenly became slightly more comfortable (wide feet) after inserting shoe trees. They were flat toed shoes and perhaps the shot tree stretched the shoe near the toe in a way my feet were never able to?

I honestly just cycle 3 pairs of shoe trees between sneakers and dress shoes to "store them" and keep them out of the way. I don't believe shoe cedar trees are effective at "deodorizing". Cedar shoe trees may smell nice, but it's perhaps no better than spraying a scent into the air to cover a smell. It doesn't truly deal with the issue. Shoe trees inside a pair of shoes helps immensely when shining shoes. But your hand inside the shoe as leverage works reasonably well too.

I also don't think multiple shoe trees are necessary I cycle mine between several pairs of shoes. I can totally see how putting a pair of wooden shoe trees into a pair of shoes once a month or so or when damp as a part of a regular maintenance routine could be helpful. I judge shoe trees effectiveness based personal anecdotal experience of the damage it seemed to reverse on my Steve Maddens. TBH, the way you treat your shoes is a better indicator of shoe durability than shoe trees.

For travel, I never use plastic shoe trees. I just fill the inside of the shoe with things to allow the shoe to bounce back a little after compression. These are usually socks and misc toiletries.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

How much are they at Winners?

P.S. Winners has an incredibly useless web-site for a large retailer...

If memory serves me correctly, I believe I saw the Moneysworth and Best shoe trees at Winners for around $18. Amazon who is selling them for around $18-19. I wasn't really paying attention as I already have shoe trees, but I recall checking those pairs because of my interesting experience with that brand.

EDIT: So that you don't have to look for the other thread, Moneysworth and Best had actually been wrapping their shoe trees in plastic wrap as per a request by Amazon. This affected many batches of shoe trees in the warehouse per the rep at Moneysworth and Best. This wrap wasn't allowing proper air circulation and as a result, moisture issues caused many shoe trees to exhibit cedar oil crystallization (which looks like mold when wet). This is easily corrected with a minor bit of sanding and drying out the shoe tree in nice dry Calgary air.

There isn't an issue with Moneysworth and Best shoe trees, but I'd definitely examine the springs for rust and cracks in the wood in places that may snag the shoe prior to purchasing that brand though (or any brand in general). I'm actually a little curious if those shoe trees at Winners are the same batch.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

How much are they at Winners?

P.S. Winners has an incredibly useless web-site for a large retailer...

It doesn't make sense for Winners to have inventory on their website since all their inventory is like overstock and end of season stuff and extras and liquidation that they randomly purchase from the supply chain. They are not the first-run retailer so they wouldn't have any regular product to advertise on a website.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I have several pairs of older Steve Maddens

Off topic but that's a shoe brand I'll never buy again. Winners always has these and I was tempted by the prices a couple of times but all of them have developed holes in the soles or ripped or had the leather wear out only after 3 or 4 months of wearing to work.

[CaptainYooh]

I just bought five pairs of these Songmics. Good price, free 2-day shipping, good tree.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Most of my shoes have shoe trees in them. It's just a sensible way to keep shoes looking good longer. Frankly, I am yet to come by a particular brand of shoe trees that does not do the job, regardless of the price point. I used to buy Allen Edmonds shoes online with shoe trees in them, but shipping costs and duties increase a lot due to weight/price, so I stopped doing that. AE shoe trees are actually not that comfortable to use: their springs are very tight and they can hurt your thumb when they snap.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Off topic but that's a shoe brand I'll never buy again. Winners always has these and I was tempted by the prices a couple of times but all of them have developed holes in the soles or ripped or had the leather wear out only after 3 or 4 months of wearing to work.

Dang, that sucks.

I bought a pair of Canid Loafers off Amazon in my size for $45. IMO, that's about what they're worth. I bought 2 pair 3-4 years ago for around $70 and one is falling apart, the other pair started rotting due to it never drying properly (even when I inserted newspaper inside it to help). I guess I'd say I got decent value over the life of the shoe. I've seen the same loafers in smaller and larger sizes for about $30 in the Amazon warehouse (probably someone bought wrong size and returned). At those prices, it's hard to beat. But paying full price or half price at the Steve Madden store? No thanks.

The shoe tree helped the one pair of Madden shoes to dry out (when newspaper wouldn't), but it was too late, the sole started rotting due to moisture, so I chucked them out. The shoe tree didn't help with the loafers from falling apart, but it did help with maintaining the shape due to me squashing the heel over time.


Those Songmics look promising. I especially like the toe vents, but I guess it also means you sacrifice a horizontal spring in the shoe tree (not that the horizontal spring is useful).

Another random off topic note: What I learned at Harry Rosen, was that for shoe sizes, there is a length and width size. Everyone knows what number they are, but they don't often realize that width is denoted by a letter.

[SportsJunky]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Off topic but that's a shoe brand I'll never buy again. Winners always has these and I was tempted by the prices a couple of times but all of them have developed holes in the soles or ripped or had the leather wear out only after 3 or 4 months of wearing to work.

Huh. I've had the opposite experience with Steve Madden shoes. They've been my favourite dress shoes the last couple of years and I wear them a lot. I'd recommend them.