The Complete Handbook of Shoe Horns & Dressing Aids

I run a small hardware plus housewares store and I've been stocking shoe horns by guesswork for a decade. This book gave me the actual terminology to talk to suppliers about what I need and I immediately redid my order based on the materials chapter. Only complaint is I wish the buying chapter had a few more budget tier examples, but overall a solid desk reference.

Bought this because I supply dressing aids to two assisted living facilities and honestly I was just looking for any consolidated info. The maintenance chapter alone saved me from throwing out a batch of wooden horns that had started splintering - I now know it was a humidity issue. A bit dry in places but I expected that from a handbook.

Been doing shoe repair for 30 years and thought I knew all there was to know, but the section on how the flange geometry actually interacts with different heel counter shapes was an eye-opener. The business chapter on private labeling is also much more realistic than the 'start a brand overnight' content floating around online. Recommended for anyone serious.

I'm a physiotherapist and I recommend dressing aids to patients recovering from hip or knee surgery, but I never had a good reference myself. This book covers more ground than I expected, especially the sections on reachers and sock aids which are usually glossed over. The chapter on choosing the right one based on specific mobility constraints is genuinely useful for my practice.

As a hotel purchasing manager, I buy shoe horns in bulk for guest rooms and I struggled to find objective info on what lasts. The durability comparisons between plastic and horn and the cleaning tips are exactly what I needed. It's a bit nerdy for some, but that's actually why it works. Four stars because I'd have liked a few more photos or diagrams in the types chapter.

Honestly picked this up out of curiosity after seeing the title, but it's genuinely well-researched. The section answering why some shoe horns flex and others don't was interesting, and I thought the maintenance chapter was much more practical than any manufacturer guide I've read. It's not a page-turner, but for what it sets out to do, it delivers.

This book knows what it is, but it has a bit of an identity crisis. It tries to address both random consumers and business buyers, and neither audience gets quite enough depth. The first three chapters on the product itself are very good, but the business opportunities chapter felt a little shallow and speculative to me. Still, the specs and usage sections are far better than anything else out there. Worth picking up if you actually deal with these products professionally.

Got this for my dad who restores vintage shoes as a hobby. He's used it more than any other reference book he owns. We were surprised by how much detail there is on dressing aids beyond just the horns themselves. The glossary is handy for understanding old trade terms he comes across in his restoration work. Good, practical, no nonsense book.