A long handle shoe horn helps you to ease on your dress shoes or sneakers—it even works as a back scratcher in a pinch. But what is the best long handled shoe horn?
These simple tools aren’t all made to the same standards or quality, so we will inspect the traits that make up the best long handle shoe horn.
Being long alone doesn’t always cut it. Expandable, collapsible and made of metal are the three top qualities to look for.
What Is a Long Handled Shoe Horn?
shoe horns are tools to help you get into your shoes with minimum effort and limit wear and damage to the shoe. They invented them in the 15th century, but shoe horns are still around today, albeit in a varied form.
These days there’s more variety, and they’re more widespread than they were in the past.
You can’t use standard shoe horns standing erect, but a long handled shoe horn makes it possible.
A long handle on a shoe horn is usually a one that’s between 22 and 40 inches.
Does CVS Carry Shoe Horns?
Yes! CVS does stock them, but you couldn’t exactly call them the best shoe horns. They’re sufficient and get the job done, and almost every one they sell has a long handle. Some are extra long, for the extra tall!
However, there are better quality shoe horns out there that will last longer and be harder to break.
What Is the Best Shoe Horn?
To answer the question of the best shoe horn, first, we have to look at what goes into a shoe horn before it goes into your shoes.
First of all, long shoe horns are the convenient choice for most people. Anyone with back or joint pain won’t want to be stooping to slip into their shoes, so a long shoe horn is best.
But there’s more than the length that goes into making a good shoe horn. We need to examine the material used in their construction. Each material has its pros, but only one stands out as the winner.
Plastic
Plastic will probably be the material you’ll encounter the most with shoe horns. It’s flexible, and it’s cheap to mass-produce. These two factors make it desirable for consumers and manufacturers.
A flexible shoe horn is a must so you can maneuver it around your shoes, right?
Well, ideally, no. You should master the technique and not have to bend it too much. With a thin plastic object, depending on the quality of the plastic used, it could snap easily.
So, sure, plastic is light, and it’s easy to hang up and lift. It’s cheap. It’s flexible. But it’s not the best material for a shoe horn.
Wood
Wood is more robust than plastic, and it’s not flexible. That’ll help you learn the proper technique for using your shoe horn.
But wood is a rough material, if you don’t count laminates. It won’t be excessively harsh, but it’s not as smooth as plastic. If your socks have stray fibers, it can catch. Or goodness forbid the wood splinters—ouch!
By no means are wooden long shoe horns bad, but they’re still not the best.
Metal
Metal is sturdy, smooth and durable. It’ll guide your foot into your shoe with no funny business, and it can take some strain as you’re learning the technique.
Plus, you can get aggressive with metal, which may happen if your shoes are tight or just misbehaving.
But the best part about having a metal shoe horn—whether it’s stainless steel, aluminum alloy or something else–is that it’s variable.
Metal shoe horns often allow you to change their length, so they’re optimized for all the family.
Just look at this long shoe horn. You can use the 36 inches if you’re tall. If you’re closer to the ground, you can use the 19-inch setting. If you can’t stand up, you can use the 14-inch option sitting down.
Expandability isn’t something you get with wooden or plastic shoe horns. That’s what pushes metal shoe horns above the others into being the best.
Final Thoughts
If you have differing opinions, by all means, grab a shoe horn from CVS. Or shop around online and buy one of whatever material you like. Just pay attention to customer reviews to make sure you’re getting a high-quality tool.
But if you want a shoe horn that your entire family can customize to their needs or liking, then a metal and expandable shoe horn is the best.
