Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I own a rather shameful number of nice high heels, to the point that I have begun to overflow the seemingly ample shoe cupboard in my closet. I purchased this product as a temporary holder, to keep my rather pricey shoes from remaining in a heap on the floor until I could sort out the closet situation. That being said, the rack appears very sturdy, and could definitely serve as a permanent solution for those who wished it to be. The set up is extremely easy. There are two plastic side pieces, with little feet on the bottom, and holes down the side to insert the bars. And then 8 individual bars, which arrive in 2 sets of 4 held together with plastic endcaps on both ends. So they really looked like 2 barred shelves when they arrived, causing me a solitary second of confusion, before referring to the 3 step assembly directions, lol. It took 5 minutes total, the majority of which was spent prying those darn endcaps off, so I could get the bars out. Assembly is very much a simple, one-person job. Insert bars into holes on both side pieces, smoosh it all together, done. The rack itself is very sturdy, and while made of plastic sides and metal bars, it really doesn't look frighteningly cheap when assembled. If anything, the cheapness of it makes it somewhat more discreet. As I said, I bought this to exclusively hold women's stilettos - specifically size 8-8.5 - and it does an adequate job of that. There are definitely a few problems, though. I will say that a slanted base is likely better for holding heels. Flat rows like this cause stilettos to lean far back until they catch at the top of the heel. Which creates the major problem with this rack - the heels dangle into the row below, and nest inside the shoes below. I posted a picture of this to the item photos, to better illustrate the point. Now, this is not the end of the world. Essentially, it just means I have to be careful when removing shoes. I usually hold on to the shoe above as I shimmy out the show below, or vice versa. If I don't do this, the back of the shoe will inevitably get caught on the heel above, and everything will tumble. This may not be a problem with shorter heels (most of mine run 3-4 inches), but I'm betting there is still some nesting. The rows are also very closely spaced, so a little shimmy is required even without stilettos on the row above, as the heels have to kind of be worked over the bars. Of course, more space between the rows would have meant a higher shoe rack, and I prefer to keep the size compact. Finally, the bottom row sits less than an inch off the floor, again helpful to keeping the rack compact, but it also means the heels on the bottom row simply go over the bar and sit on the floor. Not a problem for me at all, but I wanted to lay out all the unexpected quirks. I am still pleased with this purchase. It is a GREAT price point, for something that takes up little space (all things considered) and holds a fair number of shoes. I would not hesitate to recommend this product to someone looking for permanent storage for flats, or temporary storage for heels. But if you are seeking permanent storage for primarily heels, I would look for something with a little less heel hassle. (Oh, and final note - I noticed one review mentioned the rack being adjustable - I don't know what they meant, but no, it is not. The two side pieces are solid, immovable pieces. They can't be made shorter or taller to accommodate more or fewer rows. There are 4 rows, period.) UPDATE: This shoe rack has never worked perfectly for my particular needs, but I thought I would update this review, since it is still in use for various sneakers. As stated above, this rack is ideally suited towards flats or low heels. And likely shoes at least a woman's size 8. Beyond that, it has held up perfectly in the 5 years I have had it. No leaning, no bending. I do wonder if some of the people experiencing this problem put it together tightly enough. I literally stood it on it's side and pressed with all my might, to ensure the rods went all the way in. Simple enough. Also, I noticed several reviewers thought the product arrived broken and "fused" together. That is the endcap used for shipping! You remove it and throw it away.