It’s less than a few hours since I found out about these shields that protect shoes from driving friction, thanks Ioana for the tip! Another brilliant invention that solves a first world problem I didn’t even realize needs fixing in the first place and the second heel related article this week, so yes, I admit it, I ♥ shoes too much

I’m not the only one since for the past 2 hours I’ve been rummaging the whole world wide web looking for more info and impressions about them, I found only a handful. I must admit I don’t have this problem a lot as I don’t need to drive wearing high heels, but my sneakers look a bit tired in the back. But seriously, I believe this image speaks for itself and proves the whole point. Raise your hand if your shoes never looked like this!

The choice is also very limited and after seeing what you can buy online, I picked Shoecoat as resident in Quirk Heaven . There are also other heel shields available (stylish, made of leather etc), but they’re limited to the type of shoe you wear, thus not for all types of shoes. This shoe protector is actually an universal heel shield that straps with a velcro band and fits any size and type of soles, men and women. It’s very convenient as it can be attached to either sneakers, slippers, stilettos, flat or high heel shoes and also all men shoes. It costs €12 a pair and keeps shoes look like new if you remember to put it on before you start driving.

More about the heel protectors:

• suits all types of shoes and also heels up to 8 cm high. It’s anyway not a very good idea to drive in heels higher than that so just use your driving flats while at the wheel
• water and dirt resistant, although it should be washed once in a while
• compatible with all types of leather, suede and fabric
• doesn’t leave marks or discolorations on shoes
• it takes only 20 seconds to put it on
• longer strap for all sizes and types of shoes made with a soft sticker so it doesn’t damage your clothes

So far I wasn’t able to find any limitations besides the 8 cm heel height and that they’re so seamless you might forget to take them off. I will continue this story with my personal impressions after testing these quirks, I’m placing my order right now.

Browsing for the shoe heel protectors I came across a much more popular product, the stiletto cover, oh if I only knew about it last summer…

They come in various sizes and colors, so it’s important to get your measurement right before buying. For different stiletto diameter you need extra pairs to fit them properly. They’re made of soft rubber so they’re supposed to be flexible and comfortable while they tightly mold on the heel. They come in multiple colors in order to blend seamlessly into the shoe and provide extra support for the unstable pointy heel, which comes in handy for those who can’t keep a good balance wearing stilettos.  The stiletto covers make a walk on grass, sand and pebbles more bearable, but they also come with challenges :

• the covers add about 1 cm to the height of the heel, which for an already 3 inch high stiletto can become too much to handle
• some women complain the covers are pretty fragile and break easily but others have no such issues. It’s quite difficult to assess this correctly as no reviewer mentions their weight. My suspicion is the covers work well with lighter weight ladies
• getting the right size is crucial, it makes the difference between the cover getting stuck in the ground and not being able to put it on to begin with
• they are visible anyway you put it, however I don’t really find them ridiculous. After all, an outfit that ends up in stilettos has plenty more to offer visually than the last 3 cm of the heel
• some reviewers claim the measurement guide is incorrect (I took here as reference the reviews from Solemates)

Again with these covers I remain reserved until I try them on myself. They cost about €11 one set.