My dad used to sit on the stairs every morning, breathing hard after bending over to put on his shoes. He has a bad back — decades of construction work — and tying shoes was a two-minute ordeal that left him winded. I bought him a $12 long-handle shoe horn as a joke gift. He called me a week later to tell me it was the most useful thing anyone had ever given him.

A long-handle shoe horn is exactly what it sounds like: a shoe horn on the end of a stick. You slip it into the heel of your shoe, slide your foot in, and pull it out. No bending. No straining. Here is why this simple tool is worth every penny.

Not just for elderly people

I bought one for myself after seeing my dad’s results. I am in my thirties and my back is fine. But putting on stiff dress shoes, winter boots, or new sneakers that have not broken in yet — the shoe horn makes it effortless. No more crushing the heel counter with my finger. No more unlacing shoes completely just to get my foot in. It takes two seconds and my shoes last longer because I am not mashing down the back of them every morning.

What to look for

Get one that is at least 24 inches long — the standard “long” size. Shorter 16-inch models still require bending for most people. The handle should be metal or sturdy plastic (plastic can snap if you apply too much pressure). The horn end should be smooth and curved, not sharp-edged. A rubber grip on the handle is nice but not essential. Some models come with a hanging loop, which is surprisingly useful for keeping it by the door.

The specific one I recommend

The RMS Long Handle Shoe Horn (31 inches, metal handle, smooth horn end) costs $12 on Amazon. It has over fifteen thousand reviews and a 4.6-star average. That many people do not agree on much, but they agree that bending over to put on shoes is terrible and a $12 stick solves the problem.