Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Stops your other foot getting muddy . |
| Disadvantages: |
It gets muddy . |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Unfortunately I seem to have dirty hobbies. By that I don`t mean disgusting or kinkiy, just dirty as in mud. Not that much mud really, just muddy boots (usually). I often end up with muddy wellies or riding boots and to remove them I used to either get the door step muddy by using that or get my clean foot or slipper muddy by removing the remaining one when you have used your other foot for the first one. Some clever person obviously realised that boots can be difficult to remove if they are tight around the calf and don`t have a zip and invented the boot jack.
What is a Boot Jack?
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A boot jack is a clever little device designed to make the removal of such boots much easier. It is constructed so that one foot is placed in between 2 gaps, the heel at the back and then the idea is to stand on the boot jack with the other foot which is a few inches above the ground and then pull the foot which is on the floor upwards (the one between the gaps) and as you lift your foot up, the boot will be gently pulled off. There are various types of boot jack. I have a cast iron beetle boot jack at home. The one that I am reviewing and have at the stables is a wooden one. I expect they come in other shapes aswell.
Cottage Craft Wooden Boot Jack.
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The Cottage Craft Wooden Boot Jack is a boot jack made by Cottage Craft and is a reasonably priced £3.99. It is a high quality wooden boot jack with rubber spot grips. It is quite lightweight (unlike my beetle one) and doesn`t take up too much room. It is about the length of 2 feet, one so that you can stand on and one a gap at the begining, that is 2 feet which makes is about 2 foot. it is a few inches tall, the end that you stand on tapering down to the floor. The rubber spot grips are suposed to offer some grip.
Ease of Use.
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The Cottage Craft Boot Jack is fairly easy to use. It is really straithforward as explained above, but look at the photo for clarification. Once the first foot is in, pull up, you may have to wiggle it around a bit aswell, it depends on how tight your boot is. It is advisable to stand next to a wall to lean you hand on, as it can be difficult to remain in balance, especially when removing the boot on the dominant foot, with me it is the left though it will vary from person to person.
Disadvantages.
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The only disadvantage that I find with any boot jack, not just this one, is they get filthy. I only ever bother to use one when my boot is muddy otherwise it is easier to just use your other foot. You then either need to clean the boot jack straight away, or not bother and wish that you had. When the mud begins to dry, it drops off onto the floor. Of course your boots are still muddy aswell. The easiest thing would be to clean your boots before you remove them, then you won`t need a boot jack, or you won`t need to clean the jack. Also the rubber spot grips do not provide as much grip when the mud is wet as a complete piece of ridged rubber would. It is not really a problem though, and it is easier to clean as it it.
How Often do I Use?
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I rarely use my boot jack. In fact, I came home with muddy boots the other day and went to use my beetle one, it had gone. My husband had obviously decided to put it away somewhere. I had to use the front doorstep to remove my boots. However, I created so much more work for myself. It was FAR from easy to use the step AND it left it really filthy, not just in one place but all along. Stupid. The one up at the yard that I am reviewing gets used by lots of people. It is not mine personally but belongs to the yard owners. We often go in for coffee and use the Jack. Everyone seems to get on with it really well. I only tend to use it if my boots are really muddy though.
Should you buy one?
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It depends how often you come in with muddy boots. If you are likely to use one, then this one is good. I like the beetle one aswell but being a bit smaller (takes up less space) makes it a bit more difficult to balance. The Cottge Craft Wooden Boot Jack is cheap and functional, but if you are as lazy as me, you may not bother using it very often. You may howver, wish you had one at times.
