Stiletto heels tips are notoriously difficult to walk in, and as a result of just how thin and delicate they are, they’re prone to breaking. Even if they don’t break, they can be worn down to the point at which they cause you discomfort and become a nuisance.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at the 5 best stiletto heel tips and the best ways to fix them to your heels.
It’s important to have some good quality stiletto heel tips around since you never know when you might need a replacement. Just like walking in heels, learning to install new stiletto heel tips is a skill, so let’s get stuck in and go over the best ways to do so.
But before we do that, I want to show you what I believe are the 5 best stiletto heel tips you can get your hands on, just to make your life that little bit easier.
The 5 Best Stiletto Heel Tips
So what should you be looking for in replacement stiletto heel tips? The quality should be of a high standard. By this I mean the tips should be made of durable material. However, this shouldn’t come at the expense of comfort.
There are 2 main materials to look out for:
- Plastic
- Metal
Metal heel tips used to be all the rage, now, nylon-based plastic heels are more commonly used. This is because the metal ones can be less comfortable to walk in and cause potential issues so far as tearing of the shoes.
Plastic heel tips, on the other hand, are fairly robust, but also give you the durability and comfort that you need too. Being well-balanced, these plastic tips tend to be a better option in a lot of cases, but at the end of the day, it’s a matter of preference.
With that being said, let’s evaluate my favorite 5 stiletto heel tips, and what makes them worth your money.
| Rank | Product | Pieces |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | SenseYo Stiletto Replacement Heel Tips | 15 pack |
| 2. | GreatBBA High Heel Replacement Tips | 30 pack |
| 3. | STARVAST Stiletto Repair Heel Tips | 12 pack |
| 4. | Supertap Stiletto Replacement Heel Tips | 6 pack |
| 5. | TOVOT High Heel Repair Tips | 20 pack |
1. SenseYo Stiletto Replacement Heel Tips
Also made with TPU, this 15 pack of stiletto replacement heel tips is a solid, easy-to-install option.
Coming in a beige/tan color combination, these heel tips will add a bit of flair to your stiletto heels and make you the center of attention anywhere you go.
Also, with these heel tips, the clacking sound from stiletto heels, that I’m sure you’re hearing in your head right now, is reduced somewhat, which is always a nice bonus.
2. GreatBBA High Heel Replacement Tips
Made from a winning combination of iron and TPU, don’t overlook these high heel replacement tips from GreatBBA.
What makes these worth your while is the iron pliers that come with the 30 heel tips. With the pliers, you can make adjustments on the fly and keep your tips in top shape.
With a range of sizes, from 8-12mm, you can be sure that you’ll find what you’re looking for with this product.
3. STARVAST Stiletto Repair Heel Tips
With 12 pairs of stiletto heel tips in 3 different sizes (8mm, 9mm, and 10mm), you can be sure you’ll get the right fit for your stilettos with this offering by STARVAST.
Made from that trusty mix of TPU and iron, these heel tips won’t give out on you, but rather endure prolonged use due to their high durability.
Made to subdue the sound of clacking, these heel tips are a great option if you’re looking to make a quiet impression.
They are also designed to stop you from slipping so much as you trek around, meaning you can feel much safer in your stilettos.
You even get a nice storage box with compartments for the different sized heel tips, just so you can keep everything neat and tidy.
4. Supertap Stiletto Replacement Heel Tips
This last option on this list of the best heel tips is from Supertap, a quality manufacturer in the shoe industry.
These heel tips are made from polyurethane plastic and have been made to withstand a lot of punishment. Knowing how easily heel tips break down, Supertap has designed these heel tips to be highly durable.
The design of the heel tips also means you will be less likely to slip or lose balance while walking in your stilettos as they won’t rotate as some do.
Lastly, these heel tips come in a range of colors, so you can find the perfect tip for your stilettos.
5. TOVOT High Heel Repair Tips
This offering from TOVOT includes 20 pairs of stiletto high heel tips made from 90% plastic, and 10% metal.
This way you can be sure that you will get the durability that is so important for your heel tips without sacrificing any quality.
The plastic is a form of polyurethane called TPU. What this means is that it is extra resistant to oil and grease, while also being widely used for sporting goods and power tools due to its sturdy composition.
What’s more, this pack comes with some heel tip repair pliers. These will come in handy for when your heel tips eventually wear down and need reinforcing. This’ll extend the life span of the heel tips further.
How To Install Stiletto Heel Tips
Now that you’ve got an idea of what constitutes a good heel tip, it’s time we explored the best ways to install one.
- First things first, we’re going to need to measure the size of the current heel tips, in order to ascertain the size we need to buy. A ruler will be fine for this. Of course, if you buy a multipack like some I suggested earlier, you will have a broad range of sizes handy.
- As a general rule though, most metal heel tips come in at 5mm of height, and others range from 6mm-7mm.
- As for diameter, the most popular is 2.9mm, so that would be a good choice for most stilettos. Whereas the larger ones, like 3.3mm, are more suitable for bigger high heel shoes.
- Now, let’s get everything we need together. That includes a dull pocket knife, some pliers (like the ones found in the packs we looked at earlier), a cloth of some sort, a hammer and some patience.
- Grab your pocket knife, and push it into the gap which separates the heel tip from the longer part of the heel. This is the equivalent of trying to open the pickle jar several times and loosening it, for someone else to come and open it after the hard work is done.
- Then, heel tip loosened, remove it with your pliers. This might require some manipulation one way and another, but it should come off without too much effort – unlike the pickle jar lid. Make sure you take the whole heel tip off too, not just the outer part.
- Take your cloth – or even some paper towels if you don’t have one – and clean the area where the heel tip used to be. Make sure there is nothing left over and the area is more or less smooth.
- Next, it’s simply a case of inserting your newly bought heel tip into the hole left behind by the old one. You should then secure it by grabbing your hammer and with the lightest of touches, tapping it in. I can’t stress the importance of this stage, if you get too heavy-handed with the hammer, you may unwittingly turn your stiletto heels into regular shoes.
- Finally, use your pliers again to ensure the heel tip is exactly where it needs to be, and is aligned correctly with the rest of the heel – or else you may be falling over more than normal in your heels.
If you’re a visual learner, then you can also watch this video by ScarletFreshShoe!
How To Fix Existing Heel Tips
Alternatively, if you don’t fancy going through the process of replacing the whole heel tip, then you can try to fix the existing one.
If your heel tip has some wear and tear, then this solution could be all you need to get back to walking in your stilettos.
- First, wrap some black tape around the damaged heel tip (assuming your stiletto is also black).
- Take a new heel tip (ideally one of the ones you bought from the list above), and place it over the top of the old one.
- Continue to wrap the tape around the old heel tip, and now the new tip too. Although perhaps surprising, this can be a great way to fix your heel tip without going through the whole process outlined above.
The only downside to doing it this way is that the look of the shoe might be slightly affected by the appearance of the tape. If the color matches the heel, which it should, then it should go unnoticed by all but the most astute of people.
Adding Height to Your Heels
If you’ve decided that you want to add some more height to your heels this time around, then here’s what you’ll need to do to make that happen.
The short answer to how to do add height to your heels is to add a pad between the heel and the bottom of the shoe. Sounds simple, right?
For this, you’re going to need some type of foam pad (preferably in the color of your stiletto), something to remove nails (like the end of a hammer), a knife and some shoe glue.
- First up, you’re going to detach the heel from the shoe. Don’t worry, it’s easier than it sounds!
- Using your knife, lift up the insole of the shoe to reveal the part where the heel is secured to the shoe.
- Then, using the end of the hammer or something similar, remove the nails which attach the heels to the bottom of the shoe.
- Now pull the heel free. Using the heel as a point of reference, cut out some foam to fit the part which connects to the shoe.
- Glue this newly-made booster pad to the top of the heel with your shoe glue, and leave it to set.
- Then, attach it exactly where it was before, and hammer those nails that you removed earlier back into place.
- Glue the insole back into place and now you should have a taller pair of stilettos to enjoy.
How to Prevent Damage to Heel Tips
Now that you know what to do in the worst-case scenario, and you’ve installed your nice new heel tips, it’s worth considering how best to preserve them.
After all, I’m sure you don’t want to have to go out and buy a new pair of stilettos every time the heel tips have eroded away.
So as we’ve already established, heel tips are highly susceptible to wear and tear, so with that in mind, how can we prevent some of this damage to our stiletto heel tips?
One great preventative measure you can take to protect your heels is to make sure you brush them off every time you take them off. Although this might seem like a minor hassle, it’s worth it, since that way they won’t be left with dirt stuck to the heels for a long period of time.
You can also buy high heel protectors, which help ensure your heels last longer. A good option for heel protectors is these adjustable size heel protectors.
These heel protectors in particular are not only versatile for their adjustability, but also because of their transparency, making them perfect for any heels. They can also help prevent slipping from wet surfaces, something which I value very highly.
As a last little takeaway, keep your heels in a box or a shoe bag, as this will prevent them from being exposed to anything that can harm them or cause wear and tear.
Related Questions
How do I reduce the noise my heels make?
When buying a new heel tip, you might have this question in mind. This is a perfectly valid question and one which should probably factor into your buying decision.
The best way to do this is to buy high heel caps, like the adjustable heel protectors I referred to in the last section. These will reduce noise, as well as help out in other ways.
But you can also reduce noise through using heel tips like the STARVAST ones I highlighted in my list of the best heel tips. Due to the composition of those heel tips, you are less likely to make so much noise when you walk.
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