Shoelace quality?

[josepidal]

I don't know if this sounds silly, but are there appreciable differences in shoelace quality? I saw a shoe repair place in my old university and another in a nearby mall and the former sells dress shoe laces for a sixth of the price. Quality seems to be the same, but then I wouldn't know what to look for if there is anything to look for.

 

[sho'nuff]

its the same with polish tins and shoe trees as well.
the trees they sell at nordstrom is 20 dollars but if you go to the local shoe repair near my home they are 15, same exact shoe tree without the word nordstrom on it.

same with the polish tins.
usually it just depends on the store who sells it, markup due to the high rent they have to pay at the luxury mall or whatever.
same quality merchandise though

 

[timekeeping]

I personally like the laces by church's. They are hollow which give a really secure knot. They also come in brown and black.

All for approx US$3.

 

[josepidal]

The cheaper laces I am trying on seem elastic, strange as that sounds, such that it's hard to tie a secure knot and it always ends up loosening or untying throughout the day.

Weird but the more expensive laces I mentioned also cost $3.

 

[Joffrey]

The shoelaces that cames with the diesel boots Im wearing now are a nightmare. They are flat and thick and always come loose. Real annoying

 

[Margaret]

I was going to post about this a few weeks ago. I have a pair of shoelaces that simply refuses to keep a tight knot -- I have to always give the looped ends a second tie. Of course, I don't remember where I got them, since they're just black dress shoelaces that I usually just pick up any old place, but once I saw there could be variation in quality, I didn't want to buy new ones until I knew what to look for or what to avoid. I would feel sort of silly going into Church's and walking out with just a couple pairs of laces, but...

 

[Teacher]

I'm not so sure there's that much of a quality difference among most laces out there. However, there are certain characteristics one may or may not like. I, too, buy my shoelaces at my cobbler's, and they're dirt cheap. I assume he gets them in in bulk and packages them himself. Anyway, they're fantastic waxed laces: strong aglets, light waxing (not enough so they're stiff), and they generally stay tied. I've seen other laces that are elasticky (as you describe) that I didn't like at all; the same goes for the super-waxed laces I've tried. I don't know that any of these were any weaker, but they sure weren't as pleasant to tie.

 

[JeffC]

Originally Posted by Jodum5

The shoelaces that cames with the diesel boots Im wearing now are a nightmare. They are flat and thick and always come loose. Real annoying
There is more than one way to tie a shoelace. I'll try to find the pictoral guide online, but it involves using the "bunny ears" method and wrapping both around each other, instead of just one around the other. Creates a smaller knot than double knotting, and also comes undone with the pull of one string. It creates a much more stable not IMHO. I use it on boat shoes to keep their laces tied. -Jeff Of course, one quick browse on Ian's site revealed the method I use: http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm

 

[Joffrey]

Hah thats the exact method I use!

 

[Kent Wang]

That's how I do it. Very high tech.

I also put on my pants two legs at a time.

 

[Earthmover]

I use the Ian Knot: http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm

I find that people actually have never seen laces tied this way before; I've always intuitively used it for some reason. I think it ties a very tight knot, as I have NEVER had any kind of shoelaces come untied naturally using this knot.