If I had seen the as-seen-on-TV infomercial for Wonder Laces, I would have been very skeptical. Shoelaces that never come untied? Made of elastic so they expand and contract with your activity? Make your athletic shoes slip-ons? I was doubtful.
But after wearing them with my fitness walking shoes for five- to seven-mile walks (and with my comfort shoes for all day at work) I'm a believer. Wonder Laces come in white and black, and in short, medium and long lengths.
Wonder Laces Work As Promised
Wonder Laces are great in two ways. First, the knot really does stay tied. When you lace your shoes with Wonder Laces, you don't overtighten them in the lacing. But you cinch the bow tightly when you tie it. They promise that it has six times the knot strength as regular shoelaces.
I have lots of trouble keeping my shoelaces tied, and my walking buddies and I often have to make a stop for a "blow-out." I found that the Wonder Laces knot truly didn't come untied. It is pretty simple for me to test this - on any walk of three miles I can expect a blow-out unless I have double-tied my shoes. With the Wonder Laces, single-knotted, I had no blow-outs. They stayed tied.
I also wore Wonder Laces all day at work, with lots of short walks. They never came untied throughout a nine-hour day.
You Can Untie Them, Too
It's one thing to keep your shoes tied - you can do that with double knots, etc. But those make your shoes hard to untie, to adjust to your socks, to shake out rocks and road debris, etc. Wonder Laces stay tied, but you can easily untie them just by pulling on the laces as you would with any single-knotted bow. This no-hassle untying is important to me, as I seem to attract gravel in my shoes. Any fussy lacing system wouldn't work for me.
Elastic Laces Let Your Feet Expand
Wonder Laces are made of elastic. They will give and expand, yet contract back as well. Your feet swell and expand as you walk. Regular shoelaces don't expand to any extent. When you lace your shoes with Wonder Laces, you don't want to overtighten the laces.
A further benefit is that most shoes will become slip-ons as the laces expand enough to take them on and off without untying the bow.
I am very picky about how my shoes are laced. I lace my shoes in a specific pattern to keep the tension right. I need the shoelaces to stay loose around the toe box to accommodate my wide foot and keep pressure off the bunion area. But I also need the laces to be tight at the top to keep my foot from sliding forward in my shoe and help prevent blisters and black toenails.
Lacing to Prevent Heel Slippage.
Wonder Laces worked well with my shoelacing techniques. They felt securely tied but not overtightened. The laces didn't seem to have the common problem of getting tighter and tighter at the toe end and looser at the ankle end. They seem to stay put better.
I am often frustrated that the shoelaces that come with my athletic shoes aren't long enough to do my fancy lacing techniques AND a double knot to keep them tied. The medium length of Wonder Laces was plenty long for doing everything I wanted to do - and no need for the double knot.
