I love these laces! I have multiple "systems" in different colors on a good amount of my shoes and not just on athletic/running shoes. They're fantastic for airport security or if you're just too lazy/busy to tie your shoes. Once you get them fitting how you want, you'll never have to worry about them again. I will say that getting them just right is a bit tedious because you will want them fitting perfectly before you do any trimming to size. Once you cut the laces down you will not be able to re-lace your shoes with those laces because you'll be cutting off the plastic piece that makes that possible. So, take your time. I recommend lacing them with your foot in the shoe (with socks), then stand up and walk around a bit to see if they're too loose or too snug. My feet swell a bit with a lot of activity, so I don't have mine super-snug. If you're worried about adjustment later, just don't cut them too short. I have these on a couple pairs of PF Flyers, a couple pairs of Chuck Taylor's, a couple Adidas running shoes, and a pair of Nike Free's (I have attached pictures to show how they look on different styles of shoes, with the white pair of Adidas showing how you can "hide" the lace ends. Nike free's not pictured). Now, I will say I don't do much running, so I don't know how they hold up during that type of activity. However, I weight train and circuit train with these on my shoes and they're great. I also have worn these on all day on numerous occasions and have not experienced any discomfort. Again, take your time with the fitting and you will not be disappointed!
I actually feel bad dinging them a star, because the system does work very well.
Frankly, the only beefs I have are very minor:
1- you're mainly paying for those plastic clips and optional colors
2- the package I received had clearly been opened before (cleanly ripped across the top), but everything was there.
3- these laces are somewhat narrow (more so when stretched) and shiny and as such are not aesthetically suitable replacements for shoes that are designed for fatter laces or that have roughly textured uppers.
The material is identical to the elastic bands you can get at fabric stores, which are much cheaper, but are generally not available in the myriad colors seen here. This product also has pre-sealed ends and those custom tabs, which are not worth the hassle of trying to custom make, even if you could buy cheaper elastic in the right colors. That said, you don't actually have to use those clips if you're okay with just using the lace lock holes in running shoes and tying knots at the ends.
Feels a little pricey for something whose material cost is nothing remotely near that, but if you need the colors and hardware, ten bucks is kinda okay.
One suggestion I'd have for the company is to move to a single-closure system, whereby the dangly bits on the sides can instead be moved to the center of the tongue and locked in a single, curved clip. It would look much cleaner.
I got these for my son for his casual shoes, he prefers the lace up look but the slip on ease of wearing, and liked them so much got some for myself.
My son likes them very much and I hope that they will help slow the wear and tear on the eyelets of his shoes and make them last a little longer. They were easy to install and the massive color range gives lots of options for many different style looks.
I have some difficulty with my feet swelling at the office and my shoes become uncomfortable. The elastic allows my shoes to have a little extra “give” and keeps my shoes comfortable all day long.
One thing that we both noticed was that the first instinct was to pull them tight on installation, just as you would a normal shoelace. This defeats the purpose, however, and makes it hard to use them properly. Installing them loosely and then gradually tightening them up will allow you to find the “sweet spot” for loose enough for them to expand, but tight enough to keep them on. I also use an alternate lacing method for my shoes to accommodate my high arches and tendency for my narrow heels to slip and cause blisters on the back of my foot. The super long laces included in this system are ideal for this since they give you plenty to work with! (Try searching for different ways to lace your shoes to really up your shoe lacing game).
I plan to get my daughter some of these as well to try and see what she thinks. I am definitely going to get more and maybe in my new black trainers I will try some cool double lacing to add some interest.
But please remember to wear them a few days before you do the final chop of your laces to make sure they are the perfect length, especially if your feet swell at all, like mine. If you cut them too short, you might find yourself out of luck and then they won’t be comfortable.
I ride a bicycle to commute and got tired of trying to secure my laces so they didn't get caught in the gears. This is the perfect solution to my issue. They fit well, do not rub my ankles and honestly I forget they're there. I was afraid they would be too tight or loose and that I might lose a shoe at some point but they're very secure. I suppose it really depends on how tight you lace them up before hand.
Best advice I can give is lace them up with your foot in them. Try to make sure they are all of even tension and wear them for a few days before cutting them. Tie them as you would your normal laces but do it loosely in order to get a real feel for when you do cut them off. I also used a lighter to melt the ends afterwards so they don't fray.
Feature Product
- SIMPLE AND COMFORTABLE: Never tie your shoes again. Simply install your Xpand Lacing System with the desired tension and slip-on with no hassles day after day. It's like combining memory foam and shoelaces!
- WORKS FOR EVERYONE: Over 200,000 units sold with satisfied users from all over the world. No tie laces are great for Runners and triathletes, walkers, hikers, bikers, kids, elderly, handicap, people with feet that swell, individuals lacking fine motor skills and everyone in-between.
- FLAT NOT ROUND: Other no tie systems on the market utilize round shoelaces that simply don't supply the comfort that our zero memory flat elastic no tie shoelaces provide. Other systems also require bulky objects that require constant attention and adjustments.
- LACES LOCKED IN PLACE: Xpand Lacing System locks your laces in place and does not require any adjustments after your initial install. This means you simply slip on your shoes day after day without any hassles or frustrations during activities.
- 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED: Xpand guarantees you will love your lacing system and the quality of Xpands products. They work in sub-freezing temperatures and extremely hot temperatures without compromising performance.
Description
Xpand Lacing System (Patent Pending) is truly one of a kind. Brought to life through a Crowdfunding campaign supported by 35,000 people! The Xpand No Tie Elastic Lacing System utilizes our zero memory flat elastic shoelaces allowing you to convert almost any shoe or boot into a fully adjustable no tie slip-on. You can install the Lace Anchors on the inside of the shoe for a hidden look or you can install them on the outside of the shoe and use our Lace End Clips for a professional finished look. The Xpand Lacing System includes (2) 52" Xpand Laces which expand to over 100", 4 Lace Anchors to secure your laces and 4 Lace End Clips to give your laces a finished look when mounting on the outside of the shoe. Our patent pending Lace Anchors secure the laces in place while remaining adjustable. Once you install the tension to your liking, you simply slip your shoes on and off without any further adjustments. Our no tie shoelaces are perfect for runners and triathletes, hikers, bikers, kids, elderly, handicap, people with feet that swell, individuals lacking fine motor skills and anyone else that has trouble with standard shoelaces. Our system will get the whole family out the door in 3 seconds flat! Our system requires no adjustments or hard bulky clamps to squeeze like other systems on the market, simply slip on and go.
I run a minimum of 20 miles per week and usually have several pairs of running shoes in my rotation at any given time. I recently bought three new pairs of running shoes and wanted to get speed laces for them. I prefer speed laces to get a better fit from my running shoes and to avoid having to deal with untied laces during a run. I looked at the round, bungee-style laces that I normally used, but then I ran across these Xpand laces and was immediately enamored with the flat lace look of this system. After reading reviews, I decided to take a chance on them and ordered three pairs of laces. I received them quickly with Amazon Prime shipping. The laces were well packaged, with the required hardware, and included a small piece of paper with a link to the company's website where installation instructions are located. I found the instructions very straight forward, so I went and grabbed my running shoes and got to work!
I installed these laces on three pairs of running shoes - a pair of Hoka Clifton 3's, a pair of Hoka Bondi 4's and a pair of Newton Gravity 6's. The laces were very easy to install on all three pairs of shoes, though a tad easier on the Hoka Bondi 4's, as they have eyelets that allow the laces to glide a little more easily. I installed the lace anchors immediately, which was really straight forward. After seeing how each pair felt, I decided to keep 1-2" of extra length on each pair of laces for adjustments and proceeded with the installation. I cut the laces, sealed the ends with a quick pass of a lighter flame and then installed the end clips. I was able to lace, adjust and finalize installation of the laces on all three pairs of shoes in under a half hour, not including the short time I spent testing them out on each pair to make sure I had the initial tension correct.
I've found that adjusting the laces is relatively easy once you understand how they work. It's not unusual for me to adjust a pair of laces to increase or decrease tension depending on the socks I'm wearing, to accommodate foot swelling during a run or in the evening, etc. It takes slightly longer than the traditional bungee style speed laces I was using before, but really, the difference is negligible and I have done this during a few runs. I don't know that I'd want to mess with them during a race or while chasing down PRs, but on a typical run, adjusting the laces is not a problem.
I really love how these laces look on each pair of shoes I've installed them in and the color selection is excellent. More importantly, I feel that that the tension across the tops of my feet is more even with these laces than with other speed laces. I do not get hot spots or uneven tightness on the tops of my feet that I sometimes did with the bungee-style laces. Overall, I really like the Xpand laces and will continue to use them from here forward as long as they remain available. I'm now recommending them to other runners without hesitation.
You can see how these laces look installed on my Hoka Bondi 4 running shoes with a little extra lace length for adjustments below.
I'm a Biochemistry research scientist, which means 2 relevant things to this review. First, I'm on my feet a LOT and second, I am required by law to wear closed toe shoes every day, all year round. That means I own/wear a lot of casual shoes and sneakers that lace up and are constantly coming untied. I also have a 6 year old son with autism who does "do" shoes with laces. This is a wonderful and effective product that has made a difference in our lives! I have now converted two pairs of my own shoes (a pair of Vans and a pair of Taos sneakers) with these laces and have loved it so much that I plan to finally buy my son some non-velcro shoes and convert them to slip-ons using these as well! They really are pretty easy to install (if you watch the instructional video and follow along) and work perfectly so far! My shoes are now easy to slip on, super comfortable and I don't have to worry about big ugly bows or my shoes coming untied! They're the perfect fit every time! You can choose the hidden method or the pieces that lock the laces on top of the shoe. I go hidden mode every time. The little lace anchor fits between the tongue and the eyelets and I can't even feel it when I put the shoes on.
If I had two complaints, the first would be that they don't come in a cream or off white color. They actually have a great color section but I was really hoping for that specific color. Second, these laces look very much like they're meant for athletic shoes, which they probably are, but I'm using them on casual shoes as well and it would be nice if they had some that were wider/thicker and looked more like casual shoe laces rather than really thin "sport" laces if that makes sense. Still, I'm very very happy that I found these and will definitely recommend them to everyone I know! I paid full price for these (which I thought was very fair) and have no affiliation with this company whatsoever.
I was an early supporter of Xpand laces back when it was a Kickstarter project. I had a childhood hip disease that leaves me with limited movement in my left hip such that I cannot conventionally tie my left shoe. I am stuck either having someone tie my shoe for me, tying my shoe VERY loosely to slip on, or wearing loafers or elastic-fit shoes.
Enter the Xpand system. I had used other elastic laces before but in my experience these are the best. The locking system is easy to use and allows for inside- or outside-the shoe lace-locking, for a clean look or easy adjustment. The elastic is just the right amount of stretch that I can get my foot in the shoe without being able to reach the shoe with my hands, but secure enough for most workouts, like jogging and medium-impact workouts. I would be in a much worse position would these laces not exist, so I have to sincerely thank Xpand for making it possible for me to wear athletic shoes in a way that allows me to remain independent and still have snug-fitting shoes.
Highly recommended.
My husband and I both wear the same size of shoes, but unfortunately his feet are a bit smaller than mine. This means that while we can wear the exact same size, the strings are uncomfortable if he's been wearing a pair of shoes for a prolonged period of time. This means that I have to unlace nearly everything in order for me to even get them on sometimes!
I did a bit of looking and found a product called Hickies, HICKIES 2.0 Performance One-Size Fits All No Tie Elastic Lacing System - Coral (14 HICKIES Laces, Works in all shoes) but after looking at the reviews, there's a lot of them that say that they don't hold up as well as what folks think they should. I also wasn't wild about the look of them... I like the way laces LOOK, but just wish they'd flex a bit!
These have solved all of our shoe issues. I did the "hidden" look, and love them - they look like normal laces without the tied area. Thus far they've been nothing but comfy. In fact my husband just told me this week, "Why the heck did we not do this before?!" and I totally agree. These look great and feel great. Just make sure not to trim them prematurely just in case you want to reposition things. We didn't do much of that, but if you needed to, it'd stink to ruin a pair in the process. I honestly love these so much we'll definitely buy them again.
I've always wanted elastic laces, but for the longest time, there were only the round cord ones available. So I admittedly tried a rubber/silicone type of laces, but it was more difficult to install them (rubber nubs through eyelet) over conventionally lacing them. It was okay for while, but there was flexibility is adjusting the tension, the only way to do so was to change to a different length of the silicone lace, which made it just that much harder when I figured out that the silicone ones were too binding.
So I decided to give these a try and now wish that I saw these before the silicone ones, because I would have saved myself some money and would have just bought these instead. I wasn't sure what to make of them at first, but installation is very easy because it laces up like conventional laces, but has the added bonus of the elastic being stretchy. I turned to these laces because after about a month's worth of use, the silicone laces were breaking the nubs off and then I would find myself with very loose shoes, and still needed to finish working in the field the rest of the day.
I can see why athletes would be drawn to these laces, but I got them for work. I often find myself having to take my shoes off for work, multiple times a day - far more than the average person. I don't have time and luxury of always have a place to sit, or time to actually lace and tie my shoe laces, and I wanted something that blended seamlessly with my footwear. These laces fit the bill perfectly! I like that the tension is fully adjustable, and that they hold a convention 'knot' and you don't have to use the lace anchors if you'd prefer not to. I will definitely be getting more for some of my other shoes. Would I recommend them to others? I definitely would, and I have already done so. You can't go wrong here.
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