I cut them initially according to the directions and wore the shoes. They worked fine, but the strings seemed to be too long by the time I took off the shoes. I opened the locks again and cut the strings shorter, breathing a sigh of relief when I heard the lock click to close once more. However, the strings seem to be too long again so I need to try reopening the lock again. I hope they lock a third time. It does take some adjusting to get the shoe to feel right on your foot and that can be a bit annoying, but once you have them adjusted, they are fine. I love the ease of getting the shoes off and on with these.