Have MANY sets of these laces!! Wouldn't use anything else. The negative reviews are just from nit-picky people. I'm a fireman and go thru laces terribly. Not since I found these. You want a pair that will last? Get these. They ARE stiff and a little hard to tie in the beginning, but soon loosens up. I'm going on two years plus on a couple of sets I have. When I buy a new pair of shoes, this is the first thing I buy to go in them.