I purchased a pair of these for my hiking boots after the original laces wore out. As other reviewers have noted, the black laces are really a dark gray and not true black. I'm OK with that as they don't look bad in my black boots, but it might be an issue for those in uniform.

They are about half the thickness of the original laces and much stiffer. I've used them for a couple weeks so far and they're working well. They hold a good knot that doesn't undo and they don't seem to stretch much, so my boots don't loosen after a couple miles. I'll update this on how they're wearing after I've put a few months on them.

July 1, 2011 Update - I've used the boots these laces are in about 40 times so far with just over 150 miles of suburban park trails. They are now a very light gray (especially the sections that rub on the eyelets or speed hooks) but show no signs of real wear. Even when soaked, they still stretch very little which minimizes adjustments on the trail.

December 2011 Update - I just purchased a brown pair for my brown boots. The 63 inch laces are a perfect length for my Timberland boot&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Timberland-Men-s-Chocorua-Gore-Tex-Hiker/dp/B000YDI26W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Timberland Men's Chocorua Gore-Tex Hiker</a>. These started as a medium chocolate brown but, as with my black laces, the color wears off, in this case exposing a light tan. Other than the color fade, the laces show no real wear and I expect them to outlast the boots they're in.

2014 Update - Both pair of laces are still working! Now called Ironlace, you can still get them here on Amazon:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Ironlace-Lace-1-Pair-9-10-eyelets/dp/B00AK9LUCI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Ironlace Lace (1-Pair,9-10 eyelets)</a>. If these ever wear out or I get a third pair of boots, I'll pick up another pair.