I have very mixed reactions to this product. Overall, it's unusable as it comes from the manufacturer. The main problem can be overcome, but I resent having to modify a brand new product in order to use it. It may seem like a small issue, but the shoelaces are so short, they're impossible to tie. Before I can use these shoes, I'll have to remove the laces, measure them and purchase a replacement lace that's at least 8 inches longer. I'm not especially fashion conscious, but it bothers me that the replacement will not look nearly as well-matched to the shoes as the original. Maybe you can find replacement shoe laces easily, but I'm assigned to Korea and the Post Exchange carries only a few lengths of replacement laces. In fairness, the shoes are reasonably comfortable, even though they run small (suggest you order  size up). I'm looking forward to trying them out  --  just as soon as I can figure out where to buy some longer laces.