Cheap vs. Expensive Shoelaces

Is there actually a difference between cheap and expensive dress shoe laces? Our short answer is yes, but what distinguishes cheap and expensive shoelaces? And what makes the most sense for your need, budget, and style? That’s exactly what we’ll find out today.

Price Ranges

First, we should find out what we mean by “cheap” versus “expensive.” Multipacks of replacement shoelaces on Amazon feature pairs of laces that cost less than $1 each, and that’s typical of the cheap laces we’ll be discussing today.

But are expensive laces that cost over $7 worth buying over their dollar-or-less alternatives?

Cheap vs. Expensive Shoelaces

Materials: Cheap Laces

Let’s begin by discussing materials. Materials represent a large portion of the cost of many menswear items. So, to reach a low price point, cheap manufacturers seek out the cheapest materials. For laces, this almost always means synthetics—especially nylon, polyester, rayon, and acrylic. The only natural material you’re likely to see is cheap cotton, which has properties that are different from that of quality cotton, as detailed in our comprehensive guide to cotton.

These synthetic fabrics are spun into threads that become the laces, but their properties will drastically affect the functionality of those laces. Because of their plastic base, synthetic laces are very slippery, so they’re difficult to grip, making tying your laces a chore. But, it is not as much of a chore as keeping them tied because reduced surface tension causes the laces to slide against themselves and become looser or untied. The opposite problem can also occur, and the pliable surfaces of those laces can constrict deeply into each other, compressing the laces into a tight knot.

Cheap cotton laces are less likely to have these particular issues, but because they are made from short-staple cotton with less overall tensile strength, they are much more prone to snap with regular use.

Materials: Expensive Laces

Expensive laces are made almost exclusively with natural materials. Silk or leather are popular specialty options, the former being typical on laces intended for formal evening shoes and the latter on footwear that is more rugged.

But, most of the time, these laces are made from long, staple cotton, which naturally has remarkable tensile strength to resist breakage even when woven very thin. The benefits and detriments of lace materials are further exacerbated when they’re woven into laces.

Construction: Cheap Laces

All laces consist of threads woven from laces’ materials, which are then woven or netted into laces with aglets at both ends to prevent the weave from unraveling. Costs impact how this process is carried out.

For cheap laces, the threads are woven very thick; this improves durability. Despite the low strength of cheap materials, these threads are woven into laces, which are also made thicker, which makes them less likely to snap, resulting in laces that appear chunky and inelegant.

Materials: Expensive Laces

Because they use superior materials, expensive laces are woven or knit from threads that are much more fine, but no less durable. The weave or knit is extremely tight for improved longevity. As the laces are less likely to come apart, this allows the laces to be slim and elegant, which is much more fitting for the lines of refined dress shoes than those fat laces usually seen on basketball shoes.

The Importance of Waxing

Expensive laces are waxed to protect the natural materials of the laces from becoming dirty or deteriorating from the effects of water and the elements. These waxes protect the laces and hold the fibers tightly together and also improve both their grippiness and glide so that they stay tightly knotted when desired but easily come undone when the knot is pulled apart.

Synthetic laces are almost never waxed because the plastics in them function somewhat similarly, although with more negative aspects like being excessively slippery. Cheap cotton laces may be waxed, but often, these waxes are thinly applied and of low quality, so they deteriorate quickly and fall off the laces, causing them to unravel, becoming noticeably dirty, and even to mold or rot if the laces get wet.

Where Shoelaces are Made

Cheap laces are almost exclusively made in developing nations where wages are low, but it is also more difficult to access skilled craftsmen. Expensive laces are often made in the same nations known for designing artisanal dress shoes. Our Fort Belvedere laces, for instance, are made in Italy.

Correct Length: Cheap Laces

Cheap laces seem to rarely have the correct length. In our experience, cheap shoelaces are almost always too short, creating awkward and diminutive bows. The shortness is usually the result of wanting to save money by producing less product, but then, why does it always seem that cheap boot laces are always too long?

Overly long laces aren’t much of an improvement over short ones. Unhelpful lace lengths are often the result of how cheap laces are made.

When laces are woven or knitted, they are often made as one long, continuous string. The length of the string is based on the length of the original thread and the capacity of the laces-making machine in order to avoid any waste, which affects their bottom line.

Manufacturers will cut up that long string into portions that use all of the produced string, even if the resulting lace lengths aren’t ideal for actual use. This is typical of most cheap products. Factors like the standard size of raw materials dictate the size of the finished product in an effort to save time and money. This is not the case with expensive laces.

Suitability to Footwear Type

Other than adjusting the length and thickness, cheap laces don’t vary much between shoe and boot laces—similar materials, production methods, and designs are employed, resulting in laces that aren’t especially well suited to either footwear type.

Expensive laces are specifically designed to fit their anticipated footwear with considerably more nuance than simply “boot versus shoelaces.” For instance, dress boots and hiking boots are both boots, but other than their length, dress boot laces should more closely resemble dress shoelaces, especially over hiking boot laces.

Expensive lace-makers understand this nuance and design laces for dress boots with the strength and length necessary for boots but with the elegant appearance suitable for dress boots.

Color Variety

In an effort to sell as many pairs as quickly as possible to save on storage costs, cheap laces are usually only available in common colors—black, shades of brown, and some neutrals, plus white for some athletic shoes.

This is less of an issue if you just want to replace a pair of laces, but it means that you can’t take advantage of how new lace colors completely change the look of shoes. For instance, turquoise laces take black Oxfords from highly formal to fun and casual with incredible ease, but unlocking the style potential requires accessing a rainbow of colors.

Fortunately, expensive laces offer that level of variety. At Fort Belvedere, for instance, we have over one dozen shoe and boot lace colors, so your colorization opportunities are limited only by your imagination.

Casual or Formal Elements

Cheap laces are usually manufactured to one standard because producing multiple models costs extra money. These laces tend to be thicker and exist in an awkward middle ground between casual and formal. They’re basically one-size-fits-all, which often turns into one-size-fits-none.

At Fort Belvedere, for instance, we carry both round and flat shoe and boot laces, so you can subtly adjust the perceived formality of your footwear. We even offer stately and difficult-to-find formal evening shoelaces to put the perfect finishing touch on your formal evening ensemble. These decadent laces come in four different weaves—satin, velvet, grosgrain, and barathea so that you can prove you are a Black Tie master by harmonizing all the fabrics in your outfit. 

Accessibility

If you’re buying new laces, it’s probably because you intend to remove and replace the laces on your shoes or boots. In our experience, because of their odd thickness, awkward length, and sticky textures, cheap laces are a hassle to change.

One of the most useful features of laces is their ability to be swapped out to cheaply and reversibly to alter the appearance and formality of your shoes. Expensive laces are intentionally designed to make this a very easy and simple process, gliding smoothly into the eyelets and moving freely, so that you can lace your shoes or boots as desired.

Testing

In all likelihood, cheap laces undergo minimal, artificial testing just to make sure they don’t break in the first months of use. There’s little effort to ensure long-term durability and a variety of factors, such as the effects of weathering, and no effort to consider functionality or user experience.

At Fort Belvedere, we tested our shoe and bootlaces for over a year and continue to make notes for improvement based on the reviews we received from customers. As Raphael likes to say, our products are made “by menswear enthusiasts, for menswear enthusiasts,” so we are constantly seeking ways to make all of our products better, and we are proud to share with you what makes products like our laces special so you know exactly what you’re paying for.

Conclusion

Laces tend to serve two functions: to replace your current laces or to change up the look of your shoes. In both cases, cheap laces largely lose out. If replacing laces, you want a durable, well-made product that will last as long or longer than the originals. With their low-quality materials and corner-cutting production methods, cheap laces are a poor substitute, and if you want new laces to make your shoes look like new, the chunky construction, bloated lines, and limited color palette of cheap laces just don’t cut it.

Conversely, expensive laces will stand up to the wear and tear of daily use thanks to their quality materials and construction and can breathe new life into an old pair of shoes with their elegant appearance and a rainbow of color options. We’d love to hear your opinion in the comments, but in our opinion, since even expensive laces are, relatively speaking, an inexpensive product and the quality difference is so noticeable, we believe that it’s worth it to invest in expensive laces.

But, I have good news for you, we offer steep discounts at our Fort Belvedere store for bulk purchases of our laces. So, the more you buy, the more you save.

Outfit Rundown

Today, I’m wearing a green, double-breasted jacket with a Fort Belvedere pocket square, which happens to have staff pheasants, green leaves, and a really unique background color, which I think looks really fantastic against the green jacket today, a blue and white striped shirt, green trousers, brown dress shoes, and I’m wearing the Roberto Ugolini fragrance Azzurro. Please remember you can find this pocket square and many others, as well as this fragrance and a host of other accessories, at the Fort Belvedere shop here.