Comments on: Crap I’m Buying Right Now: Bullet-Proof Boot Laces

By: Daniel Michael

Daniel Michael — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:57:04 +0000

aramid is a generic name for the family of aromatic polyamids. There are both meta-aramids with good heat resistance (eg nomex, etc) and para-aramids with high strength in addition to heat resistance (eg kevlar, technora, etc).

The main advantage over p-cord in my opinion is the added heat resistance.

By: Hello Moto

Hello Moto — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 02:14:36 +0000

Well I can suggest a very common alternative:

Paracord. (550 cord)

You can get it in 1/8 and 3/16 inch diameters of which both generally fit into all shoe styles. 3/16 will be much tighter while 1/8 will be easier. It has a standard rating of 450 pounds, however you can find higher and lower. The internal cores are protected by a braided (nylon?) sheathe which is abrasion resistant and as such often wares the shoes out long before itself. And its dirt cheap. You can pick up a 300ft spoil for $8 if you find it on sale.

By: Bill Pitz

Bill Pitz — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 11:50:53 +0000

If memory serves, Aramid fibers are extremely strong in tension, but not very abrasion resistant. My bootlaces always seem to break where they’ve chafed in the eyelets, but for $3, I might give them a try.

By: Nate Bezanson

Nate Bezanson — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 07:09:00 +0000

My favorite aramid/kevlar product is the pull-tape used on long conduit runs. It comes preinstalled in many kinds of innerduct, so there’s usually a pile of it around jobsites where such pulls are being done. It’s very floppy and tangles easily though, so if you’re begging for scraps, be quick before someone makes a mess of it.

The stuff typically has a tensile strength somewhere north of 1,000 lbs, and is marked every foot to make length measurements easy. It’s handy to keep in the car or camping kit, because it weighs almost nothing. Just be aware, it’s difficult to cut and hard on the blades that do so.

I’m willing to bet some electricians laced their shoes up with scrap pull tape, and that’s how this whole thing got started.

By: Eric Dykstra

Eric Dykstra — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 05:12:18 +0000

As I understood it Aramid is strands of fiber where as Dupont calls it Kevlar if it’s braided or woven.

Also i think we all know nothing is really “bullet proof” i was just having fun with the concept.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 04:22:59 +0000

Actually, there are even stronger aramid fibers out there now. Try browsing a sailing supply house and you’ll find ridiculously strong cordage only a few mm thick.

For example, http://www.apsltd.com/Tree/d3000/e826.asp

By: Nate Bezanson

Nate Bezanson — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:35:00 +0000

“Aramid fiber” is the generic term for Kevlar, and they can be found other places under that name.

Duluth Trading has ‘em for $3/pr or $3.50/pr under the “Kevlar” name, and they’re the natural yellow color, too. Those of us who’ve worked with fiber optic cables, which frequently use aramid strands for tensile reinforcement, recognize the color at a glance.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 18:23:13 +0000

The whole kevlar=bulletproof is a common misconception. Canoes is the place I see it most often. People think that because the canoe is made of kevlar it cant be broken, and man are they surprised. There are different types of kevlar DuPont makes for different applications.

http://www2.dupont.com/Kevlar/en_US/products/fiber.html

By: PutnamEco

PutnamEco — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:31:41 +0000

Great find! I love kevlar and imagine that these would be nearly bullet proof.