Retirement meant donating my suits to Oxfam and sloughing (sluffing?) it in grubby chinos and open-necked shirts. It also meant disdaining shoes that need polishing and opting for trainers. One advantage of this tatterdemalion outfit is I spend less time getting dressed of a morning and, looking to reduce this time still further, have contemplated velcro-straps for the trainers rather than laces. Still am contemplating them, thirteen years later.I feared velcro would, in a phrase my mother favoured, lose its nature. Interrogating those who had gone down the velcro route produced no useful information. Nearly all regarded trainers as fashion accessories and discarded them long before the straps had ceased to strap. I only discard mine when light shows through the heel.
The fancy suede-ish shoe shown is my wife’s and was bought in January. Given she has size 3½ feet it probably cost a bomb. The straps are still giving good service but there is no guarantee that aesthetic disenchantment with the shoe will not precede velcro failure. So, no guidelines there. In any case my footware gets a far harder work-out than my wife’s.
I usually expect my continuously-used trainers to disintegrate within fifteen months of purchase. For some deeply buried reason I would feel betrayed if I was forced to junk them because the hairy bits no longer hooked up. For me a junkable trainer is one that lets in water. Does anyone out there have any scientifically-backed views on velcro longevity?
10 comments:
I am sure Velcro will last the fifteen months. I have used it in many different applications over the years largely connected with my outdoor activity interests. Occasionaly one side of the tape can clog up with fluff, but this is rare, and usually for a specific reason, and in any case it doesn't seem to impair the effectiveness. I have had several pairs of sandals that used Velcro and they have been fine.
So, it's important not pick up a bit of fluff.
Had a pair of Tevo sandals that still velcro-ed after a decade of constant summer used. The straps didn't stick as well after a long while, but sufficient to keep them on my feet, just less adherent at the ends. The sole split first.
I've not had problems with Velcro, seems to last forever. We've even used velcro as ties to hold things down in a moving car, etc. Have you noticed Velcro does not hold well sideways, like on my rain jacket.
I'm so glad that you mentioned velcro. It deserves a mention and much praise. I once bought some to repair something - I can't remember what - but I do remember that the velcro lasted longer than what I used to repair.
The critical consensus seems to say "yes" so I will. My present footware has some months to go but I will report.
And if your velcro accumulates fluff, it's pretty easy to comb it out. We have to do that fairly regularly for C, but we suspect kids are naturally attracted to fluff, or perhaps fluff is naturally attracted to them?
No idea about the velcro, but I did want to thank you for reminding me of the wonderful word 'tatterdemalion'.
I have a 20 year old motorcycle waterproof suit - used extensively. It has velcro fastenings at the neck, cuffs and ankles and is still giving excellent service - no probs.
(Thank you Rukka)
Avus: I can well believe that velcro continues working with clothing. The forces associated with footwear are arguably more severe, however. This raises the "razor-blade that lasts for ever" question. Is it in manufacturers' interests to supply something with infinite longevity?
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