A few weeks ago a friend was telling me about a Facebook ad she saw for a new product called HICKIES. She said it looked interesting so she decided to try out the product and loved it!
I’m always intrigued to try something new, especially when it comes to running gear. She sent me the website and I ordered up a pair that would match my current pair of running shoes. My original plan was to try them out for a walk first and if it felt comfortable enough to walk in, then try running in them and see how they worked. All of my running was done inside on a treadmill after doing my walking outside.
What Are HICKIES?
First things first, what are these things? HICKIES are basically a replacement for your shoelaces. Each pack comes with 14 HICKIES, in my case my shoes needed 12 so it was good to have 2 extras. They are made to remember your exact fit of your shoes and will hold your shoes back in place just how your originally set them up.
You get to chose the color of your rubber part and of the little knob on the inside of your HICKIES. This makes them fairly customizable and able to match pretty much any type of shoe.
Their website describes HICKIES as:
HICKIES responsive lacing system is made from a memory-fit elastomer that moves with your feet while providing the comfort and stability to keep you one step ahead. Whether you want to streamline your sneakers or give your workout an extra boost, HICKIES lacing system offer an unbeatable combination of fit, function, and fashion.
The Good
There were a few things I LOVED about the HICKIES I ordered.
- HICKIES come in every color combination you could imagine! My most recent pair of shoes is sort of a boring blue and white. I went ahead and stuck with the same color combination but I can see endless possibilities with future pairs of shoes.
- HICKIES even out how your shoes feel. Instead of having one shoe too tight and one shoe too loose, HICKIES keep it even and your shoes don’t feel like you can’t balance them out.
- HICKIES are comfortable. I was afraid of making them way too tight once I got them on my shoes but they really held up pretty well. In fact I almost thought they were too lose once I started running in them. They were 100% PERFECT for walking!
The Not So Favorite Parts
I really don’t want to say “the bad” because these really weren’t bad in any way. I really love the idea of HICKIES and I think they are going to become more and more popular the more people fine out about them. There were a few things I didn’t exactly love about them, but I definitely didn’t hate either!
- I pulled off breaking two of my HICKIES while trying to put them on my shoes. Luckily there were two extra in my package but I was still sad to have broken them As you can (maybe?) see in the picture of my shoes above, I have the normal holes in my shoes but I also have two sets of the tabbed shoe laces (yes, that is the technical term I am giving it). They did not fit very well through these and I honestly am not sure that they are supposed to.
- While they felt great for walking, I went through the constant fear that my HICKIES were too loose when I was running. I know they have a few ways on their website to make them tighter, but after the struggle to not break them in number one I was afraid to mess with them too much more!
Overall Thoughts
I love the concept, I love the idea, I’m just not sure it works all that well for my running shoes. HOWEVER, that does not mean that I will not purchase more of these in the future. Once my miles are up on my shoes for running I tend to use them for walking and working in the yard, etc. There is no question that I will be swapping my shoelaces back out when my miles are up on these shoes. I even have another pair of shoes in mind that I need to order a new set of colors for.
The crazy amount of color combinations that are available make this a product that I could see taking off pretty heavily with pre-teens and teenagers as well. The shoe ornaments with crocks were a huge deal and I could see this being another fun way kids can change up their shoe styles.
To learn more check out their website or Facebook page.
(P.S. I am 100% in no way compensated for this review. I purchased this product on my own & just wanted to share my thoughts with you.)