The Great Shoe Tying Debacle!

Hello Nerdfighters!

As some of you may recall, Sarah Green made an appearance on last week's episode of Dear Hank and John (Episode 125: Book Hangovers). During this episode, a listener named Ebony wrote to John and Sarah seeking advice for dealing with her newfound and life-changing discovery that went something like this:

"I recently watched a TED Talk in which I discovered that I have been tying my shoes incorrectly my entire life and I don't know what to do!"

In their response to the question, John and Sarah discussed how it was likely Ebony had not been doing anything wrong in tying her shoes the way we are typically taught. However, I had to know what Ebony was talking about.

I watched the TED Talk and as it turns out, according to the speaker Terry Moore, I too had been tying my shoes incorrectly my entire life. According to Mr. Moore, the best method for tying shoes is to create one loop with a single strand of lace (as typical), and then wind the second strand around that loop clockwise whereas I, and as I presume Ebony, have always wound the second string in a counterclockwise direction.

Just when I thought I knew the extent of the problem, John divulged yet another new method of shoe tying that he believes to be superior. This method, taught to him by Sarah, involved wrapping the second strand around the original loop twice. So now, I had to be aware of three possible methods of shoe tying and had no clue what was truly the best way to ensure my shoes were properly fastened - until now.

I created a process for testing the most effective method of shoe tying so we can all know, once and for all, the most superior shoe lace tying method. _________________________________________________________________________________

I tested three factors to determine the best method for tying shoes: ease of use, overall feel, and strength performance. I ran these tests on both athletic and canvas sneakers to consider multiple lace styles for the full effect and ranked each method from 1-3 based on their performance during each round.

Before we begin, here's a quick recap of the shoe tying methods:

• The “Normal” method: creating a loop with one lace strand while winding the second strand around the loop in a counterclockwise direction a single time. 
• The “TED Talk” method: creating a loop with one lace strand while winding the second strand around the loop in a clockwise direction a single time.
• “Sarah’s” method: creating a loop with one lace strand while looping the second strand around the original in a counterclockwise direction two times. 

Ease of Use
The ease of use for each lace tying method was evaluated on the overall tying experience and how easy the method was to complete.

1. Normal Method: The Normal Method was very intuitive and simple to perform. This result could be biased, however, I was the most accustomed to performing this method regularly and is what is most commonly used by the people I know.
2. TED Talk Method: The TED Talk Method was slightly counter-intuitive as I had to put more energy and thought into the process, occasionally causing me to lose my grip and restart the process. 
3. Sarah’s Method: Sarah’s Method was the least simple to perform as the double loop process created an extra obstacle when tightening the knot. This method also took multiple tries to perform correctly and if done poorly, can lead to a weak and easily loosened knot.

Overall Feel
The overall feel of each method was determined based on the tightness of the shoe once tied, the aesthetics of the knot, and how easy it was to pull the knot loose during a pull test.

1. Sarah’s Method: Sarah’s Method provided a comfortable tightness in the shoes, while giving an overall more cleanly and orderly appearance than what is seen in a Normal knot. Additionally, Sarah’s Method provided an excellent pull test as it provided enough friction to avoid accidental loosening, while it was still simple enough where it would not cause a hassle when attempting to untie a shoe. 
2. TED Talk Method: The TED Talk Method provided by far the most aesthetically pleasing look as the knot created a straight and orderly lace configuration, however it had subpar performance in the tightness and pull-tests as the tied shoe remained slightly looser than its competitors and provided minimal to no friction when attempting to untie.
3. Normal Method: The Normal Method provided typical and comfortable tightness in each shoe, however had a very unflattering and messy aesthetic. The Normal Method was also mediocre in the pull test as it provided only minimal friction during untying attempts. As the aesthetic of this method was so poor and the other performances were only mediocre, the Normal Method ranked last in overall feel.

Strength Performance

The strength performance of each method was determined by measuring the amount of water weight the knot was able to withstand. A container of water was affixed to one loose end of the lace while the other end was held steady. Then, the amount of suspended water was gradually increased until the knot either slipped or failed.

1. Sarah’s Method: The Sarah’s Method knot was able to withstand the highest amount of water on both athletic and canvas shoes. During the athletic shoe test, the knot tied with Sarah’s Method began to slip with 500 mL of water, but never completely failed even once the whole 1000 mL bottle was full. For the canvas shoes, the Sarah’s Method knot began to slip with 300 mL and completely failed with 400 mL of water. 
2. Normal Method: The average strength of the Normal Method knot was below that of Sarah’s Method, but above that for the TED Talk Method. The Normal knot in athletic sneakers failed with 300 mL of water and with canvas sneakers the method failed with only 200 mL. 
3. TED Talk Method: The TED Talk Method knots ranked at the bottom of the strength performance test. In athletic sneakers, the TED Talk knot began to slip at 200 mL, with total failure occurring at 400 mL of water. However, for the canvas sneakers, the TED Talk knot was not able to stand any weight as it failed with only the empty container attached.

Final Recommendation 

In considering the ease of use, overall feel, and strength performance of the three shoe lace tying methods, I recommend Sarah’s method as the best technique for tying shoe laces. Sarah’s method has by far the highest performance strength of all three techniques and yields an adequate look and feel. Although Sarah’s method will present a learning curve to new users, once it is mastered, it will yield the best combination of feel and performance to ensure a sturdy and aesthetically pleasing lace.
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And that was the test! Thanks for the new method, Sarah Green!

What do you think? Will you be implementing a new shoe tying technique? Do you have another way you tie your shoes that isn't included here? Let me know! And as always, let me know if you have any other dubious advice from Dear Hank and John you'd like me to try out.

Update: According to Episode 127 of the pod, "Sarah's Method" is actually "Mark's Method" as she learned the process from her cousin Mark.

DFTBA,

Liana