What Do You Call the Ends of Shoelaces?

Have you ever wondered what the tips of shoelaces are called? Those parts with little plastic bits at the ends of the laces.

They are called aglets or as sometimes spelled aiglets. Other than featuring on shoelaces, the term ‘aglet’ is often featured on trivia quizzes and crossword puzzles because it’s not commonly used. 

Who Invented Aglets?

Unfortunately, the history of aglets is sketchy. However, Harvey Kennedy takes most of the credit for inventing the modern shoelace back in 1790. While the history of the aglets is unclear, the origin of the name is clearer.

The word aglet comes from old French “aguillette,” which is the smallest form of “aguille,” meaning needle. From this, it’s easy to determine that the aglet is like a short “needle” at the end of the shoelaces.  

What’s the Purpose of Aglets?

Aglets are not only a cool addition to your laces. They have functional roles as well, which is why every shoelace comes with the aglets. There are different types of aglets, all serving the same purpose. The only difference is, some types do it better than others.

• Prevent the ends from unraveling – The ends of the shoelaces are highly susceptible to fraying and eventually unraveling the laces. To prevent this, manufacturers add aglets to hold the ends of the laces together and prevent them from fraying.
• Easy to handle the laces when lacing – Without aglets, lacing wouldn’t be as fast and as easy as it is. Aglets make it easier to handle the ends of the laces when lacing. The aglets’ pointy nature also makes it easy to thread the shoelaces through the lugs or eyelets of your shoes.
• A touch of elegance – Aglets play a critical role in upgrading your sneakers’ look by adding decorative finishes to the laces and eventually to your sneakers. For instance, all Loop King™ Laces come with gold tip aglets.  

Types of Aglets

Even though the plastic aglets are the most common, there are other types of aglets in the market made from different materials. Regardless of the kind of aglets, they all have the same functions. However, some types do the job better than others.

Plastic aglets

These are the most common types of aglets. They are made from a plastic film attached using heat. Plastic aglets are common in sporting shoes and help to keep the shoes lighter. Plastic aglets are relatively durable and come in different colors to complement the appearance of the laces.

Metal aglets

Expectedly, metal aglets offer the most protection to the ends of your shoelaces. Metal aglets provide optimum protection and don’t come off easily. Metal aglets are perfect at preventing fraying. With a little creativity and design, metal aglets can also dramatically improve the appearance of the shoelaces and your shoes.

At Loop King™ Laces, all our shoelaces come with metal aglets. We also have metal aglets in stock for sneakerheads who would love to add a dash of elegance to their sneakers using metal aglets.

All our aglets have a gold finish, which complements an extensive range of sneaker colors, improving the color profile and the look of the sneakers.

For optimal protection of your shoelaces, durability, and an excellent look on your laces and sneakers, get in touch with us to get yourself a pair of metal aglets.