Why do they manufacture shoelaces that constantly come untied? Do the people who design and manufacture them not wear shoelaces? This seems to be a problem only with laces that are not flat. Does anyone actually care more about the style of their laces than they care about having to constantly re-tie them?
I am currently being plagued by the auto-untie shoelace. If you rub a candle or soap or something on them, they should stay tied for a while.
Ditto. My double-knots even come untied. 
Gee, is this for real? Didn’t your mamas teach you to tie your shoes right? 
I am unclear on your OP. Is there a particular design of shoelace you feel comes undone easier than another? If so, which? I doubt shoelace manufacturers are trying to get you.
My advice: There is plenty of footwear out there based on velcro these days. You should be able to completely avoid shoelaces on sandals and sneakers.
You can also buy shoelaces separately. If you are having trouble keeping this kind of shoelace tied, buy another kind.
I use the little plastic barrell locks you find on sleeping bags or soft sided luggage/backpacks. You can buy them at any outdoor stoor. My shoelaces last forever and the never come untied.
My mama taught me how to tie my shoes, I just improved upon it.
Mama had a tougher time teaching me to spell, I see from my post.
It’s those stupid round nylon laces. They don’t deform, and they’re made of a slippery material, so they don’t have nearly the same level of friction as the older flat, cotton, laces.
I’m retying my shoes constantly, the bastards! I should just buy some new ones, assuming I can get the old style…
The trick is to double knot. You tie the first knot the normal way, but you tie the second knot in the opposite direction. So, on the first pass, the right shoelace goes over the left and back thru, on the second pass, the left goes over the right and back thru.
I had this problem. I’ve pretty much eliminated it by pulling on the shoe end of the loops very hard and moving them from side to side at the same time.
Muttrox- Sorry for the delay in response, but there are certain hours during which I just can’t log on because the board is so busy. Square-cut rawhide laces on docker-type shoes are the absolute worst. Round nylon laces are also terrible. Even double knots in these come undone. Only the flat laces will stay tied until you untie them.I can’t wear sneakers or sandals to work, so velcro closures are not a solution. I often do go and buy new laces, but I find this an irritating and unnecessary task for shoes that I’ve just purchased. I feel that shoes should come with laces that stay tied.
NurseCarmen - how do the barrel locks work. I’m guessing they wouldn’t look too good on mens dress shoes.
This is just a WAG, but the round-type shoelaces seem to have more stretch to them which may translate into upper foot comfort, especially for running shoes.
that, and they ‘look’ ‘better’. i don’t think so, but many do.
jb
I recently purchased a pair of sneakers that came with laces which had some kind of elastic in them, and the knots are so tight, they NEVER come undone. If I buy new laces, I’m going to look for this kind.
Rubbing beeswax on them helps (I find).
This sailor has never had any problem with any of his knots coming undone at the wrong time.
They are two piston shaped plastic doohickies, one fits inside the other and a spring pushes them away from each other. When you compress them the holes on the outer one line up with the holes on the inner one. You feed the lace through the hole, and the spring keeps them in place. Then I just do a normal bow on top.
I have worn them with dress shoes, but I work at an ad agency, so dress isn’t a huge issue. I’m guessing you might get some sideways glances in the boardroom.
Trust me on this one, it works great and looks pretty much like a regular knot.
Start like you normally would with a half-hitch (is that what it’s called?) and then, assuming you’re right handed, put a half loop in the lace in your right hand. Run the lace in your left hand around the loop in your right hand and pull it through but not all the way, this is the point where you would normally pull on both half loops to make the knot tight…but before you do…
Run the half loop in your left hand around the half loop in your right hand AGAIN and then pull it tight. It works much better than a normal double-knot and is much easier to get undone.
I learned this from the lady at the shoe store when I bought some steel-toed boots with huge fat laces.