You know I love Rocky boots, and buy nothing else. The only problem I' ve ever had is the fact that the strings fray after a very short period of time. I' ve remedied this by using " shrink tubes" from the electrical field. They are made for covering splices, but work great on ropes or anyhing like that. You can buy almost any size, and when applied, they remain flexible. You just slip them over the item, and apply some heat in order to shrink them. You can buy them at any decent hardware store. Just my two cents!