Selecting the right set of skate laces is very important, and shouldn’t be over looked when completing your hockey equipment purchases! If your skate laces are the wrong length you could have troubles tightening your skates properly. Worn out hockey skate laces may come out of your eyelets and you won’t be able to get them back in!
There is nothing worse than having a frayed end and not being able to tie your skates, or have a poor quality set of laces rip or snap during a game and leave you able to perform at fraction of your capabilities! If you have a top of the line set of hockey skates but cheap out on laces, you are doing things all wrong! We will go over waxed and non waxed skate laces in order to help you choose the best hockey skate laces for your game and make sure your foot stays locked and loaded in that boot all game long! We will give you our two top choices directly below, and our full list after that!
Best Cloth Laces
Getting the job done at a great price, Howie’s laces are made of high strength polyester yarns to last longer!
Howie’s cloth hockey laces come in 12 different colors, and are manufactured with a high strength polyester yarn, with molded tips to make sure they don’t fray on you!
Best Waxed Laces
Howie’s waxed laces get a high quality waxing process twice to ensure that you don’t lose the waxy grip any time soon!
Howie’s waxed laces go through their proprietary waxing application twice, making sure that they will outlast competitors and keep that waxy tension you expect from a waxed pair of laces. They also come in 12 different colors, and come with what Howies calls an ‘unbreakable molded tip’ meaning you won’t have to worry about threading these through eyelets any time soon! We really suggest using waxed laces for young players skates, as it can help them learn to tie themselves with the added grip!
Need a new set of hockey skates on top of some new laces? Don’t make your decision without first seeing our article on the best ice hockey skates of the year!
Detailed Reviews:
Best Cloth / Non Waxed Hockey Laces
- Moisture Wicking
- High Quality Polyester yarn
- 12 Available Colors
- Very high quality and durable
- Soft on hands
BOTTOM LINE:
Howie’s is a niche company that makes hockey accessories of all types and is really taking the market by storm. They got their start in 2002 in Grand Rapids Michigan, and now sell their products to the NHL, AHL, CHL, and NCAA. Quoted directly from their site – ‘Howie got tired of sub-par tape that fell off his stick halfway through the period.’ We think cloth laces are a great choice for hockey players with wider feet, as they can allow a bit more movement for your foot. They make super high quality variants of whatever product they touch, and these laces are no different. The laces come in multiple lengths from 72 inches all the way up to 130 inches for people with big feet.
- Thick Roped Laces
- Very Strong Polyester
- 9 Available Colors
- Lightweight, Pro Grade Fibers
- Twice Sonically Fused Tips
- Double fused tips are super strong and will not fray on you
- Soft yet extremely strong laces
BOTTOM LINE:
A&R Is a household name when it comes to hockey accessories. They are so good, they are the main supplier of USA hockey for their lacing needs! They have been around for a long time, and after seeing the quality of their products, it is easy to see why. They make everything from water bottles, pucks, balls, pylons, blade protectors, to laces, and you can tell the quality from the second you unbox the A&R Classic Lace. As many customer reviews say – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
- Thick, Strong Roped Laces
- Attractive Cross Stitching
- 11 Available Colors
- Made in Canada
- Soft yet Strong
BOTTOM LINE:
Elite is a hockey accessory company based out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Their Canadian designed and made products are of the utmost quality, and they have been a mainstay in the lace game for many years. You can be confident buying a set of elite laces that you are getting a quality product that will last!
Looking to take your off ice hockey training to the next level? Check out our Marsblade roller hockey skate blade review here!
- Strong Roped Laces
- Available in Multiple Lengths
- Same high quality you have come to expect from Bauer
BOTTOM LINE:
Bauer makes some of the best skates in the world, and make quality laces to boot! These will fit any skates, so don’t worry if you aren’t sporting a pair of Bauers. Made of a soft cloth material, these are
Best Waxed Hockey Laces
- Strong Roped Laces Base
- Double Waxed
- High Strength Molded Tips
- Special Blend Wax
- Super high quality wax, put on twice to ensure long lasting
- Same high quality rope laces as Howies original laces
- Molded tips that won’t fray on you
BOTTOM LINE:
We already went over what Howies is and what they do when we talked about their standard roped laces. Well they carry that same high quality over to their waxed laces, and give it a double waxing to make sure they last as long as possible! A great choice for younger hockey players skates as they learn to tie them, Howies is a quality brand that stands by their products – if you are dissatisfied with any of their products, they will make it right or refund your entire purchase!
- Immersed in Liquid Paraffin
- High Strength Molded Tips
- Double Stripe Design
- The wax immersion ensures total coverage across the entire lace
- Produces a grittier feel that won’t flake off or lose its grip
BOTTOM LINE:
A&R builds on their solid non-waxed offering with their paraffin dipped waxed laces. They come in a few dollars cheaper than competitors, and get great reviews, like the one below we found on Pure Hockey –
- High Quality Materials
- Heavy Duty Wax
- Nine Different Colors
- Heavy duty wax gives better grip and resistance to water absorption
- Keeps skates tight all game long
BOTTOM LINE:
Elite’s waxed laces use a super heavy duty wax to ensure that you don’t burn through the coating even after tons of games. It has tons of fantastic 5 star reviews all over the web, including this one we found on Pure Hockey –
Want to make sure you get some quality roller hockey gear? Check out our article on the best roller hockey gear companies here!
Best Referee Skate Laces
- High Tenacity Polyester Yarn
- Super Bulky For Comfort
- Molded Tips
- Available Waxed or Non Waxed
- Bulky design makes for a comfortable tying experience
- Waxed version available if you need extra grip
BOTTOM LINE:
Using the same tried and true construction found in Howies’ player laces, the referee laces are available in both waxed and non waxed, and are in a classic solid white pattern that referees around the globe are used to using. If you are a ref, this is the pair of laces you need!
Common Questions About Skate Laces
Do NHL Players Used Waxed Laces?
As with any level of hockey, Waxed or Non Waxed laces is totally a personal preference, even in the pros! Don’t worry about emulating NHL players in this regard and just choose whichever style works best for you!
Should You Wrap Your Laces Around Your Skates?
We would not suggest wrapping your laces around the back of the skate boot. This will lock your ankle in place and not allow you proper ankle flexion. Although you may like the extra support, you need the ankle to move in an ideal skating stride and wrapping the laces around the boot will inhibit this!
How Long Should Skate Laces Be?
We cover this in our how to tie hockey skates article – check it out for the answer!
How Do You Tie Hockey Skate Laces?
We hate to say it but – we covered it in our info article as well! Click the link in blue above to give it a read!
Conclusion
We hope our reviews have given you some good ideas for your next set of skate laces! Whether you go with waxed, non waxed, a standard black or white color, or some crazy green, the choices on this list are all solid and should provide you with everything you need in a pair of laces! Let us know in the comments if you’d like us to review any different laces, or if you have some thoughts to share!
