A. Zubits closures attach to your own shoelaces. Please see our installation guide videos. But basically installation goes like this… unlace three rows of your own shoelaces, re-lace your laces through the Zubits®, tighten to desired fit, knot or use our provided clips to secure your lace ends inside your shoe, cut the extra lace ends off.
A. Running, gym class, riding a bike, playing at the playground, and recreational sports activities are not a problem for most users of Zubits®. Zubits closures have been designed to be much stronger than normal neodymium magnets alone. We use a "magnetic array" to get far more power out of the neodymium magnets in a much smaller size. Zubits® are offered in three different sizes to best match the size of the user and the intended activity use. Zubits® are designed to hold your shoe securely during use, while still being easy enough to pop off when your done. If you ever have concerns about performance, we recommend you choose the next larger size Zubits® than would normally be recommended for you. The stronger size magnets are not that much more difficult to pop off. Zubits® are generally not recommended for hard-sole athletic cleats used for soccer, football, or track. In any situation, loosening the laces just a little greatly helps prevent them from splitting during activity. Refer to the Zubits Size Selector to find the size for you.
A. Zubits closures work on nearly any shoes in which you would normally tie the laces. They don’t work with velcro or shoes without eyelet holes. See out tips and tricks page for help lacing some kinds of boots. We just can’t test every shoe and sometimes the shoe construction makes the most difference. Most shoes are not a problem, but if you are unsure if the Zubits will hold securely enough, select Zubits size #3 or a one size higher than would normally be recommended for you.
A. Yes, hang your shoes in new places, stick them to the refrigerator, hang them to each other, etc. If the Zubits magnets are open, your shoes will easily stick to any ferrous material. But when the Zubits magnets are closed, they won’t stick to anything.
A. Yes. You can lace Zubits® many ways. You can use only two Zubits® holes at the top and bottom for example. You can remove the laces altogether and use zip-ties to hold the magnets between the eyelets. Or you could cut your laces up and knot each Zubits® hole to the closest shoe eyelet. We look forward to seeing more interesting ideas.
A. Zubits® can pinch fingers but they rarely do in normal use. People need to grab the outside of the magnets to pull them together, thus users rarely place their fingers where the magnets join. Adult fingers are usually too thick and tough for pinching to occur. Putting a child’s whole finger between even the strongest adult size magnets only “holds” a finger with no discomfort. That being said, a child can play with the Zubits® and they can pinch if a side of a finger comes between the magnets. This can cause pain. Zubits® are not recommended for children under 5 years of age and we strongly suggest that kids do not play with Zubits® loose but have parents install them immediately on shoes.
A. Smartphones or portable devices are NOT affected by magnets because they don’t use the large older magnetic disk drives. Magnets only affect magnetic disk drives in desktop computers with “Hard Disc” storage devices. Just like any other magnets, your Credit Card can be affected by magnets. We recommend keeping Credit Cards more than 1 inch away from Zubits® when in the open position. When Zubits® are closed, the magnetism is concentrated on the face of the magnets and there is little emanating magnetism.
A. That would be really hard to do. Zubits® have been specifically designed to greatly reduce any external magnetism emitting from the plastic casing of the Zubits®. When Zubits® are closed, it is difficult to stick even a small screw to them. We have just never seen this be a problem in actual use. Of course, if you separate the magnets, metal will certainly stick to face of the magnet, but it’s no problem to slide something off.