Extenex.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: COLORADO COOL STUFF - Brief article

"This is not a shoelace," says Mike Gonzales, inventor of the Xtenex. "This is a fastening system that will literally wrap your shoe around your specific foot profile." Gonzales came up with the Xtenex, an abbreviation for "indexed tensioning nexus," in 1999 for "ease of use" with his two toddlers, so they could always take their shoes on and off without retying.

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The Xtenex, features an elastic core and nodes that catch on eyelets for a custom fit. "It's permanent," Gonzales says. "Once it's...