I have some and so far they are holding up well. They are really comfortable, and the locking mechanism has been working fine for me so far, no troubles yet. Of course I have only used this set up a handful of times as of now. But I'm happy so far!
The ones I used were great. Bottom lace had a clip like the top lace, so they dont have to just hang. Only problem I saw was the lining in the boot tore and was coming out.
My bottom ones don't dangle enough to hit the board. Never noticed if they have a clip or not, the top laces have a clip though. I pull them to get them tight?? What kind of trouble are you having getting them tight?
I had these before they broke on me, at first I had problems tightening them down. It's because the liner is still a little tough, once that liner softens up from using them a few times you will be able to tighten that bottom lace much better.