Since moving to Grand Junction, I have been going through socks like crazy. I'm buying the same socks I did when I lived in Colorado Springs, but they just seem to wear out sooner. In looking to upgrade my socks, I came across "industrial strength" socks and even socks with Kevlar, which is used in bulletproof vests. The question came to my mind, then, about which sock would be the best value. Therefore, this sock testing post was birthed. Let me introduce you to the contenders.
Picture borrowed from Target.com without permission.
My normal socks are Hanes Premium Dry Crew bought at Target. These usually cost me $8.99 for a pack of 6 pairs, so the cost per pair is ≈$1.50. Made in El Salvador, these socks contain 73% cotton, 22% polyester, 3% latex, 1% nylon, and 1% spandex.
Picture borrowed from Walmart.com without permission.
These socks from Dickies are called "steel toe" industrial strength, so I wanted to give them a test. I paid $6.27 for 2 pairs at Walmart (For those of you interested in such minutia, in June 2008, Walmart issued a press release announcing a name change from Wal-Mart to Walmart; so Walmart is now the correct spelling.), making them ≈$3.14 per pair. They will need to last at least 2.1x as long as the Hanes in order to be a frugal purchase. These socks have a "made in the USA" claim and contain 73% cotton, 15% nylon, 10% polyester, and 2% spandex.
Picture borrowed from Walmart.com without permission.
These socks at Walmart caught my eye: Socks made out of Kevlar. They claim to last 15x longer than other socks, which is actually one of the reasons I decided to do this test. At $8.77 a pair, these are the most expensive socks in this test. They also need to last at least 6x longer than the Hanes and 3x longer than the industrial strength. These socks are made in the USA of 82% polyester, 11% nylon, 6% aramid (the generic name for Kevlar) and 1% spandex.
All of the socks have the same washing and drying instructions: Warm water wash, tumble dry medium. Therefore, they will all be washed at the same time. I will only wear them to work, using 2 pair of Haines, 2 pair of industrial strength, and 1 pair of Kevlar each week. That is about all I can say at this point. I will add testing results to this post as they become available.
The pictures on the page appear smaller than they are. To see them larger, simply double click on the picture. Also, I always welcome your constructive criticism. Click on the Comment link below next to the icon of a pencil; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.
References:
"Aramid." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 31 July 2014. Web. 4 Aug. 2014.
"How to spell Walmart." Liessa. liessa.com, 20 Aug. 2011. Web. 4 Aug. 2014.
Picture borrowed from Target.com without permission.
Picture borrowed from Walmart.com without permission.
Picture borrowed from Walmart.com without permission.
All of the socks have the same washing and drying instructions: Warm water wash, tumble dry medium. Therefore, they will all be washed at the same time. I will only wear them to work, using 2 pair of Haines, 2 pair of industrial strength, and 1 pair of Kevlar each week. That is about all I can say at this point. I will add testing results to this post as they become available.
The pictures on the page appear smaller than they are. To see them larger, simply double click on the picture. Also, I always welcome your constructive criticism. Click on the Comment link below next to the icon of a pencil; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.
References:
"Aramid." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 31 July 2014. Web. 4 Aug. 2014.
"How to spell Walmart." Liessa. liessa.com, 20 Aug. 2011. Web. 4 Aug. 2014.
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