Several testers considered the Balega Silver the most comfortable socks to wear but found that comfort came with a slight tradeoff in wicking performance. 

Fit/Comfort
These fit snug through the middle of the foot and snug to tight in the toe, depending on the width of our testers’ feet. These were the most-praised socks for their padding in the shoe and feel against the skin.  Some testers said they were too warm in higher temps and that the fit tightened around the toes during middle-distance runs. Some also felt the extra toe box fabric felt slippery.

Wicking
The extra loops of fabric underfoot and above the toe for cushioning eventually retained moisture.

Durability
The extra fabric and tough materials gave this the highest durability rating from our testers.

We called in 10 pairs of socks from established brands as well as newer entries to the market. We tested a mix of socks that will either debut in spring 2018, or are 2017 sock styles that will carry over into 2018 with new colors or patterns. Samples of variant styles were sent to our testers, who as road shoe testers, tended to prefer low-cut, thinner socks. Some ran in taller, more cushioned socks, though testers judged each pair based on the design’s intended use. We focused on the performance features in the foot of the sock, and our testers reported differences in the low-cut socks tied to the shape of their feet and the types of shoes they wore. 

Our testers ran in these throughout the fall in different climates, including Colorado, California and British Columbia. Most of the testing coincided with our road shoe testing, though several runners took these on trail and training runs, too.