I have a slightly wider ankle (from heel tip to top of foot at the bend) than average. I have to say that the socks feel a bit too tight, but not painful, at that spot on the top of my foot where it meets my leg. I have the Darn Tough Vermont Women's Merino Wool...
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I have a slightly wider ankle (from heel tip to top of foot at the bend) than average. I have to say that the socks feel a bit too tight, but not painful, at that spot on the top of my foot where it meets my leg.
I have the Darn Tough Vermont Women's Merino Wool Micro Crew Cushion Socks in Plum Stripe, size Large.
I LOVE these socks other than that is a bit too tight for my liking. So I have to deduct one star for that.
I have never worn wool or wool-blend socks before and lately my feet have become very sensitive to cold and even cool air blowing in the house and when outside even in sneakers. So much so that they can actually hurt from the perceived cold. I am not aware if I do have neuropathy but it's possible I do due to food allergies I've had my entire life but didn't know I had until earlier this year. Once I quit eating the foods my body started healing and my neuropathy PAIN went away on it's own. So maybe there is residual nerve damage. Anyway...
The socks are very well made. They do fit tighter than typical store-bought socks but it's not a painful experience, and one I actually prefer! I had worn these socks for three days straight, only removing them at night if my feet did not feel too cold. They did not get floppy like regular socks did, not one bit! That for me is one of the major things I look for in a good sock, and until these Darn Tough Vermont socks, I had never found it.
The contents of the sock are: 67% Merino Wool, 29% Nylon, 4% Lycra® Spandex. There appears to be NO lanolin, though I can't say for sure, but I did contact Darn Tough Vermont and asked because my immune system is crazy right now and I am reacting to many substances I never have before and they confirmed there is no lanolin in the socks as the materials are washed thoroughly prior to making the socks.
That said, I had no bad reaction to anything in the socks even wearing them for three days straight.
The cuff stayed up perfectly as one hope for, and with my legs socks 'never' stay up if they are any version of a crew sock. I usually always buy ankle socks because there is no point in buying the crew versions because they never stay up.
My feet and legs are larger than average for a woman. In fact, I tend to wear a Woman's 10 EE shoe, varies between 9.5 EE and 10.5 EE. WW is a little too narrow for me in most brands, so I have to stick with brands that offer EE shoes.
If you have bad arthritis in your hands I can see putting on these socks could be problematic as they do fit tighter and more snugly all around than regular white socks, though even when my hands were a bit fatigued and hurting I didn't have any issues with putting these on. Though I have been x-rayed for arthritis in my hands and there is none. So it's likely a Fibromyalgia-type issue.
These socks are very warm but do not make my feet sweat nor do they make my feet feel like they are on fire. It's just a comfy sock, and honestly, I have hated socks my entire life, so for me to say a sock is comfy is pretty rare.
I think the stripes and color blocking are cute. Due to my odd foot size I've never had a pair of fun, cute socks! I love it! The brownish band around the arch support seems very similar in composition to the rest of the sock, but it does help hug your foot more at the arch as it's a tighter area of the sock. Again, it's not too tight, nothing is except maybe for some women who have larger feet than me and then these socks might not fit at all for them.
I did buy the men's version of this sock (in the color scheme Chocolate) to see if the men's would be a bit wider to relieve the feeling in the ankle at the top of the foot and actually the men's version was too tight there and hurt within 1 minute of putting them on and were too tight in the cuff though the foot itself felt OK. That was a total shock for me as men's socks tend to be larger than women's at comparable sizes. So I am returning those and keeping this pair of socks. They are currently in the dryer on low heat.
For the Cushion socks, Darn Tough Vermont recommends washing them inside out in cold water with your normal detergent (I use castile soap due to my allergies) and then either air-drying them or drying them on the lowest heat setting in your dryer. This will be the second time I wash these socks so if they look or feel awful after I pull them out of the dryer I will definintely update this review, but I highly doubt they will. These do seem to have the potential to live up to their brand name.
Oh one thing which I love about these socks is that I don't have to wear slippers around the house anymore, or flip flops, because the sheet vinyl floor which is on top of a concrete slab is so cold. Nope, I barely notice the cold floor and usually don't at all when I am wearing these socks and walking on the floor with only the socks on to protect my feet. It's wonderful!!
I really hope to buy more pairs of this sock maybe in other color/stripe versions or to receive them as a gift for Christmas, then again at my Birthday in May next year. I NEED THESE SOCKS! I may branch off and buy a pair or two of the Solid Micro Crew Cushion in the color scheme "Green Tea" and see if they fit the same, if so I'll buy or request multiple pairs of those as they are less 'bold' in style and color.
By the way, these are listed as a Women's Hike/Trek sock on darntough dot com. And I forgot to mention that the toe seam does not bother me at all and yes they do truly feel "seamless" as listed on the Darn Tough website listing for this sock.
I highly recommend this sock for women and for men (whichever size fits your foot and leg best) as a great non irritating sock that provides wonderful blocking of cold and cool air to keep your feet warm, but not overly warm. It seem to be a great match for me and apparently for many others as well.
Darn Tough Vermont does have a 100% lifetime guarantee (from their website):
Our Lifetime Guarantee
Unconditional lifetime guarantee—simply and without strings or conditions:
"If our socks are not the most comfortable, durable and best fitting socks you have ever owned, return them for another pair, or your money back.
No strings. No conditions. For life.
When you are really serious about something you make it yourself.
Returning socks:
If you were able to wear out a pair of Darn Tough socks, we’ll replace them. At any time. Just package the socks up, fill out the form, and send to the appropriate address—we will send you a brand new pair!
Ric Cabot
President & CEO
Cabot Hosiery Mills / Darn Tough Vermont
still Made in Vermont, USA
See our Customer Service page for our FAQs, to send us a message and more."
