I've had to wear compression socks for some years now. I bought dress socks in the traditional black or navy blue, going wild on a couple pair of dark brown socks. Woo hoo! But I've finally decided to have fun with my dress wardrobe, which meant, for me, red sox.

I love these socks! But they are very different from traditional compression socks that I've worn. If I put these next to any of my other pairs, they are much longer. They don't stretch out as you pull them up your leg, because they're at their full length. The compression comes not from "give" in the composition of the material, but from the weave of the material. Pull them up your legs and you'll feel the compression -- and, of course, it's tighter in the feet and gradually relaxes as it goes up, but they're certainly not loose-fitting! That, and they say they're both regular machine washable *and* tumble dryable!

I love the style, I love the color. I wish there weren't the white markings on the back and sides, and the high white heel markings, because I just want the red to show when I'm wearing a dark suit and my wingtips, but that's OK. I suspect most people will buy these for workouts, for casual athletic endeavors, or other outdoorsy uses, not business wear. Enjoy them!

My husband is on his feet all day and his legs had really started to bother him after 40 years of it. I bought him a couple pair of these to try to see if they helped.

He is a total skeptic and thinks everything new is a gimmick, but he was being a good sport and giving them a week. At the end of the week he said he couldn't tell if he was really noticing a difference.... that was until he didn't wear them.

He now owns a few pair and we are slowly adding to the collection (hard to spend $20 on socks no matter how good!) I made the mistake of trying a different brand that were only $2.00 cheaper and they just sit in the bottom of his sock drawer. :/

You can't really put a price on comfort. If you have tired, sore, legs i would totally recommend these based on my husbands great experience with them.

How do you pick athletic support socks off the internet? It seems like an impossible task, and just reading reviews for one particular brand only helps a little. So I decided to buy 3 different pairs that seemed like they might be the right ones for me, and then provide this comparative review to help others evaluate the differences between some of the many choices you'll find here on Amazon. I was looking for an athletic sock to wear while golfing, bike riding and hiking. The three pairs I purchased are these: VitalSox Graduated Compression Performance Exercise Socks, ABD Athlete Compression Socks, and Physix Gear Compression Socks for Men & Women. Important issues for me included: Length (long enough to go to the top of my calf just below the knee), Support (a good sense of compression support through the foot, ankle and calf), comfort (ability to wear all day without being overly constrictive at the top band, but also not sagging throughout the day), and fit (I'm 5'10", 195 lbs., size 9 shoe, with fairly large legs "“ 17" calf, 10" ankle).

VitalSox "“ This is a comfortable compression sock that comes just below the knee cap and has a nice wide top band and a nice thicker footbed for comfort. The support compression is nice through the foot and up the calf. I purchased size Medium based on the shoe-size chart provided by the seller. Because sizing of compression wear is really based on both calf and foot size, I was concerned that the Medium might be too tight in the calf, but that is not the case.

ABD Athlete "“ Nicely made socks, a bit lighter weight than the VitalSox, but still provide plenty of support. Based on their foot size and calf size chart, I purchased the Large size. While I found these comfortable and supportive when I first put them on, they became less comfortable after several hours of wear. This seemed to be caused by the combination of a narrow top band a length that brought the sock just past the widest part of my calf, but a solid two inches below the bottom of my knee cap. I found myself needing to re-arrange the location of the top band to keep from having a sore spot under the band.

Physix Gear "“ Right out of the package, there was a visible difference with this pair of sock. The calf area of the sock is designed to be wider at the top of the sock compared to the ankle region. With my large calves, this seemed like a good feature. Based on their calf size/shoe size chart I went with the L/XL size. These socks have a fairly narrow top band, but because they are long enough (come up to the bottom of the knee cap), and wider at the top, they are very comfortable to wear all day, and provide nice, noticeable support throughout the foot and leg.

Conclusion "“ There are many factors that will be important to you, and they won't be exactly the same as my factors. That said, for me, the best of these three socks is the Physix Gear sock. They are long, supportive and all-day comfortable. A close second place finish goes to VitalSox "“ They are long, comfortable and have a nice wide top band. They are a bit heavier than the other brands, so might feel a bit too warm on a hot day. Third place goes to ABD athletic because, for me, they are a bit too short and the top band is too restrictive on my calf. All three brands seem to be very well made. I have only worn each pair for one day, and washed them one time. After more wearings and washings I will update with any new thoughts that come out of longer experience.

I've tried every compression sock there is and these are the best. By far. I have swelling in my feet, ankles, and lower legs. I also run and workout. I'm 5'7" w/ long legs and these are finally a pair that are plenty long enough and not so painfully tight that they leave an indent below my knees. These are unbelievably comfortable. They feel like you're walking on a cloud and they "hug" your feet and legs just gently enough while having some of the strongest compression a sock could have. That's a tough balance to achieve and they've done it. For size, I wear an 8.5-9 women's and I have pretty thin legs (other than the swelling problem;) I tried both a small and a medium and the medium was much better because it was longer on my leg, so I didn't have to pull it up at all throughout the day. If you're between sizes, I would recommend getting the larger size. More comfortable w/ same amount of compression.
I'd also recommend wearing these to sleep like I do. I know my feet and ankles get super swollen through the night, so these prevent that from happening and keep my feet at an even temp all night. I have poor circulation so my feet freeze at night, which prevents me from getting as restful a night's sleep. These really help w/ the circulation problem. I got the gray in a Med and just ordered the Pink and Royal Blue/Lime Green to wear to Seahawk games😊

Painful experience! I wore these socks for the first time during my 12hr shift at work and after a few hours I felt discomfort around my ankles and shin. When I removed the socks after work I noticed indentations in my skin from the company logo and sticking along the socks. Needless to say, I will not be wearing these socks again. I'm extremely upset that I wasted $20.