I feel like I've been on a Sock Sojourn of sorts... I value a Good Deal, so I've bought my share of cheaper socks. I value Customer Reviews, so I've bought my share of Well Reviewed socks. And so on and so forth. But I must say: I'm very darn glad that I finally came upon these Gold Toe socks, 1/4 height. I've had them for about 10 days, maybe 14, now. I've worn them almost every day since they arrived, in temperatures from about 28 degrees F to about 45 degrees F. I've worn them in hiking boots, tennis shoes, wool slippers, and just raw, around the house. And probably another couple of ways, to boot. These socks are pretty great -- at least for my use cases. The quality is there. Other reviewers here write about this and I agree; these socks seem to be several clicks above other cotton-forward "1/4" height socks you might buy most places, in my experience. And - again, for me - they flatly blow away other inexpensive, less 'cotton-forward' socks that I've bought online. Let me emphasize that: Blow Away. Some others I have bought, trying to find a 'sweet deal', have turned out to be far too hot on my feet (usually due to too much synthetic fabric, I'm pretty sure), or far too short (usually due to my own mis-reading the descriptions ... or just thinking my wishes might will them into being the ankle height I hope for..?... I despise 'ankle socks'. Not for their look. Or anything else. But because, for me anyway, they should be called: 'Under the Soles of Your Feet Wads' -- not "socks" at all. ) And so on. Suffice it to say, I have been doing a lot of purchasing and a lot of donating to Good Will in the sock department for the past several years. These socks might also eventually go towards the Good Will end of things - in the fullness of time. But it will not be soon. Because they are very clearly, Very Good. They fit well. They feel good. They don't slip down egregiously. Even though I don't wash them before I wear them (which (duh), I know I really should), they don't pill and shed very much at all, right out of the package. They're not Too Hot on my feet. (They're perfect.) And there is a certain quality in any product that, when you first encounter it, makes you think: 'ah! this is the real deal.' These socks are all that, for me. And, they look darn pretty good. So try them. OR: keep trying cheaper stuff that is designed and manufactured with *less attention to what actual people with actual feet and ankles might actually value. (... and then keep donating those other socks to those who might maybe appreciate them. Hey: there's no real harm there: people need socks.) But if you want some really good socks for *your own feet? Try these. They are definitely worth it. I feel like I've staggered out of the Sock Desert to find myself in this Gold Toe Oasis. And I'm very darn glad I did.
