For actual good winter socks, the percentage of wool and type of wool both matter.
Merino wool is MUCH more comfortable for most people (it's softer, more finely woven and much less itchy), Generally the higher the content merino wool, the better (at least warmer) the sock should be. Also note there are thin, medium weight and heavy weight/duty (thickest) weaves so buy according to your specific needs.
Nylon is generally the next highest percentage component because it wears really well, meaning it is very resilient to thinning, tearing and ripping.
If you want to get a lot of life out of decent quality and above Merino wool socks (really any socks for that matter), wash them somewhat sparingly (which is more reasonable with wool socks) and always air dry (or at least as as often as realistically able) the heat from the dryer is hard on both the wool and the nylon, which again, should be the two most abundant components in good quality and above winter/cold weather socks.
There is a reason the informed outdoor enthusiasts say "cotton kills", same goes for socks, cotton is fantastic for primary sock construction UNLESS/until it gets wet, once it's wet it quickly becomes a liability, especially in the cold, but also in general because the fibers fill with water and stay wet which then quickly can cause all other sorts of issues.
Sorry if this is TLDR or repetitive, wish someone would have explained some of this to me much earlier in my life. 😖🥴🤦
35% wool
These off-brand socks all come from the same row of factories in Zhangjiagang, PRC. They are using recycled wool products, or wool rejected from the Unitex factory. The fit is fine, but they wear faster on the soles than a premium wool hiker.
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I bought these and immediately returned them. They were itchy, coarse, and barely warmed my feet. Does not feel like Merino Wool. In fact, these are just about the poorest excuse for a sock i've ever worn. I'd prefer my old worn 15% wool socks that have multiple holes over these.
If you'e looking for 1/4 socks, these are great value at ~$5 a pair: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GGH6AH2/. I've purchased 9 of them over the last few years and they hold up to machine washing/drying and are just as comfortable as my Smartwools. I'm sure i'm not the only person here who wears wool 1/4 socks year round since they breath better than cotton sock which are also hard to find being that almost every major "brand name" now just puts their logo on terrible plastic (polyester) socks from China.
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Merino wool is MUCH more comfortable for most people (it's softer, more finely woven and much less itchy), Generally the higher the content merino wool, the better (at least warmer) the sock should be. Also note there are thin, medium weight and heavy weight/duty (thickest) weaves so buy according to your specific needs.
Nylon is generally the next highest percentage component because it wears really well, meaning it is very resilient to thinning, tearing and ripping.
If you want to get a lot of life out of decent quality and above Merino wool socks (really any socks for that matter), wash them somewhat sparingly (which is more reasonable with wool socks) and always air dry (or at least as as often as realistically able) the heat from the dryer is hard on both the wool and the nylon, which again, should be the two most abundant components in good quality and above winter/cold weather socks.
There is a reason the informed outdoor enthusiasts say "cotton kills", same goes for socks, cotton is fantastic for primary sock construction UNLESS/until it gets wet, once it's wet it quickly becomes a liability, especially in the cold, but also in general because the fibers fill with water and stay wet which then quickly can cause all other sorts of issues.
Sorry if this is TLDR or repetitive, wish someone would have explained some of this to me much earlier in my life. 😖🥴🤦
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