Green treat. I love rocking these bamboo big dogs. Tkmaxx is your friend.
You know what they say: Big feet? Big... trouble finding socks :(
Until recently I used to buy about 40 pairs of M&S socks every 18 months or so, replacing them all at once when they start looking a bit tired. M&S were ideal because they were relatively cheap, good quality, comfotable, and available in a big enough size to fit size 12 instead of the usual "one size" that actually tops out at size 9 or so.
Unfortunately, M&S in their recently acquired cost-cutting, joining the race to the bottom wisdom, have dramatically reduced the quality of their socks (and a lot of other things it seems) and I now find them unwearable. I hate looking for socks. I hate that M&S has turned this previously-solved problem into a new source of hassle.
I am now in the lookout for another brand. Something I can continue to buy in bulk, every year or two, and not have to find something else in a few years. What do you recommend?
Green treat. I love rocking these bamboo big dogs. Tkmaxx is your friend.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Hang on. 40 pairs every 18 months? That's about two weeks per pair. I would stop wearing shoes altogether and just get a piggyback off the footman.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Agree with TK Maxx for socks. For formal works socks I recommend Pringle. I can see you really like shopping but with things like socks you really do need to handle the merchandise in person before buying
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I know what you mean about reduction in quality. I also buy in bulk, and used to buy from Next as the socks had some sort of image on them and were easy to pair, but even as a size 9 I find the socks that are supposed wo fit just don't. As I wear boots I can get away with wearing Coolmax military socks. My feet have never been healthier. I can't see them working with a pair of Loakes though, not that that will be an issue for me.
John Lewis multi packs are ok for the money imho
Similar cost to M&S
Very approximately. I'm probably vastly underestimating the amount of time in between because I hate sock shopping so much!
I wear at least one pair per day (more if I to the gym etc), so it's not like we're talking about continuous wear so much as the number of wash cycles they can withstand. But yeah, it's probably more like every few years, but that also depends on how many I actually buy at the time.
Don't forget to put the old ones on eBay.
Costco are usually my port of call for socks.
Falke Airport. Can’t beat comfy socks. These are expensive but out last any other brand I’ve tried, so probably good value for money
What Sock thread? Honest??
I've started a few "please help" threads over the years but thankfully I have about 36 years of sock wearing experience, so I generally trust my gut these days.
Good luck out there OP, it's a damn minefield for sock wearers.
Bamboo socks from Tkmax. Take 50% longer to dry for some reason though!
Another vote for TKMaxx. I used to go for Green Treat but of late I have done well with Glenmuir Bamboo jobs. Lots of funky colours too - I do like a lairy sock!
TKMaxx appear to have stopped selling Pantherella socks, which is a shame.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
I've got so many odd socks that I now don't worry if they don't match. As long as they're a similar thickness I really don't care. I mean, who says we have to wear matching socks?
I would look at 'Gold toe' socks, easy enough to find on eBay and Amazon. They are of very good quality and available in a few sizes rather than one size fits all.
Sports direct once every 5 years normally keeps the sock draw full..
Good grief man, it's summer. Are you saying that you wear socks with your sandals?
Come winter, I'll br buying the disposable 5 pairs for £5 packs from the supermarket.
Next for my socks.
What's the benefit of bamboo for socks?
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
I have a bit of a stripy sock problem and Paul Smith are my favourites
Try Darn Tough socks great socks depending on your lifestyle your feet will love you. Great socks if your active and you can get them on Amazon in the UK not sure about your stores.
https://darntough.com/
Another for tkmaxx.
I like merino and bamboo ones. The merino ones seem to hole out sooner though.
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Corgi sell very nice socks
https://www.corgisocks.com/
I bought some from TK Maxx on a whim. Best socks ever, and I decided I’d never wear another brand of sock. Then I saw the RRP of the nice ones! I clear out every TK Maxx of their stock whenever I see some. It’s been getting rarer and rarer to find any though. Would be upset if they’ve properly stopped them.
Since we're on the general subject, look no further than the totally awesome Jockey USA originals short trunk (black) to complete the other half of the blokegerie drawer.
A mate of mine recommends these.
https://separatec.com/
I’m hoping to make it TK Maxx tomorrow, since that seems to be the clear winner here, if they have any stock. I’ve checked out most of the brands mentioned and unfortunately many of them don’t seem to go up to 12+ sizes :( If no luck with TK Maxx I’ll check again more thoroughly at the weekend.
I love Paul Smith socks, they're really comfortable, good designs and make in Britain.
Always odd and have done for the past 30 years.
Howick from HoF. I've a decent stock at present based on bulk buying in one of their sales a while back.
Well, I can report that TK Maxx only sell the usual “one size” 7-11 so that rules them out.
Always Falke socks for me. Great comfort and quality and an independent company that makes its own products in Germany in its original factory. That said, at £10+ a pair I'm not sure buying 40 every 18 months is going to be comparable to M&S/TK Maxx! I highly recommend them and they do last well though.
To be fair I do only replace them when they start wearing out, so better quality is good. But then again, it's not really cost effective if they last 20% longer for 500% cost. Washing & walking are both pretty hard on socks too, so I'm pretty sure it's seriously diminishing returns after a certain level of quality.
If I can find some I like then I'm fine with paying a bit more for the look, comfort, etc. The annoying thing is the old M&S ones were not only dead cheap, they were really comfortable as well. And were reliably available in size 12+, unlike most. The new ones are about half the thickness, which makes them both less comfortable and more likely to wear out quickly. They're probably not cost effective anymore, compared to something more expensive that would hopefully last.
Had a quick look at Falke and they look interesting in terms of materials & construction. A bit more innovative than your average pair of socks. I will give them a try. Lots of inconsistency in pricing and size availability depending on where you buy, by the looks of it. They do go up to at least a 12, although they use EU sizing on their own site (which seems to be more expensive).