Spoiler: I liked Gold Toe the best!
I wear white cotton crew socks basically every day, two pairs on workout days. I wear them with high-impact athletic shoes, work/walking shoes, and occasionally heavy work boots. I want them to last (no holes, no saggy tops), I want them to be comfortable, and I want a fair value for my money.
So when I retired my old inventory nearly two years ago, I picked up five different brands of white crew socks.
Durability: As I wore the socks, I tried to be very diligent about 'rotating stock' -- pulling socks to wear from the right-side of the drawer, putting in freshly-laundered ones on the left. In theory, they all received about the same amount of wear-and-tear.
Wigwam (2/5): Unraveled at the top quickly -- after the first washing, three socks; after the third or fourth, almost every sock had loose tops. These thick socks took around a year before I started seeing holes in the toes or heel.
Under Armour (4/5): Some unraveling around the 8 or 9 month mark, no holes until year two.
Fruit of the Loom (3/5): Little unraveling, but heels thinned before the end of the first year, leading to holes.
Hanes Cushion Crew (3/5): Modest unraveling, but moderate holes at toes and heels around the 9-12 month mark.
Gold Toe Cotton Crew Athletic (5/5): Outstanding -- so far, no unraveling; two toe holes, one heel hole.
Comfort: There's two factors for me -- first, softness; second, thickness/padding. Also, I'm not looking for a compression sock (like for when I fly, or if I develop CHF) -- nothing *too* tight (and none of them were).
Wigwam (3/5): Very thick (for a crew sock), well-padded; stiff -- even after months of washing, they almost felt starched.
Under Armour (5/5): Good thickness; started soft, became even softer after a few washes.
Fruit of the Loom (3/5): Felt slightly thin; good softness.
Hanes Cushion Crew (4/5): Good thickness; slightly stiff, but not as bad as Wigwam).
Gold Toe Cotton Crew Athletic (5/5): Thick, but not too thick; softest out-of-the-plastic, and better as time went by.
Value: All bought on the same date, non-sale prices (just standard Amazon prices)
Wigwam Super 60 Crew ($2.97/pr)
Under Armour Charged Cotton Crew ($2.50/pr)
Fruit of the Loom Heavy Duty Crew ($1.81/pr)
Hanes Cushion Crew ($1.78/pr)
Gold Toe Cotton Crew Athletic ($1.72/pr)
GOLDTOE Men's Sport 656 Cotton Crew Socks 6 Pack
4.6 | 63,037 ratings
Price: 16.1
Last update: 07-25-2024
From the manufacturer
Top reviews from the United States
Craig
Semi-Serious Sock Study : 21.5 Months
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016CB
Comfortable
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2024Sharon Grandma
Good socks
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2024richard e whitelock
GOOD QUALITY AND VALUE
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2024Beth A Solanet
Great socks
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2024ChristFollower
Fit is great and these are durable
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2024QA/QC Reviewer
nice, soft, and stretchy, I hope they last, so far a good value
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2024Sarah V.
Great socks!!!
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2024