I purchased 2 pairs of these several years ago before a 3 week trip to Italy in July. I alternated these and wore them pretty much every day! Washed them in the sink at our rented houses & hotels at night with some soap, put them on the towel rack to dry overnight (even though they really only needed about an hour or so) and Presto! fresh, clean socks that were cool and allowed me to walk all over Rome and the Tuscany region several miles everyday for 3 weeks! I loved these socks so much... they went with me when we traveled to Ireland the following summer and to the United Kingdom (all 3 kingdoms) last summer! I've probably walked several hundred miles in them and they are still in great shape! I ordered some more this summer because I wanted some different colors ... MoreI purchased 2 pairs of these several years ago before a 3 week trip to Italy in July. I alternated these and wore them pretty much every day! Washed them in the sink at our rented houses & hotels at night with some soap, put them on the towel rack to dry overnight (even though they really only needed about an hour or so) and Presto! fresh, clean socks that were cool and allowed me to walk all over Rome and the Tuscany region several miles everyday for 3 weeks! I loved these socks so much... they went with me when we traveled to Ireland the following summer and to the United Kingdom (all 3 kingdoms) last summer! I've probably walked several hundred miles in them and they are still in great shape! I ordered some more this summer because I wanted some different colors and to have more pairs so I don't have to do laundry as often!

I didn't intend on purchasing this sock until I read the reviews online (thank you to all who previously wrote a review!). I have used Balega socks in the past for trail-running and ultramarathons, though this time I was looking for a lightweight sock with a low profile for an upcoming road marathon. Along with purchasing the Smartwool PhD Light Elite Micro, I decided to give this a try during a mid-distance tempo run. What a treat! After multiple runs consisting of 5-10 miles, these are by far the best socks I've ever ran in. I wish I could tell you about all the wonderful features, but perhaps the best selling point I can offer is that it's what you DON'T notice about this sock that makes it so special. [At least for my foot] there is no rubbing, no discomfort, no ... MoreI didn't intend on purchasing this sock until I read the reviews online (thank you to all who previously wrote a review!). I have used Balega socks in the past for trail-running and ultramarathons, though this time I was looking for a lightweight sock with a low profile for an upcoming road marathon. Along with purchasing the Smartwool PhD Light Elite Micro, I decided to give this a try during a mid-distance tempo run. What a treat! After multiple runs consisting of 5-10 miles, these are by far the best socks I've ever ran in. I wish I could tell you about all the wonderful features, but perhaps the best selling point I can offer is that it's what you DON'T notice about this sock that makes it so special. [At least for my foot] there is no rubbing, no discomfort, no pooling of moisture, and the heel tab is super comfortable and plush whereas with the Smartwool, I noticed more rubbing in the toes/upper (perhaps due to the construction of the sock) and a very cramped feeling. With the Balega, it's like you don't even notice that you have a sock on. I'm not sure how the lifespan will stack up, but for the price point I haven't found anything comparable. Highly suggest this sock for road runners in it for the long haul!

I read that these tend to run a bit small, so even though I wear size 10.5, I ordered extra-large socks that are meant for sizes 12-14. But, even at this size the sock is way too tight for me. Also, these are billed as "No Show", but they aren't anywhere close to being no-show and go up very visibly on my ankle. Perhaps if I'd gotten the large, they'd be more no-show, but then they'd be even tighter on my foot. While I didn't try the large, it seems to me that the foot is the same on both and the sock is just a bit longer to accommodate the longer foot...so, I suspect that the large would be just not no-show...but I'm not going to order any more to find out. Quality-wise, these seem fine and I'd have had no complaints there.