Updated review based on new information:
These are quite good socks!
Very comfortable. pretty good at staying up too in my experience
The extra soft fabric will wear our faster on the ball or toe or heel (depending on how you walk, see photo), and I thought this meant they would start unraveling at any time, however I've been notified that the core structure is nylon and is much stronger and, unless it gets mangled/snagged/similar then it won't come apart for a while.
I expected the soft stuff to last a bit longer than it did, but alas (this is the one missing star) Honestly it's fine, and it's worth noting that I don't actually *feel* a difference from that. In fairness, I wear these without indoors without shoes or slippers, which I've been told accelerates wear.
On a positive note - they're not wearing out anywhere else, all the way from ankle to thigh is intact and soft as ever.
They are quite stretchy, but also (for lack of a better word) "springy" and have a small amount of compression, conforming to my leg, which I find *incredibly* comfortable. :3
Overall incredibly socks, wish the soft stuff was a little more durable, but it's not the end of the world. Would defiantly recommend to a friend.
initial review (3 stars):
These are incredibly comfortable, and when I first got them I was *very* happy with them. They stay up pretty well too (tho not perfectly by any stretch of the imagination, but better than I expected) I wear them as my "house socks" sorta like how you might wear slippers for comfort in the early morning and late evening. They never leave the house.
Given how/where/when I wear them I expected them to last a good long while (about a year), however, about 2 months after buying them (this review, including image, being written/taken a little over 3 months after purchase) they started to wear away at the ball of the foot. In fairness, this is where all my socks wear through at, but usually it takes 3+ years for any type of wear (other than dirt and grass stains) to show up on the cheap (15-20 bucks off-brands for 4 to 6 pairs) crew or over-calf socks; which I treat much rougher (mowing lawns, running, sprinting, hiking, etc.)
To be fair I have multiple pairs (about 5 to 7) of "normal" socks and only 1 pair of these, but it really doesn't feel like it adds up to me.
I get that different materials are needed for thigh highs to work (what with the incredible need for stretch and "staying-up" power), but I'm still sorely disappointed.
I'll likely end up cutting them to the bridge (there doesn't seem to be wear on the heel) and hemming them so they don't unravel.
TLDR (part of initial review);
If they were cheap then I would not be surprised at all, but I specifically went out of my way to get something from a reputable brand that cost a decent amount cause I wanted to enjoy them for a good long while, especially given the price, purely indoor usage, and treatment. But instead they started showing signs of wear at the ball of the foot in about 2 months, with this review being made a bit after 3 months.
PS (part of initial review):
as a potential point for improvement in the future, maybe add a bit of a "binding" material to the feet? potentially a sorta coating, or extra weave, or using another material at that section (even as a second weave into the base layer)
Washed on cool (not straight cold) water, and lowest heat in drier (mine has no "unheated" option).
