By now you all know the trouble I had with the Injinji Liner Crew Toesocks. First, Amazon.com took forever in shipping them to me. And then the socks tried to kill my toes. Finally, I sent Injinji a complaint letter, and they responded by sending me a new, different pair of socks, the Original Performance Series Crew Toesocks, which arrived yesterday.
The Originals are made of 70 percent of Injinji's CoolMax material, 25 percent nylon and 5 percent Lycra, whereas the Liners are 75 percent CoolMax, 22 percent nylon and 3 percent Lycra. It seems that extra 2 percent of Lycra makes a huge difference for my feet.
Upon inspecting the Originals, I could tell right away that they were considerably thicker than the Liners, which worried me because of how snug my Vibram KSOs fit. My first reaction after trying on the socks was, 'Hey, these don't hurt'--a good sign.
Putting on the Vibrams was a bit tricky, as these socks wanted to bunch up even more so than the Liners, but I fixed that by wedging my hand in between my foot and the upper of the Vibrams as I slipped them onto my feet.
The fit was tighter, but not uncomfortably so. Again, there was no pain in my toes. I decided to take them for a run, a brisk three-miler around the neighborhood.
About half of my neighborhood route is over packed snow right now, particularly the first quarter mile or so. With the Injinji Liners, that first section made my feet numb from cold. The added weight of the Originals gave my feet more insulation, and I never experienced any numbness. There were two occasions when I stepped in a slush pile and got my feet a bit wet; the socks dried quickly.
The Injinji Originals performed as I had hoped the Liners would, keeping my feet warm in the Ohio winter while still maintaining comfort. Now I just need to figure out how I can get another pair for free?
Night Cap
The run helped me sweat out some of this cold. After I took a hot bath and ate some dinner, I made myself a hot toddy: a shot of Tullamore Dew, local honey and Yogi Relaxed Mind tea. Coincidentally or not, I slept well last night. Still not at 100 percent, but getting there.
10 comments:
Socks that work - brilliant!
Yep, those are the model that I use - haven't had any problems. I think my vibrams are on the big side, though, because of my stupid long second toe.
Try Gold Toes from Sears. They work awesome. You can get like 50 pairs for $20 if you have a coupon.
I continue to watch the sock saga with humor. It's sort of like my winter amusement. Okay, there are socks for VFFs? Who knew?
You took a bath? What are you, like, 70?
Glad to hear the virus is on its way out and the socks are treating your feet well so far.
Glad the second pair of socks worked out so much better. I can't but wonder if they felt better because they were free...
When I bought my sprints, Dec. '09, I had the guy throw in the pair of Originals I used for the trial fit, but I had to buy a pair as well. These two have lasted me over a year - well worth the cost. But, oh, yea, I mostly run without them.
Man I'm so glad to hear the Originals are working for you and glad to see the company was able to help out and fix the original problem!
Hot Toddy = Genius
I need more whiskey in my life.
I always thought Vibrams were waterproof, to prevent exactly what happened to you (your feet got wet from the puddle)? Clearly, I do not own a pair myself.
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