But before we review a selection of anti-blister socks, let’s take a look behind the technology that prevents blisters
How Do Blisters Form?
Blisters form due to friction or heat between your skin and a surface. The wrong or uncomfortable shoes or socks can cause enough friction to create bubbles on the skin surface that is filled with fluid or even blood with more severe blisters.
How do Anti-Blister Socks Work?
Over the years, runners have often tried various blister preventative measures from creams to plasters. However, anti-blister socks are an essential consideration when managing and preventing blisters.
They work by absorbing the heat and moisture to reduce the friction between your feet and the surface. Anti-blister socks should keep your feet as dry as possible by using materials that absorb the sweat from your feet. Furthermore, the sweat is transferred to outside the sock and ultimately the shoe. These types of anti-blister socks are called sweat wicking socks.
Alternatively, there are other type of socks on the market to prevent blisters such as double layered socks. The addition of a second layer reduces the amount of friction that occurs between the material and the skin. This works by allowing two layers to move against each other and in turn protecting the skin against the movement of the outer layer.
Anti-Blister Socks Reviewed
Below we have a selected a range of popular anti-blister socks that use sock wicking materials for review:
Runderwear Anti Blister Socks
Runderwear are a leading brand that specialise in anti-chaffing and climate control running accessories and underwear.
Based in Dorset in the UK, the two founders started as passionate runners wanting to serve better underwear to the running community.
So, they are a good place to start our anti-blister sock reviews.
Our Verdict
A comfortable and cushioning sock due to its dual layered technology to prevent blisters and chafing of the feet.
Also, the thickness of the dual layered technology may be a slight issue for some runners, particularly in hot weather.
However, they cater for both men and women and provide an excellent range of stylish, comfortable socks that provide good protection to blisters.
Pro’s
- Comfortable and cosy
- Stylish
- Effective protection against blisters
- Range of low and mid socks
Con’s
- Thickness of socks could be performance prohibitive for long distance runners
Blister Technology Type
Dual layer technology
Price
Single pair £15 – £17
Pack of 3 £45 – £48
What Can We Establish from the Reviews
On Amazon their products average around 4.5 out of 5. The general feedback on the reviews is that they are comfortable and have fixed blister problems for many customers. Although, the main negative feedback is that they are hot to wear, particularly for running.
Danish Endurance Anti Friction Socks
A well known brand and as the brand name suggests, based in Denmark. A dedicated sports brand that design products with athletes in mind, from hobbyist runners to the elite level.
Our Verdict
Danish Endurance running socks are based on anti-friction materials with designs that include non-slip pads. Their materials also provide sweat wicking to prevent moisture and heat build up in the sock. They provide an excellent guarantee to their customers by offering free replacement if the socks develop a hole in its first year of purchase. Also, to ensure product quality their socks are tested by 400m Hurdles Olympic athlete Stina Troest. Overall, Danish Endurance offer a quality anti-blister running sock at a reasonable price. With a very good customer service guarantee. A recommended sock for customers looking for a decent quality running sock at a reasonable price.
Pro’s
- Good value for money
- Stylish
- 3 month money back guarantee
- Arch compression support
Con’s
- Lapulas do not have a company website and are not a well known brand.
Blister Technology Type
Non slip designs
Sweat Wicking
Price
Pack of 6 £14 – £15
What Can We Establish from the Reviews
On Amazon their products average around 4.3 out of 5. The majority reviews are happy with the quality of the product and blister protection. A consistent positive feedback from customers is that the socks are reasonably priced. There are some negative reviews that report that holes in the sock developed quite early in the use of the socks, particularly around the toe area.
Bridgedale Ultra Light T2 Merino Sport
Bridgedale are a specialist sock manufacturer for all types of outdoor activities from hiking to skiing to trail running.
Based near Belfast in Northern Ireland, they have a long heritage of designing quality socks that focus on comfort, moisture management and quality.
Their Ultra Light T2 Merino Sport line focuses on providing trail and long distance runners with a light weight and comfortable sock that supports running performance.
Our Verdict
Bridgedale provide a sock that has all the features a long distance runner, whether on or off road would require.
They have designed a sock that incorporates sweat wicking and thermo control which will help to prevent and resist blisters.
The sock also has cushioning without the sock becoming heavy or bulky that can be a hindrance for those longer runs. As a result, this is one of our recommended choices for off road runners.
Pro’s
- Excellent thermo and heat control
- Top of sock mesh with moisture wicking
- Uses lycra materials for light weight and stretch to maintain shape and fit
- Cushioning without the bulk and weight
Con’s
- Don’t offer multi-packs, only bought as a single pair
Blister Technology Type
Heat control
Sweat Wicking
Price
Single pair £13.95-£14.95
What Can We Establish from the Reviews
On Amazon their products average around 4.7 out of 5. The general feedback is that Bridgedale Ultra Light T2 Merino Sport is a high quality product and customers have been satisfied paying the price for the socks. Comments had been made in some reviews that they were “worth the money”. There isn’t anything that is consistently mentioned regarding negative reviews.
Swiftwick Aspire One Sock
Swiftwick are an American company based in Tennesse was founded by an enthusiastic mountain biker. The ambition was to create a sock with superior moisture wicking capabilities that could endure the rigours of mountain biking.
They produce a range of performance socks for many outdoor activities that are designed and manufactured in the US.
Our Verdict
Swiftwick Aspire One is a high performance ankle compression sock that provide runners with extra stability and compression. The technology promotes that it can help to reduce foot fatigue but where the sock really helps runner performance is with its lightweight materials. Their proprietary moisture wicking fibres help towards prevention of blisters and enable the feet to stay dry and resistant to heat that may cause foot blisters. We recommend Swiftwick Aspire One for runners who want a light-weight and thin feeling sock for performance. Although, the runners who are looking for a thicker cushioned sock would be advised to look at thick sock alternatives.
Pro’s
- Light weight and thin materials for performance
- Provides good support for a thin sock
- High quality performance sock with proprietary moisture wicking materials to prevent blisters
Con’s
- If cushioning and comfort is a preference over performance then it’s worth noting that the Swiftwick Aspire One provides less cushioning and comfort than thicker socks
- Premium performance product with a price tag to match
Blister Technology Type
Heat control
Sweat Wicking
Price
Single pair £23.99 to £33.99
Pairs of 3 £86.00 to £92.00
What Can We Establish from the Reviews
On Amazon their Swiftwick Apsire One averages 4.7 to 4.8 out of 5. The general feedback is that product is of a high quality and provides excellent support. Their customers are very satisfied with the product and mention they were happy to pay the price tag. The main negative feedback was that some customers buying the sock for the first time didn’t expect the material to be so thin. Although, for the runner looking for a high performance barely noticeable sock this is clearly a positive.
Balega Blister Resist Running Socks
Balega products are manufactured between their facilities in Cape Town, South Africa and Hickory, North Carolina.
They are a brand dedicated to designing and manufacturing performance socks for the running community.
Our Verdict
Balega’s Blister Resist Running Sock is designed with their proprietary Drynamix moisture wicking technology to encourage air flow for dryer feet. Interstingly, they blend in Mohair fibre to provide temperature control keeping the foot cool on hot days and warm on cold days. They offer quarter and ankle socks and provides a good blend of cushion and blister prevention to make it an ideal sock for longer distance road running and trail running. We recommend Balega Anti Blister Resist as a good all round running sock.
Pro’s
- Good blend of comfort, cushioning and performance
- Seamless toe for prevention of toe blisters
- Balega supports improving lives by engaging with community social projects
- Provide ankle and low variations of socks
Con’s
- Cushioning can pad out the space in the running shoe and feel a bit heavy on the foot.
Blister Technology Type
Sweat Wicking
Price
Single pair £17.00
Pairs of 3 £86.00 to £92.00
What Can We Establish from the Reviews
On Amazon their Blister Resit range averages 4.7 to 4.8 out of 5 based on a very high number of reviews. One of their Unisex Blister Resist sock has received over 6,000 reviews at the time of writing. The positive feedback often site the comfort and quality of the fit of the sock. Some positive reviews also referred to the fact the sock didn’t slip and also the customer didn’t experience any blisters. Contrary, the smaller fraction of reviews that were negative cited that holes and material wear became apparent after a few uses. Also, a small number of customers still continued to get blisters.
