Socks lead difficult and thankless lives. They are expected to perform flawlessly for hours on end under harsh and sometimes abusive working conditions. Much like the hard-working coal miner, socks are subjected to dark, dingy, and claustrophobic confines. After forcing them to perform in these conditions, we peel them off, roll them up and toss them into the funk factory (aka hamper) only to endure countless wash cycles. All the while, we expect them to look and fit as great as they did on day one.
It takes a lot to be a sock, and even more so to be a performance sock. Ready for the dauntless task of serving your hard working feet, ashmei has designed a new performance trail sock crafted from high-tech materials they believe is better prepared to perform under the harsh working conditions they will endure.
A UK-based performance apparel company, ashmei specializes in making high-end, quality performance apparel. Our field team was first introduced to the company while reviewing the ashmei ultimate softshell jacket. When you refer to a product as the Rolls Royce of runner’s jackets, it sets a high standard for future products from the same brand. So when ashmei informed us that a complementary pair of their new performance socks were on the way, we were curious to discover whether our first encounter with the brand was a fluke, or, would ashmei these socks live up to the high standard and ashmei mission of making the best performance apparel, period.
On Fit and Performance …
When working on a review, there’s only one way to put a performance sock through the paces. Wear them constantly, torment them frequently, and rack up the time and miles. Rinse, wash (or not), and repeat. From miles of trails, to hikes under the an unforgiving sun; from stints on pavement runs and even a little time in cycling shoes and dress shoes; the ashmei performance socks saw it all.
The ashmei trail running socks are crafted from a combination of natural Merino wool – a thermo regulating yarn – and “activated carbon.” Merino wool, not only offers a soft comfortable fit, but natural moisture wicking properties to help keep your feet dry. Activated carbon – the specific origins, properties and processes for creating and integrating it into the wool is a hush, hush trade secret – is said to speed up wcking by up to 8 times, outperforming some of the best synthetics available.
When you’re tallying up excessive mileage, a little extra padding can isn’t only helpful, but appreciated. Based on input from ashemi’s trail runners, they added extra padding to the high strike regions of the foot to help make some of those 50-milers a little less jarring.
Since no runner alive wants to suffer through blisters, the ashemi trail socks that hit the shelves will feature hand linked toe seams creating a flat, non bulky finish. This means that when you push off from the ball of your foot, your toes do not feel the ridge of the toe seam. While the test socks we received did not have this feature, the ashmei socks fit comfortably enough, and dissipated excess heat well enough that our hard working feet avoided blisters and chafing.
As for washing these bad boys, they are intended to be washed in a standard washing machine and don’t need to be run through a hot wash to get them clean. They dry fast, so you can either set them on a low temperature quick tumble dry or line dry them.
Room for Improvement…
In a field teaming with solid performance socks, the difference between those in the top tier comes down to small differences in comfort, fit and performance. With that being said, we have two quibbles with the trail running socks. The first is the amount of piling and the minor snags – along the toe seam and underfoot – that the socks have after a two month trial period. While neither affected the performance, comfort or durability of the socks, it did occur slightly faster than other socks in this category. Then again, this may be a little price to pay being that no other sock on the market contains “activated” carbon.
Second, from our perspective the £13.50 ($21.81 US) price point is fairly steep. As with many of our price-related critiques, we understand that making high-quality, high-performance apparel can be expensive, but at this price point we expected perfection.
Bottom Line…
Once you slip on these trail running socks you’ll experience the difference that makes ashmei a tremendous up and comer in the world of performance apparel. If you want (or need) a trail running sock designed to provide tremendous comfort on the trail, and your wallet can handle the price, these socks deserve your attention.
MSRP: £13.50 (~$21.81 US)
MANUFACTURER: ashmei (http://ashmei.com)
CONTENT: Merino wool and “activated carbon”
MISC: Available in various sizes, colors and styles.