To be honest when faced with the opportunity to conduct a review of Teko eco-friendly socks my first thought was ‘how am I going to write about socks?’. But Teko don’t just make ‘socks’, they make high performance sports footwear that has minimal environmental impact, so my second thought was ‘sock it to me’.
From the moment I tried on the first pair I realised what I thought of as ‘socks’ had changed forever. I already had specialist ski socks, hiking socks and running socks but I had never spent the extra to buy high performance – I thought ‘socks are socks’ and always purchased at the lower end of the sock scale.
How wrong I was! Six months after receiving four pairs of Teko eco-friendly socks to review, I have pretty much removed all normal socks from my underwear draw. Now I don’t only wear high performance sports footwear for the activities intended, but for everyday wear.
Introducing Teko eco-friendly socks
Teko have been making socks for ten years, their goal now is the same as a decade ago ‘creating the best possible performance socks with the least environmental impact’. The company is built on passion for the outdoors, and desire to create excellent outdoor gear to help others to enjoy it.
In Teko’s opinion, a passion for the outdoors should always be accompanied with a passion for the environment – something I personally agree with. Teko are one of the few brands in the world to get a 9/9 maximum eco-rating from Greenroom Voice, who are an independent body that audits the environmental credentials of brands by looking at everything from materials and supply chain, to energy policy and recycling.
The range of Teko high performance sports footwear has been developed sock by sock, creating the ideal sock for each activity. The mantra they work to is; excellent fit, comfort and durability. They are so confident you’ll be happy with their socks that they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Review of Teko eco-friendly socks: Merino ‘MTB Pro’ socks
The Teko MTB Pro socks have been designed by mountain bikers for optimal off road cycling performance. They are made from superfine merino wool fibres that regulate your temperature and quickly evaporate moisture. Merino wool is naturally antimicrobial so it also helps keep foot stink at bay.
The fit is snug, the inside smooth and seamless which ensures a comfy ride. There is an achilles wrap system that keeps the sock in place – not once have I found the sock rucking under my foot even after a full day riding.
I have ridden in the Teko MTB Pros in all four seasons and have found they keep my feet warm in cold weather and cool in the summer – although I am yet to ride in anything over 25 degrees. The breathability and channels efficiently remove sweat meaning my feet have stayed dry. Retailing at £15 they are not cheap ‘as socks go’ but a bargain compared to the rest of my MTB gear.
Review of Teko eco-friendly hiking socks
Made from natural Argentinian M3RINO.XC wool these medium thickness socks are perfect for hiking in all but hot conditions. The merino wool is naturally anti-microbial making them great for multi day trekking, or for an afternoon stroll.
The fit is nice and snug, with no seams across the toes for added comfort, an achilles wrap to help keep them in place, and an anatomical Y-heel. I found them very comfy and even wearing them with welly boots they did not ‘go to sleep’ but stayed exactly where they should.
The merino fibres help to regulate your foot temperature and wick excess sweat away, the result is my feet are far less sweaty in the Teko’s than I would expect after a day of hiking. This in turn reduced the chance of blisters, and picking up fungal foot infections.
£16 for a pair of socks is quite steep however Teko hiking socks come with a lifetime guarantee against manufacturing faults. Coupled with the 100% satisfaction guarantee it means if you don’t like them, or they go wrong you will get your money back – so it is a high performance sport footwear investment with no risk that will last you years.
Review of Teko Freeride skiing & snowboarding socks
Teko are one of the sponsors of the Freeride World Tour and the maker of the tour’s official socks. You can pick up a pair of awful tubular ski socks for £5 or spend £40+ for a pair of feature packed ski socks, so priced at £22 the Teko Freeride World Tour socks are midrange when it comes to ski sock pricing.
Although midrange on price, they are packed with features to rival the most expensive ski socks, making the Teko’s very good value. To ensure comfort and performance is not compromised the socks have a seamless toe, articulated heal and extra cushioning around the shin and foot. The Achilles Wrap System keeps everything in place, ensuring your sock does not ruck or twist (If you have tried tubular ski socks you will know what I mean).
Because of the breathable nature of the materials, and the accelerator air channels that aid evaporation, I never got sweaty feet in the Teko Freeride socks – even when hiking uphill in back country for nearly an hour. Staying dry means your feet stay warm and comfortable.
Although they have medium cushion they are thinner than my other ski socks – meaning my snowboarding boots were done up slightly tighter than normal. I thought this would be uncomfortable, but I am now convinced that thinner ski socks are the way to go because a slightly closer connection with the board improves your control.
The Teko eco-friendly Freeride ski socks quickly became my goto socks last season. Of course this may have been partly psychological, as a snowboarder who loves to freeride, Freeride World Tour socks were always going to appeal. But it is also because they are very good socks, the combination of super-fine merino wool and recycled synthetics – which Teko calls SIN3RGI – they have created a material that is soft, thin, warm, breathable, wicking and durable.
Review of Teko Nordic Ski Light socks
I will put this out there early on, I don’t ski and certainly don’t nordic ski. So why am I reviewing these socks…… Well when I tried them on it was like eating a cream cake – you start with good intentions but can’t stop yourself eating more.
So I own some exceptionally comfortable socks that will never be used for their true purpose, however despite having been worn at least once a week (on walks, bike rides and trips to the pub) for nearly a year they are still comfy and in near perfect condition. They are comfy because they are extremely well made, Teko have thought about what the wearer needs and delivered.
Again they are made from superfine merino wool that is very soft – when new it felt like rubbing your feet on kittens. They dry quickly evaporating away moisture and have a smooth snug fit that is anatomically shaped with medium cushion.
I can’t tell you if these are great for nordic skiing, but as the other Teco eco-friendly socks perform very well for their target activities I am sure these would too. As with all the Teko socks they come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee so if you are not happy you can get your money back.
Review of Teko eco-friendly socks: Conclusions
As a result of conducting this review of Teko eco-friendly socks my entire sock purchasing strategy has changed. I now like to wear high performace footwear not just for the sports they were meant for but for everyday activities. This is partly due to comfort, but also because my feet don’t smell – even after a full day in trainers – if I have been wearing Teko socks.
I have also realised the benefit of high performance sports footwear over cheaper sports socks. When next buying socks for the activities I love, I won’t look at the price tag first, instead I will focus on the features and the materials they are made from and I will be happy to pay a bit extra. I asked Teko to ‘sock it to me’ and they delivered.
If you want to buy some Teko socks you can find them in outdoor, cycling and ski shops all over the UK, or you can visit: www.tekoforlife.co.uk
Having been bitten by the ‘high performance socks’ bug I wonder if anyone else has an opinion on basic vs high quality socks?