Teko Socks

Yup, another sock review. Seriously, how are there this many different brands of running socks out there. It's like cereal! Anyway, I was fortunate to recently try out Teko socks. I was really interested in this company because of how they run their business. Their socks came about because they wanted a premium performance outdoor sock with the least possible environmental impact. Teko runs their operations on 4 promises they made, which are:

• We will always strive to make our products and company operations as environmentally sound as possible.
• Product performance will never be compromised in pursuit of lower environmental impact.
• Teko will never use a material or production method that doesn't truly reduce our environmental impact.
• We will never stop researching new and improved materials, sources and production methods

Their packaging is printed on 100% recycled paper with soy based inks and they even put a little tekoTIP on each package with an idea of how you can help the environment. The premise of Teko makes me want to buy their socks, but first, what I thought of them…

TekoMERINO minicrew – ($15) as per packaging, "certified organic wool farming, chlorine-free wool treatments and made in the USA with wind power." The socks have seamless toes, cushioning in the footbed and contain tekoPOLY recycled polyester in the heel and toe for durability. Not only were these socks cute, they were comfortable, too. Don't think the wool makes them warm because that wasn’t the case at all. We've had terrible heat out here and the socks are really breathable. However, I will say that after wearing them the first time, I noticed "beads" on the socks and I swear it looked like it wore funny on the side of my big toe. I'm going to wash them and give them another try to see how they hold up.

TekoPOLY low – (~$12) as per packaging, "100% certified recycled poleyester, chlorine-free treatments and made in the USA with wind power." Again, these have seamless toes and cushioning in the footbed. 100% of the material comes from post consumer waste like water bottles. Pretty cool if you ask me!! These socks definitely felt different than the MERINO. When I put them on, it felt like the material was stretching. Hard to explain but it felt like when you have fabric or something that is really old and it's breaking down. I'm guessing that has something to do with the recycled material used. I wasn't sure what to expect after that but it turns out they didn't feel funny on my feet at all. They also stayed completely dry and didn't bunch up at all.

I think Teko has some great beliefs and I love what they are striving for as a company. Their socks are really good but they lacked the softness and slight cushioning that I look for in a sock. I don't like to feel my feet moving in my shoes while I run and I felt that slight movement between the shoe and the sock. Don't get me wrong, I'll still wear these and they didn't give me blisters or anything like that, but I have to be honest and say they aren't my favorite. I'm giving Teko 6 biscuits.