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They’re everywhere, and we are seeing more and more companies popping up, claiming to have the ‘best grip on the market’.
It begs the question then - do they work, or are they all just a marketing gimmick, like ACC?
I can only speak for one company here, as it's the pair I have been testing for two months now… TapeDesign.
This company first landed on my radar back when Ivan Rakitić was spotted wearing them and I now see them on the daily with starts such as Torreira, Griezmann and Ozil (when he gets on the pitch) donning them.
They are one of the most heavily branded socks out there, with TapeDesign down both sides of the leg, and a huge TapeDesign logo at the back.
When the over socks/ sleeves are on, this isn’t noticeable, unless the sleeves are on the thinner side, or you pull your socks up high.
Sizing won’t be an issue for you. These only come in a one size fits all, and me being around a size UK 7, these fit me very well, so no worries to be had here. They’re comfortable and the elasticated sections on the top of the foot and around the leg section keep them on securely.
Now for the reason you’re reading this. Is the grip good and is there a performance benefit to wearing them?
Well, kind of.
I didn’t notice them when on which is a big plus. Much like a child on a car journey, you don’t want it bothering you all the time. No issues here.
Sprinting and turning direction at paces is no issues and there is no sliding around on the inside of the boot, and I’ve tried these out with a variety of boots and insoles. You feel secure and locked down.
Something which did annoy me was that when I went to pull my sock up mid match, because of the lack of movement under foot, I did actually rip the side seam. Maybe I shouldn’t have pulled so hard, or maybe it was a weak seam - either way, its something to be aware of.
Would I recommend them?
Well, you can find these grip socks online for around £20 delivered and for that, I’d say it's worth a go. They fit well, are comfortable and even if they don’t work better than a pair of standard crew socks, they do look cooler at the very least.
I would be interested in trying out the TruSox which feature grip pads on both the inside and out, so I'll look to get a pair of those in for review soon!
TCBootBlog.