Quiet Picks

CATALOG

wool socks

2 records

Entry No. 01
Worn & carried

Darn Tough vs Smartwool — the sock is similar, the promise is not

Two American merino names, near-identical prices, and two promises that could hardly differ more: one maker replaces a sock you wore through, for life, with no receipt; the other's guarantee ends at two years and asks for the paper. We read both guarantee pages closely — what is covered, what the claim costs you, what comes back — and judge the promise rather than the knit, which is the one thing a buyer can verify before wearing either.

  • ·worn and carried
  • ·merino wool
  • ·wool socks
  • ·Darn Tough
  • Durable
  • Honest
  • Deep
Entry No. 02
Worn & carried

The sock that mails back its own replacement — merino wool (Darn Tough, Northfield VT)

The third and final record on the Worn & carried shelf: the sock. We follow a merino wool sock backed by Darn Tough's unconditional lifetime guarantee — the name knit in, no receipt required — show why its cost-per-year runs toward zero, weigh darning against a guarantee, and settle the question the shelf left open: whether the most disposable thing you wear can be the least disposable. Three of three. The spine is complete.

  • ·worn and carried
  • ·merino wool
  • ·wool socks
  • ·lifetime guarantee
  • Durable
  • Honest
  • Future
  • Less