I have been a big vocal fan of the Balega Blister Resist Crew Socks for years, often buying them as gifts for grateful friends and family. I have a drawer full of these socks needing a refresh, so I ordered 4 of these newly redesigned socks. There are 4 notable differences between these socks and those of the beloved original design.
1) The crew top is much thinner and... smoother, like a "casual dress" sock. It looks good and I noticed no difference in how it feels to wear them.
2) The padding on the back of the ankle, extending up the Achilles tendon, appears to be more padded but only relative to the thinner crew top.
3) The top of the sock, over the metatarsals, is considerably thinner as well. This is noticeable when worn, especially with slip-on shoes.
4) Finally, the "elastic band" that used to run all the way around the foot is now only on the bottom of the sock, ending where the thinner sole meets the new much thinner top. This is the worst change as the famous arch support of the original design just isn't there anymore and this allows the soul of properly sized socks to slide on my foot. .
Taken all together, the new design doesn't make these socks worse than any other over-priced strip-mall store sock. But a product that was once exceptional now only deserves a participation trophy. It is sad to see monuments destroyed, farms paved over, and great socks go average. All little things, I guess, and all just signs of the repressions of our time, but I don't have to support them.