Smartwool Corporation

Similar to a couple of other posts re. Smartwool, I USED to be their biggest fan. I gladly spent the most money I’ve ever spent for socks to get their PHD Ultra Running socks (this was in the 2006 to 2010 timeframe). I still have these and they perform great. Each time I «lose» one of them in the laundry I practically have a crying fit, as there goes another great pair of socks that will never be created again. After the 2010 (or so) «model», for whatever reason (I can only assume it is (was) a profit-​driven reason) Smartwool changed the design and composition of their socks FOR THE WORSE. What happened to doing a little customer research before making such a drastic move??? Maybe your design team thought (in their own minds) that it was a move for the better … but what about your customers? Like another reviewer said … «Goodbye Smartwool» — now I’ll be spending my money elsewhere.”

Less than a star. Smartwool has the worst customer service I have ever dealt with.
I ordered a pair of socks for a gift and they fell apart on the first wearing. I can not get anyone at smartwool to respond to my e-​mails. They do not answer their phone. How they stay in business is beyond me. Terribly run company.

I have worn SmartWool socks for many years, but now I’m going to change. I still have some of their socks that are over FIVE YEARS old and they are in great shape. However, others that I have purchased over the past year have totally gone THREAD BARE at the ball of my foot. I still wear the same types of shoes, I don’t run in them, I have not changed anything, but SmartWool has CHANGED FOR THE WORSE, as they have severely CHEAPENED THEIR PRODUCT. It really is a crying shame when you find something you love, but then the company decides that they need to make it cheaper, which usually results in poor quality, but somehow the price never goes down, does it? So long SmartWool. It was nice knowing you.

I should have written this review years ago when I realised that all of the Smartwool PhD ski socks barely last one season. The weaving on the ball and sole of the foot become threadbare very, very quickly. I’ve owned other ski socks that aren’t as expensive, and they are still in great shape after years of use, so this tells me that these Smartwools have a design defect. It was an expensive lesson to learn, but oh well.

Love the socks and everything else. It just feels great and so comfortable. And heck, they are right here in Steamboat — how cool /​hot is that.

«In case anybody hasn’t noticed, it is freakin’ cold! And if you live in a typical [New York] apartment, it’s colder inside than outside, and like me, you sleep in your socks with a hat on your head.»
Yep, it’s true. Smartwool is the best. Rather than clog up the blogosphere with duplicate nanobytes (did you read how much energy a Google server farm uses? enough to power 82,000 homes!), see what I said about them here:

In case anybody hasn’t noticed, it is freakin’ cold! And if you live in a typical San Francisco apartment, it’s colder inside than outside, and like me, you sleep in your socks with a hat on your head.
SmartWool socks are getting me through this winter. Although they come in many variations, my favorite style this season is the Seriously Comfortable Skiing Socks with medium cushion (great for skiing as well as indoor activities)
SmartWool comes from New Zealand Merino sheep who graze on pasture in free range conditions throughout the year, and are not subjected to the torturous practice of mulesing. These sheep WANT to help you stay warm, so they have made hats and other performance wear as well.
Best place in town to get SmartWool socks is Sports Basement.