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review

M2O Merino Crew Compression socks

8
£16.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Combine compression with the comfort of merino wool at a not outlandish price
Hugely comfortable, seamless construction
Can at times make you weirdly hyper-aware of any differences between your feet
Weight: 
61g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The M2O Merino Crew Compression Socks are well made and comfortable with very few obvious failings. They're warm enough when it's cool and breathable when it's not, and they certainly feel like they offer decent compression.

Compression socks have been found to improve blood circulation in the legs. In simple terms, it's easy for blood to reach your lower limbs, but it's a lot harder work to counter gravity and get back to the heart again. Wearing them can mean that you recover faster as your muscles get more oxygen and clear waste products more rapidly.

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The exact difference this makes with these particular socks, I can't exactly say – but they do feel significantly tighter than the average pair of socks, so I'd assume they're beneficial.

More prosaically, they're comfortable. Really, really comfortable in fact.

I find with the vast majority of socks, you put them on and just instantly forget about them for the entire day. Then occasionally there are pairs that are uncomfortable or annoying in some way.

I'd say the M2Os fall into a third category – socks that you occasionally notice because of how comfortable your feet are. This is quite a rare thing.

M20 Merino crew Compression socks - sole.jpg

The only real complaint I had with them in this area was that because they are compression socks – and therefore grip your feet and ankles pretty much all over – you are at times liable to pick up on very minor differences in sensation between left foot and right.

For example, I wore them for recovery and also for rides, and during one trip out I became aware of a slightly different flexing feel in one foot compared with the other. There was nothing wrong. Neither foot was uncomfortable. They just felt... different.

This barely even qualifies as a nitpick really. It's just a thing that I noticed.

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Beyond that, their construction seems quite robust. I've worn them plenty and washed them plenty and they haven't acquired a smell and they still feel pretty tight. If they were perhaps a little tighter at first, I couldn't state that with complete conviction. They certainly haven't gone slack.

M20 Merino crew Compression socks - detail.jpg

Price-wise, they're not cheap socks. But compression socks tend to be a little dearer, and let's not forget they're merino wool too.

The cheapest merino wool socks we've reviewed in recent times are the dhb Aeron Light Weight Merino Socks. They only cost a tenner, but Steve made reference to scruffy stitching inside, and there's certainly none of that here.

Verdict

Combine compression with the comfort of merino wool at a not outlandish price

road.cc test report

Make and model: M2O Merino Crew Compression socks

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for

Compression socks to enhance blood circulation.

M2O says, 'The natural odour resistant, light weight blends will give you that extra warmth in the cooler conditions whilst allowing itch free, breathability and excellent moisture management.'

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

M2O lists these features:

Anti-inflammatory band supports your achilles and relieves pressure around the heel.

Odour reducing materials provide anti-bacterial moisture wicking.

Mesh panels accelerate moisture wicking and breathability.

Seamless toe box reduces chafing.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Slight knobble at the big toe end of each toe box. Otherwise perfectly smooth.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Tight, but I've worn tighter.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Hard to gauge the extent to which they may be less tight after multiple wearings and washings. They certainly still feel like compression socks.

Rate the product for fit:
 
10/10

Felt equally comfortable on my two non-matching feet.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight:
 
9/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10

You're more aware of compression socks than conventional socks, so any difference in feel between one foot and the other is quite noticeable.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Compression and merino wool with no obvious failings for what is not an outlandish price.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Stuck them in the normal wash and they still feel like they're compressing.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Comfortable socks that certainly feel like they're offering compression.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Very comfortable.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

They're not cheap socks, but compression socks tend to be more expensive and merino wool socks tend to be more expensive – and these are both.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Comfortable socks that appear to offer a decent degree of compression over a decent timespan.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 41  Height: 185  Weight: 77

I usually ride: Scott S40  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: general fitness riding,

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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