Meeting Mark Cleveland and using the Swiftwick brand.

As you all know I only post reviews about products that we have personally used.

This weeks review is about a brand of socks called Swiftwick. I got a chance to talk with one of the owners Mark Cleveland at the County Music Marathon Expo on Thursday the 23rd of April. Since this was the first day of the Expo traffic enabled us to talk about his product, and as a Fat Chick Running what I was looking for in a sock.

I explained to him that due to my extreme flat feet that socks that have a toe seam cause painful rubbing and that leads to blisters on my little toes. I have never really liked socks with toe seams for everyday use and try to find socks with out them.

I told Mark I was looking forward to getting my special order socks. Back in March Hendersonville Running Club placed a special order of Swiftwick socks with the HRC Bob the bird logo on them. The reason I am so excited about these socks is they have woven toes and no toe seams. Hubby and I have 8 pairs ordered four for each of us.

As Mark and I talked about socks and finding the right fit and type of sock I asked him about Swiftwick Compression socks. He asked if I had tried a pair yet and I told him that I had not because I had not found a company that made a pair that would fit. I have always had muscular calves and now that I have lost so much weight and built some runners muscles my calves are really solid.

After taking a look at my calves and checking out his stock I now owned a pair of white Swiftwick Twelve Olefin compression socks. Mark asked me if I was going to wear them race day and I responded that a smart runner doesn't add any new race gear two days before a race but I was planning on using them for recovery.

Later that night I got home from the days activities and pulled on my new Swiftwick socks. My legs were a bit tired and I wanted to give them a try. I pulled them on and immediately fell in love with the foot of this sock, toe seams and all. The weave of the sock is soft and comfortable. It took a bit of work to get them on but that was to be expected due to the nature of the sock itself and the job it does.

Swiftwick has two different versions of the compression sock :

Twelve Merino comes in black it is constructed as follows:

Merino Wool, 30% Nylon, 10% Lycra

12" neck. Sits over the calf. 144 needle construction.
Perfect for: Hiking, Biking, Hockey

Twelve Olefin comes in black and white and is constructed as follows:

80% Nylon, 15% Olefin, 5% Lycra

8" neck - 4" Cuff. Sits over the calf. 144 needle construction.

Perfect for: Hockey, Rugby, Football, Volleyball, Baseball, Airline Travel.

The Twelve Olefin is the sock that I tried. The weave of the foot and then the combination of the Nylon and Olefin and Lycra provide a comfortable compression with out feeling like you have just been stuffed into a sausage casing. They also retain their original shape once removed.

I gave them a second try on Saturday after the race and was pleasantly surprised at the relief that I felt on Sunday. I was not nearly as sore as with previous runs and will be adding the compression sock to my post run recovery at every possible opportunity.

The toe seam is actually comfortable and has possibly changed this runners mind about socks with toe seams, well when it comes to this brand.

Hubby wore the Four Olefin in black to run in and loved the fact that it kept his feet dry and comfortable and blister free. Even after the rain began to pour and his socks got wet he had no problems with them chaffing or causing blisters. He also said that he did not experience any problems with weave pain. I have tried several different brands of socks and have had problems with the weave causing painful indention in the bottom of my feet after long runs. I can not wait to try these socks in training.

80% Nylon, 15% Olefin, 5% Lycra
4" cuff. Sits three-quarter-calf.
Perfect for: Hiking, Biking, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey

I think the major selling points of this brand is the fact that they have the two traits that I look for when shopping for gear. First they are located right here in Tennessee and can be found in most of the local running stores. Second the owners are all about listening to the people whom wear or might wear their product.

To check out Swiftwick products for yourself, you can find them at www.swiftwick.com or check them out on facebook at Swiftwick Socks or on twitter @swiftwick

Starting with this review we will be using a running shoe rating scale from 1 to 5, 5 being the best.

The Swiftwick socks we reviewed received the following ratings:

FCR:

Hubby:

Till Next Time

FCR and Hubby