There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Comfort and fit: They're very comfortable. Like, really. They're the most comfortable socks I've worn -- the compression ribs around the instep feels amazing. The elasticity of the material overall is great; the whole shaft feels like a compress and doesn't ride down at all. The shaft always stayed up in my experience.
My cousin who has had foot "issues" (can only wear certain shoes, always with therapeutic insoles etc) LOVED these socks. I gave him one pair to try and kept one pair for myself to try. He tried them much more than I did, and having had more experience with outdoors / athletic gear he still said these were some of the most comfortable socks he's tried. Now he wears them everywhere, even sitting at home cause they're comfortable. Sometimes without washing after coming back from a run. Which is stinky. But I digress. Back on track:
Design and looks: Personally I dislike the fact that there's a huge "Fitsok" logo at the top of the foot area, but I guess that's how most athletic socks are so can't really complain. I like that the Massdrop branding is on the *inside* of the rib, so it isn't visible from the outside. However I would never wear these socks at any time where I might have to take my shoes off. On colder days, I've worn these socks below other "fashion" socks for the comfort factor, for shoes / boots which I normally wear with thicker socks. They've served me well in that context.
Value for money: I think this is good value for money. Taking into account the construction and comfort, sub-$20 for a three pack is a good deal. These are made in the USA, in the Sock Factory at Hickory, North Carolina (USA). The Sock Factory has always made socks for Fitsok, and last year it acquired Fitsok and everything is made in-house at Hickory now.
So overall I would recommend these. At least give them a try. Especially if you go to the gym regularly or hike or run a lot, these should be a good purchase. Would I buy these myself? Maybe. I'm not an active person, per se, but the comfort of the compression ribs is tempting.