I have bombas socks as well thanks to the wife. They're fine socks. However I have fruit of the loom socks that have 10+ years from heavy use (running, workouts, etc). I don't know, maybe the newer socks are cheaper material? I often just get the slightly more expensive "cushioned" socks. You can feel how thick and see what they're made of which is pretty good indicator of how comfortable they are and how long they'll last. I disagree bombas are 10x as good or will last 10x as long (my bombas are only a few months old at this point)

I don't wear Bombas, but i do wear Darn Tough socks, which are in a similar price range as Bombas. I can say, all their socks, especially the thinner socks from Darn Tough are 1000x more comfortable and durable than any 'traditional' sock brand.

That said, I consider them a luxury and not a necessity. If I had a tighter budget, I'd have no issue wearing traditional brands, but I do enjoy the extra comfort.

Also, with Darn Tough the socks have a lifetime guarantee, so in theory I shouldn't have to ever buy socks again. Generally the socks I've gotten from walmart/tj maxx/any department store the elastic starts to go after a few years.

I agree with you. I have Bombas and Hanes socks. I don’t notice much of a difference. I don’t care about the 10x life as I don’t plan to keep my socks more than a couple years.

It’s way more complicated to knit the toes on bombas having no seam at the toe is hard

I've been wearing army issue (finely knitted semi-synthetic wool I think?) for a long time, I'm never going back to cheap cotton socks. They're much cheaper, but they're not comfortable.

I had a lot of trouble with the quality of Hanes socks in recent years, and Fruit Of The Loom seemed not much better. Switched to Dickies and haven't looked back. Still far cheaper than Bombas.