Asics vs Steigen vs Lightfeet Running Sock Review

Josh provides an insightful comparison of three popular yet completely different running sock styles including Asics running socks, Steigen running socks and Lightfeet running socks.

Whether you're seeking the affordable comfort of the Asics Ped, the blister free ride and barely there feel of Steigen or the plush cushioning and ventilation of the Lightfeet Evolution, Sportitude have a running sock to match your needs.

With a variety of price points and length options to choose from, your feet will love being treated from heel to toe.

Check out the full transcript below.

Hey guys. Josh here from Sportitude today to talk to you about socks.

Socks are vitally important. They play a huge part in the comfort and the life of your shoe. Not only that, but they minimise blisters, minimise swelling and make sure your foot doesn’t get hot. The list goes on and on.

What I want to talk to you today about is, don’t spend all the money on a specific running shoe to just grab a sock from the bottom of your drawer and expect the shoe to do all the work.

The sock is important, it plays a really key role. I’ve got three socks here. We have truck loads in Sportitude and here in store as well. We’ve got really good sellers and I’ll talk about the features they have and why you should entertain these socks and get them in your bag or your cupboard at home.

I’m going to touch on the basics, the Asics Ped sock. This little guy here is just a $7 sock and it’s not bad. We are looking at a good performance sock and why we should be using this over like a Bonds sock where you might get a pack of 5 for $15.

The Asics Ped has an arch wrap for extra stability of the arch of the actual sock. It’s thinner on top than what it is at the bottom. Being thinner on top will allow more ventilation to travel through the foot itself. Underneath the extra padding will give you the comfort you require.

They will probably last 15 to 20 washes, and that’s being generous. Then they’ll lose their shape, lose their hold and also the elastic at the top of the sock itself can go after a period of time. 15 to 20 washes doesn’t sound like much, but for $7 it’s not too bad to improve the comfort of your running.

Next I’m going to touch on the Steigen sock. Steigen are a relatively new brand that have been around for roughly two years. Steigen socks have come out and their big marketing push is no blisters.

You will not get a blister using Steigen socks and I can sit here and honestly tell you that is true. I’ve been using the Steigens for almost 6 months now and have not had one blister. Chopped and changed from different shoes, running different paces, run marathons, run half-marathons and have not had one blister at all with the Steigen. I can tick them off and say they’ve worked for me.

If you do get a blister and you buy a Steigen from us give them back and we’ll give your money back, that’s how serious they are about making that claim.

How do you not get blisters in a sock? The actual arch wrap covers quite a large space of your foot. It looks tiny, the sock looks like it might fit a kid but they do stretch out and the reason is because they're made of 20% Lycra and 80% Nylon.

It's thin, you don’t get heaps of cushioning underneath the base of the sock itself. I find I don’t need any cushioning from my socks, I’ve got the cushioning in the shoe itself.

The Steigen sock is to prevent blisters thereby being thinner, you get more ventilation through your foot so you don’t have as much moisture on the base of your skin or on your foot itself. You won’t get that build up of moisture on soft skin where the friction rubbing will cause a blister.

Steigens come in a number of different lengths. They come in the zero length that’s just above the height of the shoe. They come in quarter, half and three quarter length. Love them, they are fantastic socks.

Next is my old favourite, the old faithful, the Lightfeet Evolution running sock. This was my favourite sock day in and day out before I got my hands on the Steigens.

They have got oodles of cushioning. There is so much padding through the heel base and the arch wrap is nice and firm. You’ve got the grey base through the rear of the foot for heel cushioning.

They don’t have any specific cushioning through the midstance phase. It’s all in regards to this arch wrap, that really nice arch wrap. You don’t want your sock slipping at all through midstance phase. Through the toe area it’s got plenty of cushioning underneath the base of the foot too.

This is our number one selling sock. It is fantastic. What else it has for $35 that the other socks don’t have is left and right foot ventilation and padding. When we talk about ventilation it sounds a bit crazy but underneath the front of the sock it says ‘Right’. If you’re getting dressed in the dark, turn your phone on and have a look what socks go on what foot, it’s very important.

The reason being is through the front of the sock they’ve got different ventilation channels per the toe space. Obviously when you put your left foot and right foot next to each other, the toe space or the ventilation channels between each toe are different. Therefore offering that slightly thinner gap between the toes themselves will help generate more ventilation through the top of your foot.

Touching on before, when you get more ventilation through your foot you minimise the amount of moisture that sits on the base of your skin. Therefore you won’t get blisters.

It’s a great debate we have here amongst all our staff, more so than shoes to be really honest with you, ‘What’s the best sock?'.

You can tell me that because it’s up to the user themselves. But we still have a lot of people that work for us that would swear by the Lightfeet Evolutions, that’s their favourite sock.

Me and about four or five of the guys love using the Steigens. We like a thinner sock and slightly tighter fit.

There is still a number of runners who work for us who are happy to save their pennies and grab a handful of the $7 socks out of the tub, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’d rather you at home run in a sock like the Asics Ped than a business sock or a pack of Bonds socks that are just sitting in the back of your cupboard.

There you go guys, there’s a basic introduction on how to pick the right sock and what you’re actually getting for your money.

Happy running. Socks rule!