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Review: Injinji Socks

by Brian Patterson » on Oct 27, 2011 20

I recently picked up my first pair of Injinji socks from Amazon.  I bought a black pair of Performance Series Original Weight Toesocks.  If you haven’t seen Injinji toe socks before, they look like this:

Wearing the black Injinji toesocks

About Injinji

“Injinji“ (pronounced In-gin-ji) is an African word describing, “the time when a drumming circle reaches a climax, the peak in the performance, when all of the participants are at one with the rhythm, and when everyone hits a stride and there is unison among all”.  The company Injinji is laser focused on making the best toesocks around; they’ve taken the novelty toesocks that we all saw as kids and turned it on its head, creating socks that are engineered specifically for yoga, outdoor wear, or activity/performance.  Five years of research went into creating the Injinji Performance socks, and the results are covered by two different patents (yes, patents for toesocks!).

Initial Thoughts

Despite being a longtime wearer of FiveFingers, this pair of Injinji’s were my first.  Many fellow FiveFinger wearers swear by these things, but I never really felt a desire to purchase them… but now that I have, I’m glad I did.  When I first opened the shipping box I was immediately impressed by the packaging.  The company has clearly put a lot of thought into this product, and they wrap it up nicely to showoff the best features of the socks. These are definitely the most sophisticated pair of socks I’ve ever worn (I’m used to seeing a clear bag stuffed with 8 pairs of white tube socks) .

Injinji Socks with Packaging

Injinji socks with their packaging

After tearing away the packaging, I started inspecting the socks.  What becomes immediately apparent is that there is no seam to be found on these, which I find incredible.  One of the most annoying thing about regular socks is that, if the seem gets in the wrong position, it really annoys me with every step, and I have to adjust them to make them somewhat comfortable again.  Without a seam, I never have to make sure its lined up correctly, and the toe pockets hold the sock in the same position all day.

I also noticed that the material was very breathable, and sort of had the feel of an Under Armor shirt – moisture wicking yet comfortable.  The packaging states that the material is 70% CoolMax®, 25% Nylon, and 5% Lycra®.  A quick Google search for CoolMax, the primary material in the socks, returned this:

COOLMAX® fabric is the performance fabric that includes an effective fiber-based moisture management system. The system can move perspiration away from the body, and through the fabric, where it can evaporate quickly, allowing the wearer to feel cooler and more comfortable.

Here is a picture of the back of the packaging, which lists other features of the socks:

Back of the Injinji Socks Packagin

Text on the back of the Injinji socks packaging. Fancy, huh?

Sliding the socks on is obviously not as easy as putting on a pair of regular socks.  You must account for getting each toe into its pocket correctly.  I’d say that its slightly more difficult than putting on a pair of FiveFingers simply because FiveFingers are firm, so you can slip them in with minimal help from your hands.  With the socks being flimsy, you are going to need your fingers to individually slide each pocket snuggly onto each toe.  With that said, overall its not really a big deal to put them on.

Walking around with just the socks on is pretty comfortable.  I don’t typically like wearing socks if I don’t have to because they cram my toes together and just make my feet clammy.  The combination of the breathable material and individual toe pockets in these socks basically eliminates those gripes, and I found wearing them pretty enjoyable.  As colder weather approaches, I can see wearing these around the house rather than a pair of bedroom slippers.

Wearing Injinji’s With ‘Regular’ Shoes

I don’t wear a ton of regular shoes, as I have a strong preference to wear FiveFingers, minimalist shoes, or just go barefoot.  However, I do play basketball twice a week, and good basketball shoes are a must for me.  However, I never put much thought into the socks inside of those.  I’ve started wearing these Injinji’s with my basketball shoes, and now there’s no going back!

Injinji socks and Nike shoes

Injinji Socks inside Nike Kobe Basketball Shoes

I feel a little more stable with these socks on inside the basketball shoes because I feel like my toes can fully spread to fill the toe box, rather than being pushed together by regular socks. Not much more to say here other than that these are better than regular socks.  (and, despite my joke above about tube socks, I do own some high end socks from Adidas and Nike, but they aren’t as comfortable as these)

Wearing Injinji Socks with FiveFivers

I’ll start by saying that, if fashion matters to you and you are going to wear Injinji’s with FiveFingers, I’d recommend matching up the colors.  Overall I think it’d look better to have your VFFs match your socks.  I first put them on with a gray pair of TrekSports, but I quickly realized that something looked off.  These black socks look a lot better with black FiveFingers, such as the traditional Black KSOs.  The look in my picture below reminds me of the old guys I see wearing black dress socks with shorts.

FiveFinger TrekSports with Black Injinji Socks

Gray FiveFinger TrekSports with Black Injinji Socks

These pictured TrekSports fit me well, but they aren’t very snug, so my feet with the socks on went right in without issue.  If your FiveFingers are on the tighter side, you may want to look at the ‘Lightweight’ style from Injinji, which would allow them to fit better. If you plan on wearing your FiveFingers with Injinji socks often (many people choose to do this because of cold weather), you might want to size up your FiveFingers to ensure the most comfort.  As always with FiveFingers, the best policy is really to try them on in person. Buy the socks first, then go to a store with the socks on, and try on your desired model of FiveFingers. If you’re not able to do that, you can always use our FiveFingers sizing tool and account for the added bulk from the toe socks.

Final Thoughts

I like these.  A lot.  And more than I expected to.  My disdain for wearing socks other than when necessary has gone away, and sometime I find myself wearing these around the house without making a conscious decision to do so.  If you wear socks on a regular basis, you should really look at all that Injinji has to offer.  They have all sorts of colors and patterns, as well as product lines for various different activities.  Start with one pair to see if you like them (like I did), and then go from there.

Do you wear Injinji socks?  Or do you have any questions about them?  Let us know in the comments!

Submitted Comments

  1. Lynn says:

    Love these socks! I also wear them when I wear non VFF shoes for soccer and they are the best!

  2. Mike says:

    thanks for the review! with the colder weather arriving my feet have been a little cold on my early morning runs in my FiveFingers. I’ve been thinking about getting a pair of socks but didn’t know anyone who had tried them. Thanks!

  3. Erin says:

    I want a pair so badly! It’ gets cold here in my part of Canada. Too bad shipping is generally as much or more than the socks!

  4. Ryan says:

    Thanks for posting this review – I’ve been waiting for someone to talk more specifically about how these babies interface with my feet as well as how they may interface with footwear BESIDES VFF’s. I can’t wait to get a pair to go with my KSO’s but also to keep my piggies warm in some minimal options as well.

    Cheers, gang!

  5. Pat says:

    I love my Injinji’s. In fact I think they actually improve the overall fit of my Vibram’s on my feet. The fact that there are no seams, especially around the toes is incredible and they wear very well. I’m looking forward to using them even more now that colder weather is coming on and will probably pick up a few extra pairs.

  6. Nick says:

    Injinji’s rock! Besides helping with funky fingers..and prolonging the time when you have to wash your VFFs, they do add that extra layer to help with cold feet. I just saw that they now have thicker smart wool Injinji socks..I also wear them in my normal shoes..never going back to the tube socks!

    Thanks!

  7. Jenny says:

    I got 2 pair of Injinji socks a couple months ago and have literally worn no other socks since. I’m planning on getting rid of all other socks in my house (tons) and asking for injinji socks for christmas. They are so comfortable, especially since I used to hate toe socks. I wear them with my Vff’s ( the new speeds) and they are great. I also wear them with my Kigo’s (cuz I can’t wear VFF’s at work)
    Never gonna wear “normal” socks again.

  8. Traci says:

    I have multiple pairs of Injinji’s and love them all. In the winter, I wear the liners or lightweight socks with my VFF’s which also help reduce the smell in the shoes. I also wear Injini’s with tennis shoes and hiking boots or trail shoes. They work to avoid blisters and hot spots. I am about ready to throw away ALL of my regular socks.

  9. Daniel says:

    I love Injinji socks. I bought three pair two years ago and still wear them even with my regular shoes. Definitely good for cooler weather for that snug toe feeling.

    And I found that I didn’t have to wash my fivefingers as often when I wore the Injinji socks with them. The fivefingers would smell okay and the socks would get washed. win-win!

  10. Walter says:

    I bought these and am a brand new vffs. These add an extra level of cushion I need to get adjusted to them. While these socks are awesome the price is really high so I hope they last awhile. At REI we’re talking $12 for one pair. Well worth it though and amazon is like $8 a pair.

  11. Losech says:

    I love toe socks. I got a free pair of Injinji’s with my KSO’s and I hardly ever wear them without the socks. Mainly because I have horribly sweaty feet and the KSO’s aren’t as comfortable when they’re swamped with foot sweat. The socks also help prevent my KSO’s from acquiring that infamous foot funk since they get sweaty and the KSO’s don’t.

    I also have a pair if Fila toe socks but they don’t stand up to the quality of the Injinji’s.

  12. Slippy Sox says:

    Do these have some sort of quasi-tread on them to prevent slippage?

  13. Brian Patterson says:

    No, there isn’t a tread on these. They may have some other models that do have tread, anybody know?

  14. Darlene Packett says:

    I love my injinjis socks! During the summer, I like to wear my Vibrams without socks, but in the winter they definitely help with keeping my feet warmer. I have a couple of the regular weight socks but my boyfriend bought me 3 pair of the nu wool socks for Christmas (different colors to match all my vibrams) and they are great. I don’t care to wear them with regular shoes, although I hardly wear regular shoes anymore. They also help with shoe odor. When I get a new pair of Vibrams, there are a couple of areas that get sore from rubbing on the seams, and the socks help prevent that if I wear them the first couple of runs.

  15. Debbie Conn says:

    I love my injinji socks! Since I live in FL, there’s not very many days when I need to worry about cold feet. On those occasional days when the temp does drop, I wear my Injinjis around the house with my flip flops. I have “hot feet” that get sweaty and the Injinjis also keep my feet cooler in my Skele-toes & regular sneakers.

  16. Joel says:

    To the commenters who were interested in how these interface with non-VFF shoes . . . I just ran 18 miles in Injinji toe socks and a pair of Brooks Launch shoes, and loved them! My full review is here. Cheers!

  17. Ryan says:

    I play squash and searched all around for socks that kept my feet from sliding inside the shoe. I was wearing two pairs of socks to give me traction until I found Injinji’s. They are great and the new Injinji mid weights are absolutely perfect for running and lunging. I threw away all of my regular socks and now have injinji’s in all colors, sizes, and styles. I only wish they make ones in argyle.

  18. Nora says:

    Hi there, can the socks be worn under other socks. We have standard uniform for sport that must be worn and I was hoping to wear the Injinjis underneath for blister protection.

  19. Carl says:

    Responding to this; Injinji socks are the best. I wear the no show style. I’ve worn VFF since the original style many years ago for running. While wearing VFF”s without socks back then, I never blistered; but some hot spots were felt while running in very humid conditions. There is not much material to absorb sweat under the foot and the rubber sole. One day, I had to remove my VFF and ran the last mile barefoot on the sidewalk. My running partner was wearing Injinji socks with the VFF’s for the first time that day and she commented that her feet felt a lot dryer. Also, it has elminated the smelly odors. Some of us wore the VFF”s sockless every day at that time.

  20. Shuffler says:

    I rarely wear any other socks. I use them in my three pairs of Vibram five-fingers and also in sandals, hiking shoes, etc. Best socks ever made.

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