How much should you actually spend on compression socks?

We sell at the affordable end, so this is not an argument that dearer is better. It is an argument that the price tells you much less than two other things do.

What you are actually paying for

As the price rises on a compression sock, the money tends to go into three things: better yarn (softer next to the skin, more comfortable over a long day), better construction at the heel and toe (which is where socks wear out), and a wider size range with genuine wide-calf cuts rather than one shape stretched.

What it does not necessarily buy is a better-fitting sock for you specifically. That depends on whether the size range happens to include your leg.

Where the extra money stops mattering

Fairly quickly, for everyday comfort wear. Beyond a certain point you are paying for fibre refinements you will notice a little and branding you will not notice at all. For a flight, a shift or a desk day, a well-made sock at the everyday end does the job.

Ours start at £9.99 a pair - Grey Stride and Plain and Simple are both at that end and are perfectly good socks.

Multipacks are where the real saving is

The single biggest lever on cost per pair, and it also happens to be the right way to own them. You need more than one pair anyway - they want washing after each wear, and rotating pairs makes each one last longer.

The classic knee-high three-pack works out far cheaper per pair than three singles, and the six-packs cheaper still - the multipacks collection has them all.

The most expensive purchase there is

A pair in the wrong calf width. It does not matter what it cost - it will sit in a drawer, and the money is gone. Almost everybody who tells me compression socks are uncomfortable is describing a sizing problem rather than a quality one.

Two minutes with a tape measure is worth more than any amount of extra spend - the sizing and fit guide covers it, and the sizing guide covers translating that into a size.

Where spending more is genuinely worth it

If you have a fuller calf. Genuine wide-calf cuts cost more to make and are worth every penny over a sock that has simply been made longer - the plus size and wide calf range covers those.

If you need a zip. The mechanism adds cost and it is the difference between wearing them and not - the zip-up range covers those.

If you wear them daily for work. Something worn five days a week justifies better yarn and better heels - the work range covers those.

Where it is not

Buying a firmer specification than you need, on the assumption that a bigger number is a better sock. It is not - it is just firmer, harder to put on and more likely to be uncomfortable - the mmHg guide explains.

Buy one, then buy the pack

The sequence that wastes the least money.

Buy a single pair first and wear it for a week. If the size is right you then buy the multipack knowing it will fit; if it is not, you have one pair to return rather than six. The saving on a multipack is real, but only once you know which size to order.

It is the same reason we would rather sell you one pair that fits than a six-pack that does not.

What a cheap sock gives up

To be fair to the question, there are real differences at the bottom of the market.

Very cheap socks tend to use less elastane, so they lose their grip sooner; they often have a thinner, narrower top band, which is what digs; and the size range is usually narrower, so a fuller calf is not really catered for. None of that matters if you fit the middle of the range and wash them carefully. All of it matters if you do not.

Cost per wear, not cost per pair

The useful way to think about it. A £10 pair worn twice a week for a year is a few pence a wear. A £30 pair that is a struggle to put on and stays in the drawer is £30. That framing settles most of these decisions - and it argues for buying a style you will actually reach for, in a design you do not mind - the everyday range covers that.

Making them last

Whatever you spend, washing decides how long it lasts. Cool wash inside out, no tumble dryer, rotate several pairs rather than wearing one to death - the care guide covers it, and the care and FAQs guide covers the method.

And if you get it wrong

You have 30 days from delivery, a full refund rather than credit, and we pay the return postage. Free UK delivery over £20, £5.99 below - the returns page and the delivery page have the detail.

This is comfort advice, not medical advice. Browse the bestsellers or the full range.

The short version

• Extra money buys better yarn, better heels and a wider size range - not automatically a better fit.
• For everyday comfort wear the returns on spending more drop off quickly.
• Multipacks are the biggest lever on cost, and rotating pairs makes each last longer.
• The most expensive pair anyone buys is the one in the wrong calf width.
• Think cost per wear: a cheap pair you reach for beats a dear one in the drawer.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I expect to pay?

For everyday comfort wear you do not need to spend a lot. Ours start at £9.99 a pair and multipacks bring that down considerably. Fit and fabric make far more difference than price does.

What does paying more actually get me?

Better yarn against the skin, better construction at the heel and toe where socks wear out, and a wider size range including genuine wide-calf cuts. It does not automatically get you a better fit for your leg.

Are multipacks worth it?

Yes, and they are also the right way to own them. You need more than one pair because they want washing after each wear, and rotating pairs makes each one last longer than wearing a single pair constantly.

When is it worth spending more?

If you have a fuller calf and need a genuine wide-calf cut, if you need a zip to get them on, or if you wear them five days a week for work. Those three justify the extra.

What if the pair I buy is wrong?

You have 30 days from delivery, a full refund in money rather than credit, and we pay the return postage with a prepaid label. Delivery is free over £20 and a flat £5.99 below that.