Feelmax Sock Review; Feelmax Osma Available in U.S.
When I published my review of the Feelmax Niesa in September, I described the company as a small family business whose first product offering was functional toe socks in 1999. From the outset, the company has been wholly committed to improving people’s general well-being by promoting natural foot function, and it was only a matter of time before they ventured into the waters of minimalist footwear.
Since that time, I’ve been extremely happy with both of my Feelmax shoe models: the Niesa, which I use for general purpose athletics and hiking, and the Osma, a pure running model that I’ve logged about 300 road miles in without any complaints whatsoever.
Coincidentally with my review, Feelmax was experiencing growing pains of sorts; the demand for their footwear was becoming overwhelming for a tiny company (whose total employees still number less than two dozen) to keep pace. The company’s website was only set up for direct sales in Euros, and in the United States, Feelmax had tremendous difficulty with product distribution to all the interested parties.
Into that void stepped a company called Gifts From Finland, who contacted me towards the end of the year to announce that they have all Feelmax shoes, including the Osma, in stock and available for purchase in US dollars. And since they carry all of Feelmax’s sock lines as well, they provided me with a couple of pairs to review in exchange for a few links. (I’m pretty easy that way.)
As the weather turned cold this winter and I was logging more and more miles in my Vibram Five Fingers - still my model of choice for trail running – I developed a renewed appreciation for toe socks. Like most trail runners, I originally thought that Injinji was the only game in town, but Feelmax offers a sport ankle sock that’s comparable to the more popular brand. It’s made of Coolmax, and has more of a dress-sock feel to it compared to Injinji’s cottony feel. It has seamless construction to prevent blisters, and wicks moisture pretty effectively. I’ve used them on a few multi-hour trail runs, and I honestly couldn’t tell any performance difference between the Feelmax socks and Injinjis. The Feelmax version retails for $11, which is slightly less than Injinji, so they’re a nice option for future consideration.
Where the Feelmax line of socks excels are in the dress/casual category, as evidenced by the charcoal model I tested. Apparently charcoal has inherent antibacterial properties (who knew?), and these socks are made primarily of charcoal yarn to help reduce bacterial odor, but they retain a very soft, comfortable feel against the skin. These are form-fitting and seamless like the sport socks, but come in crew length so you can wear them at work. It’s nice to have a comfortable toe sock option that can pass for traditional dresswear.
The rest of Feelmax’s sock catalog includes both adult and children’s sizes, with a variety of materials and styles such as basic cotton or striped knee-highs (no, I didn’t try those). Toe socks are especially popular for diabetic patients with decreased foot sensitivity, but they’re also kind of fun to wear for the cool feel and visual novelty. Regardless of your need – health, athletic, dress, or just goofing around - the entire collection is available at Gifts From Finland as well.
My hope is that someday Feelmax shoes and socks will be as prevalent as Sketchers and Hanes, but until then, it’s nice to see the number of online outlets increasing. Thanks to Gifts From Finland for the samples, and for making these products more easily available.
*products provided by Gifts From Finland
*See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.
Since that time, I’ve been extremely happy with both of my Feelmax shoe models: the Niesa, which I use for general purpose athletics and hiking, and the Osma, a pure running model that I’ve logged about 300 road miles in without any complaints whatsoever.
Coincidentally with my review, Feelmax was experiencing growing pains of sorts; the demand for their footwear was becoming overwhelming for a tiny company (whose total employees still number less than two dozen) to keep pace. The company’s website was only set up for direct sales in Euros, and in the United States, Feelmax had tremendous difficulty with product distribution to all the interested parties.
Into that void stepped a company called Gifts From Finland, who contacted me towards the end of the year to announce that they have all Feelmax shoes, including the Osma, in stock and available for purchase in US dollars. And since they carry all of Feelmax’s sock lines as well, they provided me with a couple of pairs to review in exchange for a few links. (I’m pretty easy that way.)
As the weather turned cold this winter and I was logging more and more miles in my Vibram Five Fingers - still my model of choice for trail running – I developed a renewed appreciation for toe socks. Like most trail runners, I originally thought that Injinji was the only game in town, but Feelmax offers a sport ankle sock that’s comparable to the more popular brand. It’s made of Coolmax, and has more of a dress-sock feel to it compared to Injinji’s cottony feel. It has seamless construction to prevent blisters, and wicks moisture pretty effectively. I’ve used them on a few multi-hour trail runs, and I honestly couldn’t tell any performance difference between the Feelmax socks and Injinjis. The Feelmax version retails for $11, which is slightly less than Injinji, so they’re a nice option for future consideration.
Where the Feelmax line of socks excels are in the dress/casual category, as evidenced by the charcoal model I tested. Apparently charcoal has inherent antibacterial properties (who knew?), and these socks are made primarily of charcoal yarn to help reduce bacterial odor, but they retain a very soft, comfortable feel against the skin. These are form-fitting and seamless like the sport socks, but come in crew length so you can wear them at work. It’s nice to have a comfortable toe sock option that can pass for traditional dresswear.
The rest of Feelmax’s sock catalog includes both adult and children’s sizes, with a variety of materials and styles such as basic cotton or striped knee-highs (no, I didn’t try those). Toe socks are especially popular for diabetic patients with decreased foot sensitivity, but they’re also kind of fun to wear for the cool feel and visual novelty. Regardless of your need – health, athletic, dress, or just goofing around - the entire collection is available at Gifts From Finland as well.
My hope is that someday Feelmax shoes and socks will be as prevalent as Sketchers and Hanes, but until then, it’s nice to see the number of online outlets increasing. Thanks to Gifts From Finland for the samples, and for making these products more easily available.
*products provided by Gifts From Finland
*See other product reviews on sidebar at right. If you have a product you’d like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.
6 comments:
I like that they are cheaper and love the stripes!
As an informed blogger, you're in the ideal position to ask a few questions of Feelmax and those who distribute and sell their products. Specifically, the distributor/retail mark up on their shoes and the pay scales/working conditions of those who make their product in Bangkok. Contrast these answers with similar information provided by Nike and other running shoe manufactures who source from Viet Nam.
I think you'll find the answers quite interesting.
I had a pair of coolmax toe socks given to me this weekend with a new pair of shoes. Does anyone have baby toes that long?? Not sure I'll ever get used to the bunching of fabric feel at the base of my toes/bottom of foot. Does it take time to adjust to them?
Injinji's best trail running socks seem to be mostly ignored: the outdoor ones. They are made of wool. They are about 1000% better than the "performance" ones (if you're not opposed to wool). They're soft, durable, and don't itch. So injinji is still going to win for me until Feelmax makes a wool blend sock (I was hoping they did!). Cotton just doesn't work well in ice, snow, rivers, etc with Vibrams. Granted, the market is probably pretty small...
If you were to bring a pair of those yellow/orange striped knee-highs to TRT, I swear I would wear them. (Unless they only come in cotton, in which case, forget it. But I wouldn't object to my pacer wearing them.)
Not worried about what you wear but well impressed with the effort and great enjoyment
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