PERFORMANCE

Balega Hidden Comfort socks work best when you need a little bit of extra cushioning on your runs. While they’re lightweight and breathable, ample padding along the base of the foot provides a little boost of comfort where you need it most.

These socks fit tightly to your foot without feeling too tight (no one likes red ankle rings!) and stay locked in place no matter how hard you train.

What makes these socks ideal for running is that they won’t slip around on your feet as you run. These socks are made of super stretchy material with a reinforced ankle tab that won’t slip down into your running shoe as you move.

They’re great for running, but many users feel that they are so comfortable that they quickly become the first socks they grab out of the drawer on laundry day!

Plus, the super affordable price point allows you to pick up a pair in every color!

MATERIALS

These Balega socks are composed of 84 percent Drynamix Polyester, 11 percent nylon, 3 percent neofil, and 2 percent elastane. Drynamix polyester isn’t your average polyester blend.

It is Balega’s proprietary blend that works to wick moisture away from your feet so that they stay cool and dry as you train. This material is super lightweight and comfortable and holds its shape over time.

The addition of stretchy fabrics such as elastane help to keep these socks securely in place on your feet. These blends of materials sing in harmony to create a super comfortable and moisture-wicking sock that is perfect for daily training sessions or high-pressure race days.

COMFORT

One of the most impressive features of the Balega Hidden Comfort socks how comfortable they are. It should come as no surprise since the word ‘comfort’ is built right into the title of these socks! When you flip these socks inside out, you can notice the thick padding that looks like terry cloth.

This highly padded base offers an extra layer of high-end cushioning that keeps your stride nice and padded. While it may be thicker padding, runners found that this material was incredibly breathable and worked to keep their feet nice and dry.

A good running sock should never rub or pinch your foot, and this is where this design shines. The hand-linked seamless toe box is virtually invisible, which means that it won’t rub up against your toes as you run.

If I find that the toe seam has migrated to an uncomfortable position, I will stop my run to adjust my socks. With this design, the toe seam will never make itself known which is a big win in my book.

FIT

If a sock doesn’t fit just right, it tends to shift around inside of your shoe. For me, shifting socks are an absolute deal-breaker. One of the things that runners appreciate about these socks is that they will not move or shift as you run.

They are offered in small, medium, large, and extra-large sizing options. To find the fit that is right for you, be sure to take measurements of your feet and compare them to Balega’s sizing chart.

There are two reasons why these socks stay in place as you train. The first reason is the materials used for this sock. By utilizing a smaller percentage of elastane, it means that these socks have a great stretch to them.

If you happen to get a size that is slightly smaller than your foot, you will still be able to slip your feet into these socks (it just means that the heel cup won’t line up with your heel).

The second reason that these socks fit so great is the addition of the heel tab along the back of the foot. No-show socks have a reputation for slipping down past your ankle, especially when engaging in high-intensity workouts.

The addition of the heel tab creates a fabric barrier that won’t slip down into your running shoes. Plus, it provides an extra layer of comfort to your ankles to reduce rubbing or chafing.

BREATHABILITY

High levels of padding and cushioning don’t often translate to breathable, but the Balega Hidden Comfort makes it work. While the base of this sock provides runners with a high level of cushioning and comfort, the top of the sock is made of very thin materials to keep your feet cool and dry.

The top of the sock is composed of mesh panels to move hot air up and away from the foot where it quickly dries on the surface. This sock is breathable, but there are certainly more breathable options out there on the market.

Overall, Balega Hidden Comfort favors comfort over breathability. It wicks away moisture better than your average cotton running socks, but this design does hold onto a little bit of moisture. Runners found that they did a 15-minute post-run test to check in on how quickly these socks dried outside of their running shoes.

At 15 minutes, the top of the sock was completely dry, but the highly-padded base still clung to a little bit of moisture.

I still consider this sock breathable, but there are certainly other brands that are designed to keep your feet completely dry. It’s up to you to determine what is more important: comfort, or breathability.

DURABILITY

These socks are very affordable, but that handsome price point comes at the cost of durability. When you first pop them on your feet and take them out for a run, they’re great! However, this sock doesn’t have a good relationship with the washing machine.

Many runners found that after a few washes, the fabric started to pill and they lost that fresh-sock luster. While they make not look as great after a few washes, I didn’t find any users that wore holes in these socks, and their performance didn’t suffer too much.

After a few rounds with the washing machine, these socks look a little beat up, but they still perform as well as day one.

It’s also important to note that the padding on the base of the sock starts to fade over time. Some runners found that the underfoot padding started to compress after around the 30-mile mark. While it still offers additional comfort after the 30-mile mark, the initial out-of-the-box magic starts to fade over time.

STYLE

As a self-proclaimed sock connoisseur, the color options of the Balega Hidden Comfort earn my stamp of approval! One of the things that I love most about these socks is that there are a ton of unique color options.

Whether you want something a little more neutral or you love bright and punchy colors to accent your running shoes (guilty!), there is no shortage of color options.

When diving into the brightly colored socks, the beauty of these socks lies in the details. Balega doesn’t just pick one color of fabric and call it a day. The Wildberry/Bright Lavender option, for instance, uses lavender fabric for the bulk of the sock, wildberry fabric for the toe cap, and sharp blue accents on the branding on the top of the sock.

PRICE

The Balega Hidden Comfort isn’t perfect, but you can’t beat that price point! Overall, these socks are considered to be one of the more affordable running socks out there on the market.

Sure, they suffer a little bit after a few trips in the washing machine, but they will still hold their shape and many of the performance features even after the padding starts to break down a little bit.

If you spend all of your extra funds on a killer pair of running shoes and you don’t have a lot left over for socks, these are a great option for runners that need affordable, insanely comfortable, and stylish socks.

Is the Balega Hidden Comfort the best running sock out there on the market? That all depends upon what you want out of your running socks. This design is insanely comfortable, provides a high level of padding on the underside of the foot, and is composed of materials that won’t move and shift as you run.

The downside of this sock is that it doesn’t play well with the washing machine, and much of the initial magic will be washed away in the rinse cycle. It’s still a durable and comfortable sock, but the padding will start to compress over time.

While this sock has a few drawbacks, the super affordable price point makes it a great choice for runners that want good quality on a tight budget!