In my comments, I got this:
Sadly, if the commenter had been less anonymous, I mighta sent him/her a pair of socks so he/she could try them out and see for him/herself. Swiftwick has been very, very good to me (thank you Garrett Morris), and honestly I don't keep all the socks that come my way. I've yet to wear-out a pair of them yet (even the ones I consider go-to's or the ones I wear to work in the winter), so I had some I coulda sent you, Mr/Ms Hater. Too late now, as I'm sure I'd get a lot of commenters claiming to be the $19 fucking sock hater.
I've been drinking a lot of this beer lately:
It costs almost $12 a six-pack. A $12 fucking six pack. I guess I could always buy this instead:Two, not one, but two twelvers of The Beast for $12. That's a bargain... if you like shitty tasting beer with half the alcohol content (4.5% VS 9.0%) and a third the pretentiousness. I'm too old and financially secure to drink The Beast, and I'm not gonna spend any of my money on what used to be my favorite beer when I was in college 20 years ago ($4.11 per twelve - tax included in 1991).
Why buy a $19 pair of fucking socks when you can get 18 pairs for the same price?
What's not to like? Moisture and odor control, machine washable, cotton blend, and made right here in China.
Although I have to give points to Kmart for selling a black athletic sock, I think I'll stick with made in the USA Swiftwicks. You can read all the techno-spiel over on the Swiftwick website, but I can assure you that I'd rather buy one pair of Merino wool Pursuits than a pack of Kmart cotton blend.
That's right, BUY.
If I had to buy my socks (and fortunately, I don't) I'd still own in the neighborhood of 2-3 pairs of Swiftwicks. Why?
I own a $140 helmet. My rigid crabon frok goes for @ $400 on the open market. My XTR pedals retail for more than a tricked out, top of the line (for Kmart) Mongoose full suspension bike.
I put my money into areas of my life where I can appreciate quality. I spend a lot of time on my bike, and I want that experience to be all that it can be. I want products that will last and give me top-notch service during their lifetime.
Things that are low in priority to me see little, if any, funding. I still have a tubed TV, I bundle my money/ID/credit cards together with a 13 year old binder clip, and I've got about $10 tied up in my office furniture.
I've seen how nice flat screen TV's are in the store, but I'm not upgrading my viewing experience until my shitty TV breaks. In areas where I see an extra dollar spent not making a lick of difference in my quality of life, I'll stick with what I got. Case in point: SRAM PC-1 chains... $8 retail.
And whether I pay for my socks or not, I still freak out when my favorite pair ends up separated on laundry day. As Dough says, "Two socks enter, one sock leaves."
Dryers are not an item I put on the luxury list.
And as promised...
Senior year. Mullet (bleached), silk running shorts, Swatch, PV Lakers trucker hat, and de-sleeved t-shirt, Awesome in the making. My entire outfit (minus the Swatch) costs less than a pair of Swiftwicks. I had yet to taste The Beast... what a future I had laid out ahead of me.
$19 for a pair of fucking socks?