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Bombas Socks Review: The Best Socks You Can Buy?
Reviewed by Nathaniel Lang
Last Updated April 2022
Featured Product: Bombas Men’s All-Purpose Performance Ankle Socks
Price: $16
The Bombas Men’s All-Purpose Performance Ankle Socks are unique in today’s market. They are designed with a cotton/Polyester blend to keep feet dry, cool, and comfortable all day long. These socks are designed to be more breathable than other socks and wick sweat at the same time.
The craftsmanship includes a seamless toe, blister tab on the heel, and Y-cup stitching on the heel for added comfort. Plus, they have an abundance of fun colors to choose from.
BOMBAS
3-Pack Men’s All-Purpose Performance Ankle Socks
$49.50
Our All-Purpose Performance Socks are designed to keep your feet cool, dry, and always comfortable. They’re designed to wick sweat and breathe easy– so you can work on being the best runner/hiker/golfer/everything-er of all time. As always, one purchased = one donated.
SHOP NOWRatings Breakdown
QUALITY
★★★★★
They are really well stitched on the toe and the heel, as well as have a ton of fun colors to choose from.
VALUE
★★★★
While these socks are more expensive than mainstream options, their innovative stitching and guarantee make them a good value for the price point.
CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE
★★★★★
Bombas socks perform extremely well on the comfort and lack of stinky sock smell front.
BRAND
★★★★★
The Bombas brand is continually doing their part to increase the comfort and durability of their products, as well as their promise to donate one for every one purchased.
Who is Bombas?
Bombas was founded in 2013 by Randy Goldberg and David Heath. That is when they found out that the most requested items at homeless shelters were socks, followed by underwear and T-shirts. So they set out on a mission to create a better quality sock, not just for themselves, but also to donate to homeless shelters.
Due to the philanthropic nature of their company, Bombas is registered as a B Corp.
Bombas realized that the homeless population is one that is severely under-publicized. And since most people in homeless shelters have to wear socks, underwear, and T-shirts many times before they can be washed, they wanted to help create a better quality of life for them.
So a big part of their product creation has to do with creating more sustainable and durable products that can go for days without becoming stinky.
Therefore, the company was founded with the mission to give back and help create a better life for those living in homeless shelters. They have had a buy one give one policy from day one to help execute that mission. It’s hard to argue with a company that creates such fun, comfortable, durable products that also has a big philanthropic mission to change the world.
Pros
- Durable
- Well made
- Wicks sweat efficiently
- Doesn’t pick up nasty foot smells
- A lot of fun colors and styles to choose from
- Donates a pair for every pair purchased
- Happiness guarantee warranty
Cons
- Fairly pricey for socks
Bombas Socks Fit & Style
I was excited to try these socks initially for no other reason than the fun color choices alone. Since I’ve been used to plain old white or black sock options, I thought these would be a fun addition to my wardrobe. But I was also curious to try them out just to see if they really were better than all of the other socks I’ve tried to date.
I ordered the All-Purpose Performance Ankle Sock in size Large and wear an 11 ½ shoe, and the sizing was spot on.
When I was first taking a look at all of their options, I was interested in trying out the Men’s Performance Hiking Quarter Socks also. They were out of my size in both colors though, unfortunately. So I reached out to their online customer support to see if they had an ETA as to when they might be back in stock. Their customer service was quick to respond and thoroughly helpful.
They didn’t have an ETA nor could they let me order them with my current order and just ship them when the socks became available again. I was told that this was something they’d had requested multiple times now, though, so it was going to be brought up as something that can be added in the future.
And then the customer service rep gave me a promo code to use on the order I was about to place because they didn’t have the additional item in stock. I have to say that I was really impressed with their customer service!
When I did receive the socks they did have in stock, the first thing I did was put them through a rigorous 5-day test. I wore them for all 5 days consecutively to see if they would get the normal stinky sock smell that I’ve become so accustomed to.
I’m happy to report that there was absolutely zero odor after 5 days. Which was ridiculous! This probably has something to do with the 80% polyester/20% cotton blend that the socks are made out of for extra moisture-wicking ability.
Aside from that, the socks themselves were surprisingly comfortable. I attribute this to the seamless toe and Y-stitched heel. They held their shape well and cradled my foot nicely. The ankle tab was also a nice touch because it made pulling my socks up exceedingly easy. The Bombas socks complimented my Allbirds nicely and created even more cushion than I was used to.
And as a bonus, each sock in the pair was labeled L (left) or R (right) to make my life just that much easier.
Overall, I was happy with these socks and they are now a part of my regular rotation.
BOMBAS
3-Pack Men’s All-Purpose Performance Ankle Socks
$49.50
Our All-Purpose Performance Socks are designed to keep your feet cool, dry, and always comfortable. They’re designed to wick sweat and breathe easy– so you can work on being the best runner/hiker/golfer/everything-er of all time. As always, one purchased = one donated.
SHOP NOWAre Bombas Socks Good Quality?
Bombas products can be made of a combination of cotton, merino wool, modal, and/or polyester. Depending upon the product in question, some of the materials are more sustainable.
They state they use long staple yarns from some of the best producers in the world. However, Bombas doesn’t state who these manufacturers are or what criteria constitutes them being the best producers in the world.
So, until they can give the consumer more transparent information regarding these claims, they are just marketing claims, in my opinion.
The same thing applies to their manufacturing plants. The brand states their socks are made in different facilities around the world in the following countries:
- USA
- Peru
- China
- Taiwan
Bombas states that all of their manufacturers have passed audits with strict standards, but they don’t state what those standards are.
Generally, the most widely accepted quality standard is an ISO:9001 certification. And each type of manufacturing facility can have different certifications, so it would be nice to see what standards these manufacturing facilities are using for verification purposes.
While their marketing claims don’t have enough concrete proof to back them up, their sock technology is pretty darn good. They worked hard to create a better sock experience all around from the seamless toe to the Y-stitched heel.
It’s a nice addition that their socks are also moisture-wicking and don’t retain any nasty smells either.
So, overall, Bombas socks are pretty darn good quality.
Are Bombas Socks Worth It?
That’s really going to depend upon whether you can justify paying $16 for a pair of socks or not. While this price tag is pretty steep for one pair of socks (I can get a 10 pack of the cheaper socks for that!), the quality may just be worth it. The fact that they offer a guarantee on their products for any reason doesn’t hurt either.
So, if you’re like me and you’re tired of socks that fall apart in a few months (or less) and want some longer lasting, fun options, then these are probably worth it. Since a lot of Bombas sock lovers say the socks last approximately 3 years before showing any normal wear, that’s eons longer than my 10 pack of $16 socks.
And in the grand scheme of things, it ends up being much more cost effective to buy the more expensive Bombas socks since they last longer and feel better.
Bombas Socks Coupons & Discounts
Bombas is happy to give discounts to subscribers of their email list. They offer an initial 20% off your first purchase once you subscribe. Keep an eye on your email box after that because they tend to send out other emails with subsequent promotions. Plus, they also offer free shipping on any orders over $50.
FAQs
For any consumer on the market for better socks, there are bound to be questions before dropping a ton of money. Therefore, we wanted to answer the most common questions about Bombas socks to help you make the best decision for you.
What Else Does Bombas Sell?
Bombas has expanded their products to include a multitude of other comfortable products. While they love socks, they wanted to offer some other companion options too. They sell the following additional options in men’s and women’s sizes:
Shirts
Yes, they do. While they love socks, Bombas wanted to offer some other companion options too. They sell the following additional options in men’s and women’s sizes:
T-Shirts – Starting at $36 and made of Peruvian Pima cotton all grown, picked and manufactured within a 100-mile radius in Peru. They follow the buy a T-Shirt, donate a T-Shirt model here just like they do with their socks for increased reachability.
• Women’s Bombas Slight Crop T-Shirts
• Women’s Bombas Crew Neck T-Shirts
• Women’s Bombas V-Neck T-Shirts
• Women’s Bombas Tanks
• Men’s Bombas Crew Neck T-Shirts
• Men’s Bombas V-Neck T-Shirts
• Men’s Bombas Pocket Crew T-Shirts
Underwear
Bombas Underwear – Starting at $18 and made of a blend of cotton and modal, which makes their underwear soft, smooth feel with moisture-wicking abilities. All of their underwear is currently produced in China though. However, they do donate a pair of undies for every pair bought, just like the socks.
• Women’s Bombas Hipster
• Women’s Bombas Bikini
• Women’s Bombas Thong
• Men’s Bombas Boxer Briefs
• Men’s Bombas Trunks
• Men’s Bombas Briefs
Slippers
Bombas Slippers – Starting at $42 and made of a blend of 3 layers of materials: outer, inner lining, and grip, which keeps you toasty and cozy. But their claim to fame is their silicon grip layer to provide increased traction on hard surfaces so you don't need traditional footware inside the house.
- Men's Gripper Slipper
- Women's Gripper Slipper
Bombas Socks Review Summary
If you’re like a lot of consumers and have been in the market for socks that won’t fall apart in a few months, then Bombas may be just what you’ve been looking for. Besides offering their Happiness Guarantee, Bombas socks are made of quality materials meant to last. Plus, they are pretty darn comfortable and won’t take on any of those normal stinky sock smells.
With the addition of a lot of fun colors and styles, they can be really difficult to beat. What really sets them apart, in my mind, is their huge drive to donate a pair for every pair purchased to help resolve the homeless situation to the best of their ability. I love this philanthropic message and wish more companies would put their money where their mouth is. Or in this case, their feet.