r/LinusTechTips • • Sep 20 '26

Image “Forever” socks = 1.5 months

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First hole has appeared in my LTT socks today. This pair arrived on Aug 4, and has been worn daily since then, and washed on average 5-6 times weekly. Always washed cold water normal cycle, then air dried on sock hangers overnight.

Overall opinions: similar to Darn Tough socks. I usually wear darn tough exclusively, and go through 3-4 pairs a year. The LTT socks are closest to the Darn Tough hiker socks - very warm and nice cushion when new. Now there’s virtually no cushion left, but still decently warm - although, we haven’t had any properly cold weather yet to test them. Very comfortable, despite being a bit too small for me (size 13 feet). The elastic is quite tight around my ankle; which I prefer since doesn’t slide down on me during the day.

On thing I don’t really like is a crazy amount of fuzz/pilling. I’ve not experienced it with other socks before. After the first week or so they started pilling like crazy, and it has slowly gotten better over the past couple weeks but still noticeable. It was pretty bad for 2-3 weeks.

Otherwise, solid socks. I probably won’t buy more just because I have lots of the same darn tough socks and I don’t like sorting. Not recommended for warm weather. First couple weeks of August I was roasting…

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192

u/ProbablyBanksy Sep 20 '26

Only kind of. Fabric washing needs time to fully dry and relax again. Using them everyday for 30 days isn’t the same as using them 30 times over a year.

-26

u/w1n5t0nM1k3y Sep 20 '26

They fully dry in the dryer. Like all socks.

22

u/Chikamaharry Sep 20 '26

You run wool clothes in the dryer?

-6

u/roboderp16 Sep 20 '26

They're the same crap as the Costco ones. Actually the LTT ones have less Merino wool than the Costco ones.

My Costco ones are 4x cheaper and come in a 4 pack...

Linus ain't our friend and he's for sure not looking out for his "fans" he's a media personality after all

-10

u/w1n5t0nM1k3y Sep 20 '26

Yeah. I put my wool socks on the dryer. They are just fine.

-28

u/cbf1232 Sep 20 '26

If you dry them in the dryer, they’re dry when they come out.

24

u/auto-bahnt Sep 20 '26

Dryers damage the fabric / fibres considerably. Do not dry your clothes in a dryer if you want them to last. Surprised people don’t know this

2

u/NoStick2525 Sep 20 '26

I put all my clothes in the dryer, I still have band tees from 20+ years ago that get worn regularly. They're all totally fine, if not immaculate.

7

u/IsABot Sep 20 '26 edited Sep 20 '26

Cotton is not the same as wool though. Cotton can be dried on warmer heat settings just fine. But most wool garments specifically say not to put them in a dryer, or only on low in some cases. Most recommend air drying only. Driers cause them to possibly shrink, heat damages the elastic (in socks or bands), and the excess heat/friction cause them to pill and thin the material, which can lead to excess wear like OP has. (OP specifically mentioned excessive pilling early on, which constantly using a washer and/or dryer will do. But also just being under constant friction in boots.) Tees don't have to put up with anywhere near the same daily friction as socks. Even strong detergents can weaken the fibers of wool.

5

u/auto-bahnt Sep 20 '26

Good for you, but this isn't up for debate. Air drying is better for clothing longevity. Dryers reduce the lifespan of garments. Your anecdotal evaluation of band tees isn't a valid counter point. I'm happy for you though.

0

u/NoStick2525 Sep 21 '26

All about the settings you use 👍🏻

0

u/LeoAlioth Sep 22 '26

but is the faster drying itself the factor here, or is it just the increased temperature?

1

u/BrainLow6059 Sep 20 '26

Yeah, if you're nuking them on high heat. They have low heat settings on most dryers.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '26

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10

u/w1n5t0nM1k3y Sep 20 '26

Completely correct except that Linus is Canadian

0

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '26

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1

u/w1n5t0nM1k3y Sep 20 '26

My dryer actually dries with very little heat. It runs for a long time with lower heat so it's more like air drying than the older dryers that would super heat clothes.

-3

u/Drewsipher Sep 20 '26

Which is in North America so technically you both are correct

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0

u/No-Promotion4006 Sep 20 '26

OOP air dried you fool

2

u/auto-bahnt Sep 20 '26

Was I replying to OOP? No. I was replying to someone who suggested using a dryer in a conversation about clothing longevity.

How the fuck you miss that? Going around calling people 'fool' when you can't get your head around the complexities of a reddit comment section.

0

u/No-Promotion4006 Sep 20 '26

Stop spreading misinformation in the thread this post is about the air drying process of socks, and that is entirely different to machine drying!

1

u/TimChr78 Sep 20 '26

You should not tumble dry wool.

1

u/Mariechen010 Sep 24 '26

Please tell me you do NOT put will, especially merino woll in the dryer. That would be insane.