Men's Run No Show Tab Ultra Lightweight vs 4-Pack Everyday Athletic Crew Socks: which is safer?
Darn Tough Men's Run No Show Tab Ultra Lightweight is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Darn Tough
Men's Run No Show Tab Ultra Lightweight
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFormaldehyde resins in finish/sizing
PossibleMicrofiber shedding (synthetic components)
Smartwool
4-Pack Everyday Athletic Crew Socks
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleAzo dyes (aniline-derived synthetic colorants)
PossibleElastane (spandex) degradation and skin contact
PossibleDurable-water-repellent (water-repellent coating) coating composition
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Formaldehyde resins in finish/sizing and Microfiber shedding (synthetic components) on the Darn Tough and not on the Smartwool.
- We flag Azo dyes (aniline-derived synthetic colorants), Elastane (spandex) degradation and skin contact and Durable-water-repellent (DWR) coating composition on the Smartwool and not on the Darn Tough.
- The Darn Tough is Merino wool blend where the Smartwool is merino wool blend (primary fiber), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More performance socks: see the full ranking