Space-age socks by Storelli.
The market is saturated with grip socks since the introduction of Trusox a few years back. We’ve reviewed our share of socks, all of them differing in traction and quality of the grip elements.
However, when being introduced to the Storelli SpeedGrip Socks 2.0, I was amazed at how different it looked compared to most socks. It seemed like something out of a sci-fi movie with its NASA inspired design. A year on having worn these socks for my weekly games, I’m ready to climb back down to Earth to share my findings on this unique looking sock.
What’s in a Storelli SpeedGrip Sock?
Storelli’s been around for 10 years and it was founded by an Italian soccer player, and a PhD in biophysics and an action sports industrial designer – the latter 2 explain the space age design. Their focus has mainly been on player safety with padded tights, cushioned headbands and sliding shorts designed to protect footballers from impact and abrasion respectively.
The Storelli SpeedGrip Socks 2.0, however, were developed for a wholly different purpose – grip. Like most grip socks, they aim to reduce foot slippage within the boot.
While the socks carry a certain futuristic flair, it strangely comes with seams that run across the top of the foot, the sides and entire perimeter of the base of your feet. It’s a pretty odd construction considering that socks are usually a one-piece build. The grip elements come from grey pads called SpeedGrip that cover the balls of your feet and your heel. SpeedGrip is a suede-like material that covers not just the outside of the sock but also the inside to reduce slippage within the sock.
It takes a little getting used to
If you thought the Storelli SpeedGrip Socks 2.0 looked different, they feel even more foreign on feet on your first few tries. When putting them on, you’ll first notice how plasticky the base feels like. And almost immediately after, I couldn’t help but notice the seams running across my entire foot, especially around the perimeter of the feet and across the tips of my toes.
I’ve never worn socks like that my entire life and it was an extremely odd sensation. One consolation though was the material of the sock. It is one of the most compressive and taut materials you’ll ever put on your feet. It’s relatively thin and does a great job of wicking sweat from your skin. All in all, it felt like some space-age sock that was developed in the future.
The socks felt uncomfortable in my first couple of games. With every movement, from passing to changing direction, all I could feel was the seams rubbing against the tip of my toes. The slight plasticky sensation of the base also bothered me. Instead of focusing on the grip, these sensations were the only things that I could notice during my play tests.
But after a few games, my feelings towards the Storelli SpeedGrip Sock 2.0 changed. Perhaps it got broken into after a few games (and got softened up during laundry), or I could have gotten used to the sensation or perhaps, a little bit of both. The seams didn’t bother me anymore, the base felt less plasticky and I started enjoying wearing the socks. The compressive material has stayed taut after over a year and I still do enjoy how it wraps my feet snugly and comfortably. I don’t notice all those sensations any more. Now, they’re just a part of my feet.
Above all, the SpeedGrip pads works like advertised. They’re not too sticky but provide just enough traction to keep your foot in place without discomfort. Kudos to the Storelli team for having these pads appear on the inside of the sock as that makes a huge amount of difference in terms of its overall traction and performance.
In a surprising turnaround, the Storelli SpeedGrip Socks 2.0 went from being an odd fit to my go-to socks for the last year.
The Storelli SpeedGrip Socks 2.0 are a must try
Grip socks are a dime a dozen in the market. Having tried my share of such socks, I do get wary of socks with too many rubber strips as too much grip can cause blistering as well. A good grip sock has to feel natural while providing enough grip to keep your foot’s movements limited.
However, one very underrated and overlooked quality I look for in modern socks is the material that forms the sock. It needs to be compressive and durable. Thin but comfortable as well.
For me, the Storelli SpeedGrip Socks 2.0 ticks all the boxes in the grip and material category. Save for the NikeGrip socks, I’ve never felt any other material that has blown my mind in terms of its texture and compressive feel. It is a pair of socks I’ll recommend to not just footballers, but any athletes whose sports involves running.
Now if they could only fix those seams in version 3.0, I think we might just have the perfect modern grip sock.
I have had a pair of the version 1. After around 3 months of using, the socks became very crusty and uncomfortable to use and would often create pressure points where the socks bunch up. Really uncomfortable experience and an expensive one at that. But from your review it seems like these have been addressed in version 2. Is that true?
It would be interesting to see if you could do a review of the Falke 4 Grip socks compared to these as Jay Mike over at UniSport puts the Falke above these Storelli socks. Very different socks in my opinion in terms of implementing the grip elements but it would be good to know in your opinion which comes out best in execution.