This is my second attempt at Merrell socks, and I like these better than the first ones I reviewed. They're just a few bug fixes away from being perfect. First off, the shape is great. I adore ankle-height socks, and these are perfect for my taste. This style in particular seems to be difficult to find lately, so I appreciate that Merrell offers their socks in all of the popular lengths. Unlike the other pair I reviewed, M-L was a good fit for my 11.5-12 size foot, although it's definitely a form fitting sock without a lot of extra room, bordering on a compression sock. These socks are also free of any weird elastic support bands in the middle, making them pretty comfortable to wear without being overly restrictive. The sock does have several different weaves throughout - there's an odd stripe on the top at the base of your toes, and there is a slightly different density of weave through the arch - but it's subtle and doesn't bother me, unlike the other Merrell socks I reviewed. The top isn't "ventilated", so these give you a more or less uniform feeling across your foot. The listing claims these are ventilated and cushioned, but I don't think they really are either; that's actually my preference, though, so no complaints there. One main detractor, like the other socks I reviewed, is that there is a highly visible Merrell logo on the top on the ankle area. I really prefer my socks to be subtle so I can focus on the rest of my outfit, but the logo is a distracting bright orange and makes them feel very 'athletic'. It also stretches out of proportion becoming twice as wide as it is tall where the sock grips your ankle, making your legs look bigger than they really are. I wish they'd put the logo on the foot part of the sock so it wasn't visible outside your shoes. The biggest flaw with these, which wasn't an issue in the other socks I reviewed, is that there is a weird orange stripe sewn in at the toes. It doesn't align fully with your toes, so it rubs against the top of them as you walk, and the joint is poorly sewn, creating rigid darting at the edges that doesn't conform to the rest of the sock. I suppose this was intentional so the sock doesn't have any seams in the bottom or front, but the construction isn't quite good enough for it to feel truly seamless; the weird bunched fabric keeps rubbing against my foot as I walk and reminding me the sock is there. Merrell makes nice stuff, and these are so close to being great. They really need to fix that toe seam and ditch the logo, and then they'd have a winner on their hands.
