Value Light Support from M&S

by Geraden

I am quite a fan of Marks and Spencer's tights. Because I have unexplained cramps in one of my legs, I find that their support tights are specially helpful.

Which type of support I choose depends on how my legs feel at the time. Most often I will wear medium support, but I usually keep firm support and light support in my drawer in case I want to wear something that gives more support or alternatively something lighter and cooler. 

I visited my local M&S store recently on the look out for two things: some medium support knee-highs and some light support tights. Horror - there were none of either to be found! 

The knee highs I eventually found, but not until I went to pay for my purchases. They were not with the hosiery but in front of the pay desk.

The problem with the light support was different. I discovered that the Leg Care Light support tights (2 pairs for £5.00) were no longer on the racks. The Leg Care Medium Support and Firm Support were there, but no Light Support. 

Looking around all the racks in the hosiery section to make sure I had missed nothing, I cast my eyes over the Value section - with the bright green flashes. I have tended to dismiss budget tights as being inferior in quality, so I nearly missed these. The Light Support tights are now in the Value range. In keeping with this, they have been reduced in price from £5 to £3 for two pairs.

The previous light support tights were very good, so the big question is whether quality has been compromised with the reduction in price.

The answer seems to be not really. I got out a pair of the Leg Care ones for comparison. The two pairs look pretty much the same, both out of the packet and on the legs. The new ones felt very slightly less silky, but that could well be because the ones that I was comparing them with had been both worn and washed, and the new ones were unwashed. 

Both have reinforced toes, a boxer brief and raised seams. Both are rated support factor 6 and denier appearance 10.

The only changes I could see were in the shape of the gusset (the value ones have an eye shaped gusset, whereas in the leg care ones the gusset is oval), and the saving of a few pence of manufacturing costs by the not providing a garment label in the value ones.  The value tights have 18% lycra, as opposed to 20% in the older product, but the difference is not enough to notice. 

I naturally bought the XL size, which fits me perfectly, despite the fact that I am off the size chart by 7 inches in height.

Overall I would say that the 40% reduction in price is welcome and there is no perceptible reduction in quality.  Do not be put off by the green flash on the packet: these are really what they say, 'outstanding value'.

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tags: value  light support  ms  

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