SealSkinz makes a number of kinds of waterproof socks. This is a review of the WaterBlocker sock. The socks are described as follows.
Quote: An in-cuff seal* blocks water from entering over the top of the sock, even when wading through deep water.
SealSkinz® socks have a patented fabric structure of three highly engineered layers including a membrane capable of allowing perspiration to escape while not allowing water to penetrate.
I used these socks on an 8-day trip through the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Under them I wore a thin liner sock. I thought the liner sock would increase comfort but as it turned out it probably was not necessary. The inner layer of the three layers built into the Waterblocker is itself a liner sock. So I was essentially wearing two liner socks. Over the socks I wore my self-draining wading boots
For the first 7 days, I was thrilled with the socks performance. I "wet footed" throughout the trip, I even went swimming in my boots and socks. However my feet stayed drive, no matter how I immersed my legs in the water. When I removed the boots and Waterblockers, the liner sock and my feet were just minimally damp from perspiration. The system worked great giving me the convenience of wet-footing but the dryness of dry-footing. The only negative was after three days, my liner socks were rather aromatic. A quick wash dealt with that issue. I did not wash the WaterBockers themselves, except for a quick rinsing in the lake.
On the last day, however, there was a problem. The Waterblocker sock comes to mid calf. The built-in liner sock only comes to the top of the ankle. So the upper portion of the sock only has two layers. The water proof "inner" layer is exposed for a few inches above the built-in liner sock. By the 8'th day, that waterproof layer had become as brittle as tissue paper. So when I put the socks on, the layer ripped and the socks were no longer waterproof.
I wrote the company when I returned home. They replied "It is a common defect and is covered under our warranty." They are sending a replacement pair of socks.