A Comparison of Sheer Compression Stockings

In this update we compare Therafirm Sheer Ease, Allegro Premium Italian Sheers, Allegro Essential Sheers, Juzo Attractive Sheers, Mediven Sheer & Soft, Sigvaris EverSheer and Jobst UltraSheer; the main lines of sheer compression hosiery we sell.  We compare sheerness, knit, construction, color and top band.  To do this, we took a size medium thigh high in a 15-20mmHg compression from each brand in the most skin neutral shade, and put it on a clear leg form in front of a window.  Here’s what we found…..

Knit and construction were almost identical across the seven brands.  There was no major difference in the construction or size of the foot portion, with the exception of the Allegro Essential Sheers.  This brand has a roomier balloon toe with a seam that runs under the foot between the toes and ball of the foot.  All of the others have a seam running across the end of the toes.  All have a reciprocated heel.  Under a magnifying glass there are differences in the knit, but to the naked eye they look the same, with the exception of the Therafirm which has a less open weave.

We did find a definite difference in the visual sheerness of the stockings.  Sigvaris EverSheer and Allegro Essential Sheers were the clear winners, followed closely by Mediven Sheer & Soft and Allegro Premium Italian Sheers.  Next came Jobst UltraSheer and Juzo Attractive Sheers.  Sheer Ease was the least sheer of the group.  For many women, having the sheerest stocking isn’t necessarily an advantage.  The slightly opaque sheers hide skin discolorations, spider veins, and other blemishes while giving the appearance of a sheer stocking.

There wasn’t a huge difference in color.  Again, we chose the nude or natural shade from each brand and placed them in order from lightest to darkest in the photos.  Therafirm nude was the lightest, followed by Allegro Premium nude, Allegro Essential nude, Jobst natural and Sigvaris natural.  Mediven natural was a little darker, and Juzo beige was the darkest.

Where these stockings varied the most, aside from sheerness, was in the design of the top band.  All seven have a lace exterior.  The difference was in the design of the silicone on the inside of the band.  Therafirm and both Allegro’s have two strips of silicone.  Jobst gives you the option of traditional strips of silicone, there are two, or silicone dots.  Juzo and Mediven use a low profile honeycomb design.  Sigvaris uses the Sensinnov band, which is a solid sheet of silicone.  They claim this band won’t slip or roll, is very skin friendly, and won’t cause thigh bulge.

By: Pete@BrightLife Direct
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