The word on slowtwitch is that 2xu uses the exact same manufacturer as the cvs pharmacy compression socks. At any rate, the compression rating for 2xu is identical to the pharmacy socks (intended to combat deep vein thrombosis iirc). I got two generic pairs and wear them for recovery. I can't feel much difference, but there is so much noise and other variables that come into play, that I would not expect you to be able top detect a difference. The research seems to indicate that there may be a benefit to wearing them for recovery, but not so much for compression during performance. Lots of the brit tt monsters wear them in competition, though.