I have the Bosch Icons....they're basically the same design as the Valeos. I know quite a few people on the board have the Icons too. I like them a lot.
Sock wippers? Man, that conjures up some weird images!!
I haven't tried them but they can be had for less money than the stock wipers right now so I'll be giving them a go. Check out Tirerack.com -- it has a "Buy one get one free" on them until the end of the month, which means you can get a set of two for $20 plus shipping.
$6? total? That's cheap! I usually head down to Kragen and pick up plain old Bosch or Trico wipers for $12 each. So spending $26 on Valeo blades is worthwhile in my case (assuming they're as good or better).