base yarns

a lot of talk has be done on ravelry regarding base yarns that indie dyers use. I am sort of at an impasse here. I personally like my current yarn I dye. It isn't anything fancy, just bare from KP. Very soft, takes dye beautifully. Others dislike it because it's plied twist is a little loose, and since it is soft, it tends to wear a bit faster than other more tightly spun yarns.

I understand the desire for handknit socks to last and last. A few weeks ago, a knitter at the knit group I attend, brought her darning basket. She had at least 3 pairs of socks from a well-known dyer, and the wear was a tad surprising. Even she was a bit ticked, concerning one pair was recently cast off and hadn't seen an unusual amount of wear. So, i am writing to ask what makes a good base?

I love the KP bare, but might have the opportunity to pick up some Louet Gems and use it as my base. It has a tighter ply, and should knit up into a smooth sock. I just need to know! As i haven't personally knit up a lot with either yarn, i figured I would ask my readers (are there any out there??) and sort of garner a more general opinion. Thanks!!

ETA- I just had a thought too, what about Treadsoft (scroll down the page) as a base?

quickie yarn Specs (from the ravelry entries):

Bare (I like that this has nylon)

Yardage-462 yards (422 meters)

Unit weight-100 grams (3.53 ounces)

Gauge-7.0 - 8.0 = 1 inch

Nylon, Wool, Merino

Machine washable

Gems (fingering) (also, this could be made into 100 gram skeins if I buy it by the cone)
Yardage-185 yards (169 meters)
Unit weight-50 grams (1.76 ounces)
Gauge-6.0 - 7.0 = 1 inch
Merino, machine washable

Treadsoft
Yardage-490 yards (448 meters)
Unit weight-113 grams (3.99 ounces)
Gauge- 24.0 - 30.0 = 4 inches
Needle size- US 2 - 4 or 2.75 - 3.5mm
merino, machine washable