Difference between Recovery Tights and Compression Tights?

Compression tights are meant to be used in training and racing and are more likely to be made out of a technical fabric.

Recovery tights are for lounging around afterward, and may not be made of dry-tech material. (However, both of them in function do the same thing--compress).

So far the evidence has shown that in terms of effect (whether you wear them racing or just afterward) there's not much difference.

That doesn't mean there isn't; it means it hasn't been consistently and widely evidenced that there is. A lot of people feel that there is (as I'm sure you know), so I guess that's what matters to them and if they have the money and that's what they want, why not?

Compression is the means to recovery. In a sense, they are talking about the same thing.

Not all compression is alike. Different companies use different psi for their compression apparel.

Other than that variable (psi), there is the question of wicking. Most sports compression apparel will have wicking properties, but it is on you to educate yourself about the product. IOW, don't assume. Do your research.

Oddly enough, not necessarily.

I have a pair of racing compression socks and another of recovery compression socks from 2XU, they cost the same, and I can't tell the damn difference between them.

Compression garments for active sport are designed to have better range of movement. They feature more fabric panels, different arrangement of compression panels and generally reduced levels of compression relative to recovery garments.

Recovery garments have a higher degree of compression, especially in the outer extremities. They are not designed with active range of motion as their primary cirteria.

Does compression work? Compression recovery sock on right foot, none of left foot:

Sleeping in recovery tights:

The next morning on the right, before on the left:

I'm sorry, Tom, but I can't make heads or tails of the pictures (what's the coin for?) and what they are demonstrating, and how that relates to whether or not compression gear works.

To my knowledge, its positive effects on recovery are well-demonstrated (that's nothing new, it's the C in RICE for inflammation/injury, which is essentially what we do to our bodies over a long hard race). What's not clear is its effects on the body during racing and whether those effects ultimately allow people to go faster or even recover better afterward, as opposed to just wearing recovery gear afterward.

Ditto.  Even if I could tell what the difference is in those pics, it wouldn't answer the question, "Does it matter for recovery/performance?"

Even for recovery, the jury is still out if compression gear really makes a positive physical difference.  But many people like the feeling they get from wearing them and that, by itself, can be a positive influence.

Here's the article:

http://university.tri-sports.com/2011/08/16/2xu-compression-does-it-work/

You could have just said you tried them and it felt liked they helped you.  As you noted, it's not 'evidence' beyond that.  Just an anecdote that may (or may not) be helpful to others.

Is it?

Why then do medical doctors prescribe them for patients, e.g. diabetics with blood flow problems?

Here's CEP's explanation:

Inner arterial walls relax (dilate) when a consistent, optimal amount of compression is exerted on the artery. A medical study conducted by the University of Dresden showed that compression (15-18 mmHg is the optimal amount of targeted, consistent compression) can increase arterial blood flow up to 40% during activity and 30% during recovery.

and their claim about how this increased blood flow benefits you:

As a result, athletes who use CEP's products benefit from more oxygen and nutrients, gaining power, recovering more quickly and improving performance.

I've used compression gear only for recovery. It worked for me. I don't have an opinion about performance improvements, but I understand why they make the claim.

If increased blood flow doesn't benefit us, then I'm wondering why we bother to RICE when injured. Why not just Rest?

Do athletes generally have problems with blood flow?  Regardless, does increasing the blood flow really help with recovery?

Is rehabing an injury the same as improving recovery?

Honestly, I don't know the specific answers to these.  But I've seen studies both ways.  It's not clear to me (from what I have read) that there has to be the relationship that the makers of these garments cite. But I know lots of people who, like you, feel it's 'worked' for them.  And when it comes to recovery, even a placebo effect can be 'real'.  So I'm not about to tell them it couldn't be working.  It could.

There was also the (sort-of) recent article in Outside (I believe) about various recovery methods and how they affected training adaptations. These may help someone recover faster for the next workout, but did they lessen training adaptation (ie. improved fitness) to do so? If they do, then one would just be doing more work to do the same thing as working out a bit less and not using them.

Also, it's entirely possible that they could be good for some times and not others instead of how they seem to be pushed for all-time use. I don't mean 24/7, but after every workout.

And definitely agree with the placebo effect. When people feel better, they generally do better. Feeling better does have very real physiological benefits.