Dr Martens

[Fifty150]

 

[Fifty150]

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They were stiff out of the box. I laced them on, and went to lunch. I noticed the stiffness of the leather, even as I was operating the pedals of the truck. But after the first few miles of driving, I didn't notice it anymore. Maybe my mind just drifted off to more important things, like paying attention to the road. A few hours later, when I took them off, it occurred to me that the boots felt fine. As if there were no break in process at all. The leather had already begun to mold around my feet. As I put them on again today, I noticed zero difficulty. No stiffness. Every step felt good. This was nothing at all like what I went through with breaking in other boots.

 

[Arnold Layne]

Not a great deal of love for the good doctor in the Lounge it would seem.
Nevertheless I thought I'd post my current rotation of 'Cherry Red' 1460's. The top pair are 'Made in England' the rest S E Asia.
Cherry Red was Dr Martens first colour released on the 1st of April 1960 hence the style being known as 1460.

 

[Fifty150]

Most of us acknowledge what Dr. Martens are, and are not. Where they get me is with the sale prices. You get a good value shoe for $67.99 USD. To me, at that price, it's an exceptional value.

 

[Arnold Layne]

A limited edition in conjunction with the Tate gallery a pair of 1460's made from a couple of paintings by JMW Turner.
You can tell they are made from original paintings as the glaze is cracked

 

[Fifty150]

The leather description was nubuck and suede. I knew that oil would change the color. I didn't care about the color. What I do care about is that oil will moisturize, condition, and prevent water damage. I oiled them right out of the box. No regrets. I know that a lot of people say not to oil suede, nubuck, and roughout. But I've oiled them without any issues. Sure, the color changes. But the benefits of the oil, to me, outweighs the color change.


As for the tumbled nubuck itself, it is incredibly soft. Nothing like the hard, smooth leather, with the painted on laminate coating. There is zero stiffness and discomfort. No breaking in.

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[Jon Crow]

Yep, 1460 8 hole cherry reds and black marten Oxford shoes

 

[Fifty150]

Their first trip to the bar. The oil has already been absorbed into the leather. Buttery soft. Zero discomfort. No break-in. Well worth $67.

 

[Jon Crow]

Not a great deal of love for the good doctor in the Lounge it would seem.
Nevertheless I thought I'd post my current rotation of 'Cherry Red' 1460's. The top pair are 'Made in England' the rest S E Asia.
Cherry Red was Dr Martens first colour released on the 1st of April 1960 hence the style being known as 1460. View attachment 665940

I have cherry reds also

 

[Jon Crow]

Not a great deal of love for the good doctor in the Lounge it would seem.
Nevertheless I thought I'd post my current rotation of 'Cherry Red' 1460's. The top pair are 'Made in England' the rest S E Asia.
Cherry Red was Dr Martens first colour released on the 1st of April 1960 hence the style being known as 1460. View attachment 665940

Your correct also about se Asia, my dm Oxford shoes are made in England but my boots in Vietnam

 

[Edward]

Their first trip to the bar. The oil has already been absorbed into the leather. Buttery soft. Zero discomfort. No break-in. Well worth $67.

View attachment 669939​

These look great. I would think the softer leather will last much longer too. My first pair of DMs eventually split along the top where they crease. I tend to find softer and, for whatever reason, grained leathers like this tend to be more durable. (Though to be fair to those first DMs of mine - the standard, eight eylet boots in black - I wore nothing else, and wore them HARD, for eighteen months before that happened.) My second pair were a waxed brown leather, and I had longer out of those. I'd probably have had them a few more years than I did had there been the same options to have them resoled then as now. I've not had any docs since the late 90s now, but that's really been more down to a shift in my own aesthetics rather than anything else. I did try to buy a pair of those ones they sold for a bit where they promised to repair or replace them forever (for a nominal £25 admin charge each time) for the wife a few Christmases ago, but they'd canned the offer - seems too many peopled took them up on it and it didn't work out as economical for them as they'd thought. I did in the end buy her a couple of pairs of Mary Janes from them, which she loved and wore hard for about eight years before they died.

 

[Fifty150]

There is a small collective of people who are boot and/or shoe hobbyists. They are into things like build quality, construction techniques, parts used, leather quality, etc. The rest of the world just wears shoes. Same way car enthusiasts know about power trains, suspensions, braking, cornering, etc...... and most people just ride in cars.

To anyone who is not a boot aficionado, Dr. Martens are worn because they are fashionable. Nobody is buying Dr. Martens for actual trade jobs or labor. Dr. Martens customers are not looking for the finest leather, or the ability to recraft the shoe. Dr. Martens has never been the best boot that you can buy. The price reflects it.

Dr. Martens boots offer the AirSole. That's what I am buying them for. It is uniquely comfortable. NPS Solovair sells the exact same boots. I haven't bought any yet because Dr. Martens always seem to have a lower price.

 

[Fifty150]

I have seen on the interwebs that people report problems with their feet hurting and that the leather is too stiff.

I've never had that problem with Dr. Martens. Even the smooth leather, which is hard because of the painted on laminate top coat. I just wear them. They break in around my foot, and the way my foot flexes. My feet have never hurt from wearing Dr. Martens.


I have a cousin who also has several pairs. I asked her about that, thinking that a girl's point of view might be different. She thinks it's because people are buying the wrong size. It sounds about right. Dr. Martens only comes in whole sizes. No half sizes.



I recently bought a pair with smooth leather. They felt stiff for about the first hour, or first few hours. Then they were fine. I wore them today. No pain.

 

[Fifty150]

Not a great deal of love for the good doctor in the Lounge it would seem.

The people who buy Dr. Martens, are buying them as a fashion item. The distinct image, and Dr. Martens marketing, appeals to certain tastes. After a certain age, people grow out of them. You go to a job, where Dr. Martens do not fit into the dress code. I remember trying to color the yellow stitches black, and paint the sides of the soles black, so that I can wear them. This was around the same time that I took a pair of brown jump boots, and dyed them black. Not to fear, more young people are born every day. And Dr. Martens has increased their product line to try to capture the next fashion trend. Too bad Dr. Martens didn't think to expand their product line into a better quality boot.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

Back when, I tried Docs, but I couldn't find a size. I seemed to fall in-between UK sizing or something. Maybe I didn't wait long enough to stretch the smaller size? I felt like my foot was swimming in them and sliding on the footbed. It was at a time when I was walking for transportation, and footwear wasn't something that I could just tolerate. They had to function. But I also had problems with the original Monkey Boots (most uncomfortable pair of shoes I've ever owned).

I have to say that I also didn't care for how the air soles felt. I thought they would bring a spring to my step or be kinder to walking on all that concrete. Bouncy is right. It just felt weird and never stopped feeling weird.

I do appreciate how distinctive the brand is. When you see someone wearing them, there's no question what it is.

 

[Fifty150]

We all have different feet. Different feet require different shoes. Some people, like me, could tolerate a wide range of fitment. Some people have very specific needs. No shoe is for everyone. I can imagine how it would be impossible for some people to wear Pacific Northwest packers, fire fighting boots, and logging boots. The basic service boot may not fit some people. In my fantasy world, I would do everything in Crocs. In my real world, I don't like regular height derby and oxford shoes because some of them, not all of them, come right up to the bottom of my ankle. It doesn't hurt. It just doesn't feel good. Loafers are fine, but don't work for me in my real world conditions. They can slip off at the worst time.........like when I am running from authority figures. Loafers and Crocs don't work well on a motorcycle. Which is why I like boots. They cover and support my ankles. It took me a lifetime of real world experiences, to discover what works for my feet. Many mistakes along the way. I now know not to wear flip flops on a hunting trip, or step into The Ocean in Iron Rangers.

 

[Capt. Panerai's Valet]

I bought Solovair as reviews said the quality was better. They used to make DMs for R Griggs who had the UK licence but lacked the capacity to make the things.
Solovair make the same boots, on the same lasts, in the same building, using some of the same people.
Prices (in the UK) are comparable but the quality is better. You can't get yellow stitching as this is a DM trademark. you can get the boots resoled. The customer service is great & delivery was super quick.

 

[Fifty150]

NPS Solovair is essentially selling the same boot. The same boot which they used to make for Dr. Martens. The same factory, the same lasts, the same leather from the same supplier, the same soles.

In The USA, the price structure is that the Made in England Dr. Martens are the most expensive, the Solovair cost less, and the Made Somewhere In Asia Dr. Martens are the most affordable. On The USA website, you can buy Dr. Martens on sale, and they have coupons. That brings the prices down.

According to Dr. Martens, shoes produced in their Asian factories maintain the same quality standards. Other people will tell you that is not true. A lot of people will tell you that Asian Dr. Martens are lower quality. I have no scientific way to judge this. I can tell you that I have Dr. Martens from when they were only Made In England, current Made In England, and Asian factories. I can't see the difference in production quality. The current lineup of Made In England features CF Stead suede and Dr. Martens proprietary "Quilon" leather. The current lineup of Asian factory shoes features Dr. Martens proprietary "smooth" leather, which is the laminated shiny shoe, and other self branded leather types. Maybe the England shoe leather is superior. I can't tell. I lack the expertise. My wallet can tell from a $70 boot to a $260 boot.

 

[Capt. Panerai's Valet]

With regard to the debate over quality between Made in England DMs, Asian made DMs & Solovair, refer to the YouTube channel "Rose Anvil". They have made numerous videos comparing the boots, their test regime involves slicing the boots in half to examine the materials, stitching & build methods / quality.

 

[Fifty150]

the YouTube channel "Rose Anvil".

Weston Kay is not spending $$$$$ on boots, so that he can cut them in half for your entertainment. He operates the YouTube channel for profit. Obviously, the more people who view the videos, the more he gets paid for the advertising revenue. In each video, there is an advertising segment. He also includes affiliate links to earn commissions for products. He "collaborates" with different shoemakers. And in some cases, he is paid to make a video to endorse products. It's in his interest to promote those products as better than products which do not endorse him.

I like to watch. It's entertaining. But his videos are not "unbiased reviews".



Weston Kay has given bad reviews to Alden Indy Boots, Allen Edmonds, Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots, Wesco....... While he promoted Golden Fox, Rock Rooster, Huck Berry (moc toe boots which look like Indy Boots), Thursday..........



That's not to say that his reviews are without merit. There is some truth in there. On the one hand, a boot could be bad because of things like foam, poron, synthetic lasting boards....... In the next video, foam, poron, synthetic lasting boards offer comfort and value. In one video, Dr. Martens leather is corrected grain and cheap. In the next video, the corrected grain leather offers a protective barrier to strengthen and protect the leather.