SOLOVAIR- better than doc martens?

[MotoMetalPunkNY]

Who has Solovair boots? Hows the quality compared to Dr. Martens?

 

[Rev-O]

Who has Solovair boots? Hows the quality compared to Dr. Martens?

The've got to be better than the Thai-made DMs. Anything would be.

 

[Harris HTM]

Who has Solovair boots? Hows the quality compared to Dr. Martens?

Much better than the current made in asia dr. Martens. Similar to the miE Martens I had in the 90s.

 

[ParkerFM]

Who has Solovair boots? Hows the quality compared to Dr. Martens?

I have a couple of pairs - shiny black dealer (Chelsea) boots and 6 hole Astronaut boots.
The leather is better - thicker and tighter grain, and they have a shank, unlike modern Docs.
I have owned over 20 pairs of Doc Martens, the majority Made in England - the Solovairs are far superior to the Eastern made Docs, both in material and build quality, their leather is superior to many of the MIE Docs I have owned.

 

[MotoMetalPunkNY]

I’d like a pair of both MIE docs and Solovair.

 

[galopede]

Solovair were the original makers of Doc Martens. They are like the ones you used to get. They are far better quality than the current crop of DMs.

 

[Edward]

AS memory serves, the Solovair factory was one of two factories in England which made DMs back in the days when the brand was all made MiE. Market realities in the 90s saw them shift to exclusively overseas manufacturing in 2003; the alternative was bankruptcy. Overseas manufacture gets the blame for the drop in quality, but the reality is there were a lot more than Labour costs cut to avoid raising the priced over the years. The standard cost for a pair of 1460s for a very long time was £45; the quality was very compromised in that time - and in truth this process was very much begun during the MiE days in my experience. To be fair, about ten years ago I bought the wife a couple of pairs of Mary Jane style shoes from DMs, and those lasted her seven or eight years of hard wear, before the soles (and the velcro-fastener) gave out. That's almost daily wear between them; unlike me, Mrs Marlowe isn't interested in owning more than a couple of pairs of shoes at a time and would probably go entirely barefoot in warmer weather if that were safe / hygienic.

When the NPS factory lost the DMs contract in 2003, they rebranded as Solovair (as distinct from the 'Airwear by DMs' brand), and carried on manufacturing. Some purists insist they are the "real" DMs, not DMs now. I can't find any information about where DMs have their MiE shoes made now, other than reference in marketing material to "our original factory in Cobb's lane Wollaston", which doesn't appear to be the same Wollaston address as Solovair give on their website. (I'd be surprised if they had gone back there, tbh). No DMs are cheap now, so you have to watch that what you get are the MiE ones if that's what you're after. They are markedly more expensive than the regular line, and about the same price as the Solovairs.

Whether you go MiE DMs or Solovair is to a great extent a matter of personal brand preference; which is "better" seems to be a matter of preference and often brand-perception loyalty from what I see online. I've not bought a pair of either since the 90s, as they're all a bit too modern in style (post-1959) for my preferences. A big reason for me moving away from them back in the day, though, was that you couldn't get them resoled. Some places claim to do that now - if that's possible at a reasonable price, that could help to justify their pricier offerings. Depends how they wear for you, I suppose - I know a sole on the likes of RedWing will do me for a decade or more, while a DM would probably need replaced at least twice by then.

The last DMs I considered buying were a pair of the "Buy for Life" range that they undertook to always repair or replace as needed, for a lifetime, for a nominal admin charge of £25 a time. I'm guessing they didn't do their sums and that ended up costing them money, as they closed the scheme to new customers a couple of years in. Those were for overseas boots, though, not the MiE range.

 

[LuddGang]

I've got some Solovair monkey boots that I only bought after finally accepting that the last used by Trickers for monkeys just doesn't work for me. I think they're pretty comfortable and excellent value at the knockdown price I paid (£85 each). I'd be happy enough paying RRP as I'm someone who rotates a lot so the soles should last a long time, I'd be less hesitant if I planned to wear them every other day.

I've also got a pair of the dealer boots. Those are ok, but I find they're less comfortable. But they do the job as something to throw on when nipping out to the shop or something. Can't speak for the quality of the classic Derby boots, but I've thought about getting a shearling lined pair for the handful of days each year where that would be a nice thing to have.

 

[Edward]

I've got some Solovair monkey boots that I only bought after finally accepting that the last used by Trickers for monkeys just doesn't work for me. I think they're pretty comfortable and excellent value at the knockdown price I paid (£85 each). I'd be happy enough paying RRP as I'm someone who rotates a lot so the soles should last a long time, I'd be less hesitant if I planned to wear them every other day.

I've also got a pair of the dealer boots. Those are ok, but I find they're less comfortable. But they do the job as something to throw on when nipping out to the shop or something. Can't speak for the quality of the classic Derby boots, but I've thought about getting a shearling lined pair for the handful of days each year where that would be a nice thing to have.

Yes, their monkey boots look nice. If they did them with a leather sole, I'd have bought a pair already, but of coursed with their sole being a big part of their brand identity, that's not going to happen. Never seen the Trickers in person, I heard they're a somewhat narrower last and it pays to go up half a size?

 

[LuddGang]

Yes, their monkey boots look nice. If they did them with a leather sole, I'd have bought a pair already, but of coursed with their sole being a big part of their brand identity, that's not going to happen. Never seen the Trickers in person, I heard they're a somewhat narrower last and it pays to go up half a size?

The Tricker's boots look even better but are a sizing nightmare - if I stay true to size they're horrendously uncomfortable even if I persist for longer than I should with the break-in. But if I go up half a size, they're far too big. I tried three pairs on three different soles and have now lost patience. They can actually build the boots on the 4497 too, but only seem to do this for occasional specials for groups/stores - considering all the issues the company has had in recent years, I've got no idea why they haven't just switched to that last and standardised it so they fit the same as the Stows etc.

 

[Grandville]

Always loved Doc´s from the 1980´s, unparalelled quality back then..don´t built em´like this anymore.

 

[Edward]

The Tricker's boots look even better but are a sizing nightmare - if I stay true to size they're horrendously uncomfortable even if I persist for longer than I should with the break-in. But if I go up half a size, they're far too big. I tried three pairs on three different soles and have now lost patience. They can actually build the boots on the 4497 too, but only seem to do this for occasional specials for groups/stores - considering all the issues the company has had in recent years, I've got no idea why they haven't just switched to that last and standardised it so they fit the same as the Stows etc.

I hear your frustration. A while back I picked up a beautiful pair of Sanders highland Braemar brogues, only to find that while I'm a comfortable UK8 in every other Sanders last I've ever tried, in those I need an 8.5 as (surprisingly for a military shoe) they're quite narrow in the toe box. Will definitely be buying a pair when I can, though - outstanding quality.

 

[postman10mm]

I wore Docs back when they were all made in the UK and gave Solovair a shot during Covid - its fair to say the are comparable in quality to the UK build Docs of the mid-90's. But my standards have changed so much since then, I found them to be a huge disappointment. Stiff, plastic coated, corrected leather, no arch support and, for me, too wide in relation to length.

If you are in the US, for around $100 more, Red Wing, Wolverine 1000 mile or Grant Stone on sale offer a significant jump in quality. Double that and get a pair from Nicks, Whites or any of the PNW boot makers and you'll never look at boots the same way.

 

[LuddGang]

I wore Docs back when they were all made in the UK and gave Solovair a shot during Covid - its fair to say the are comparable in quality to the UK build Docs of the mid-90's. But my standards have changed so much since then, I found them to be a huge disappointment. Stiff, plastic coated, corrected leather, no arch support and, for me, too wide in relation to length.

If you are in the US, for around $100 more, Red Wing, Wolverine 1000 mile or Grant Stone on sale offer a significant jump in quality. Double that and get a pair from Nicks, Whites or any of the PNW boot makers and you'll never look at boots the same way.

Objectively I think you’re right, but I don’t really think of Solovair in the same way as my more expensive boots. I’m wearing Trickers or William Lennon 90% of the time, but the aesthetics are totally different and I don’t mind the trade off in quality when I’m rotating 15-20 pairs at any one time. It’s not like any particular pair is getting a hammering. Though I do agree that the shiny leather is poor, the matte greasy options hold up much better.

 

[zebedee]

Yes, they’re better than DMs. I have a pair of Monkey Boots in dull brown which are fantastic value for money. Nothing beats a pair of William Lennon boots for price and longevity, though. Solovair are like high-tier DM boots, made to last. William Lennon boots are more like tanks on your feet

 

[Harris HTM]

Stiff, plastic coated, corrected leather

Though I do agree that the shiny leather is poor,

I totally agree, their hi-shine leather is heavily corrected and coated, their best offering is the gaucho crazy horse I believe.

but I don’t really think of Solovair in the same way as my more expensive boots.

And rightfully so. I would never compare them to Tricker's, Alden's, C&J- they also cost significantly less.

Nothing beats a pair of William Lennon boots for price and longevity, though.

Agree 100%. Although they have increased their prices significantly since I bought my first of three pairs (back in 2014/2015), they are still a steal.

 

[LuddGang]

I actually picked up a pair of the William Lennon fell boots on eBay recently, waiting on delivery but they looked unworn. I’m not sure of the style will look a bit silly in the flesh but am glad to finally give them a try.

 

[Leathergato]

I have a pair of steel toe William Lennon Canadian Combat boots. I agree that they are built like tanks and will probably outlive me but they are actually a little too heavy for me. I may either sell them or just use them strictly as work boots.

I tend to wear Solovair, Red Wing, and Truman the most for every day wear.

And I agree that Solovair are better quality than DMs. They are more like the OG DMs that I had in 1990 when Solovair made them. Although I haven’t tried the newer made in England DMs but those are limited to certain styles and colors.

 

[barnabus]

I have a pair of steel toe William Lennon Canadian Combat boots. I agree that they are built like tanks and will probably outlive me but they are actually a little too heavy for me. I may either sell them or just use them strictly as work boots.

I tend to wear Solovair, Red Wing, and Truman the most for every day wear.

And I agree that Solovair are better quality than DMs. They are more like the OG DMs that I had in 1990 when Solovair made them. Although I haven’t tried the newer made in England DMs but those are limited to certain styles and colors.

What's the sizing like on William Lennon?

I'm eyeing a pair of 178 boots but wouldn't be able to try them prior to order. Is the sizing accurate?

 

[LuddGang]

What's the sizing like on William Lennon?

I'm eyeing a pair of 178 boots but wouldn't be able to try them prior to order. Is the sizing accurate?

True to size, but on the wider/roomier side of things. If you’re able to try on a pair of Cheaney boots, I’d say the WL fit is quite similar to their 142 last.