Quick question…is there any company that makes a similar doc marten style that is made like Nicks boots or another hand made company? Would love to see a comparison on this type of boot made by more craftsmanship boots.
*_Question: Why did you abandon your million views content for 100k view content??? The jungle boots still making views yet you go for the low rung content???_*
Personally, as a British man I wouldn’t buy any Doc Martens, full stop. They took production overseas and then sold an inferior product at an inflated price. NPS/Solovair had faith in their people and product and did it the hard way. Solovair get my money, and my gratitude, every time.
Solovair are ridiculously expensive, they've priced themselves out of the reach of most people, I've bought 3 Dr martens boots of different types and the Only issue I've encountered is one pair had tongues lined with really cheap foam which rips off in your hand, otherwise the boots are flawless after daily use 🤷
@@gromenteal2133 that's very well but at the same time the cheap foreign made DM's haven't caused me any issues and have took a good amount of abuse just fine
@@Rookiereece solovair sells for £179 whereas outsourced docs sell for £159. That's only £20 difference which, when we're talking about such high price points, is nothing at all.
I love this series because it is analogous to so many other products in the marketplace. Doc Marten is the Harley Davidson of boots - a company trading on legacy brand recognition where real quality and performance has been surpassed by competitors long ago. How "cool" is a product when it is available in literally every strip mall across the world? I bought a pair of Solovairs based on this series and they are great. They fit true to size, came in the mail on schedule, and the company paid my import duties. For people who actually care about the history and quality of their footwear, Solovair is the way to go.
took less than 48 hours dhl express shipping for (a small extra cost) to Portugal and they also paid any import fees but honestly even without express I'm sure I would have got them in 3-4 days max. Ordered at night and early morning same day already notified they had been shipped with a tracking number. As for sizing if it might help got the 8 eyes derby boots greasy grain leather in 6.5 UK which is 40 EUR or 7.5 US men and I usually wear 40.5/41 sneakers (nike, addidas) etc. and they fit perfectly with some extra room left for the toes so I would recommend going half a size down compared to your sneaker wearing size. Would recommend going for greasy, gaucho, crazyhorse leathers and avoid Hi-shine and others if you care about durability because these don't have the plastic layer that cracks easily over time.
But there should be good german brands in the comparison, i think Europeans make by far the best hiking boots... Meindl, Hanwag, Trabert, etc (all the "zwiegenäht"/double stitched models)
I’d be interested in a wear comparison of fabric vs. leather boots. I’ve had two pairs of leather hiking boots in my life, both Scarpa. I might try my new JK OTs out carrying a pack this summer.
For those who don’t know, DM head office and production is in the same road as the Solovair factory. It’s a tight lane in a small village with the two companies almost opposite each other. I live there and can tell you everyone locally will wear Solovair over DM.
I grew up wearing Docs in the 70's and 80's and they were excellent, hard wearing, comfortable boots. I made a return to Docs a couple of years ago, hoping they would be as good as I remembered them, but whilst initially comfortable, they soon felt like the soles had 'flats' and the uppers soon felt saggy and loose. Now I know why. Thank you Anvil Rose! I shall be ditching my Docs and getting myself a pair of Solovairs!
Took a day trip to Nevada City, CA and my son thrifted me a pair of these MIE eight-eyes. They were brand new, tags, pristine box, info card etc. Best $50 find. Perfectly my size and I love them and the memory of our day!
personally I went with Horween Leather Made in England Docs a couple years back based on your old video. waited, saved for them, and copped them on sale. They are my first and only pair of 1460s, I wear them constantly and they're still going strong after several years. no issues. Solovair is definitely the pick overall, but for me I wanted docs and I'm glad I didn't waste time on their lowerend counterparts and did my research via your videos. cheers!
Bought a pair in the 80's...lasted me nearly 20yrs. Bought a pair the other yr...started coming apart after 2 yrs. The outsoles on the "Made in England" range aren't as chunky/thick as normal old DM's. They have a cheek to say they're just the same as original DM's.
As an Englishman who is an old skinhead, and still owns an original made in England pair of docs.....id go with the solovairs, they stayed true to their values and kept production in England, whereas doctor martens sold out and charge over inflated prices for an inferior product. Ive checked out solovair boots in the flesh, and their antique finished cherry rub boots look far superior to docs these days. Great comparison, thanks for sharing your findings 👍🏻
I was always wearing docs in the 70s and 80s growing up in the uk as a punk rocker I remember their quality dropped off a cliff around the mid-80s It was quite normal to get them resoled but around the 82/4 the leather was changed it would crack and split along the stitching and on the creases. The soles were also changed or the width of the seal was They did pop occasionally this had always happend but where it was possible to repair them with a hot butter knife and make a decent repair this was no longer possible. I moved on to army surplus German para boots that lasted forever after that, good video by the way
Came here to post the same observation as someone that lived in his Docs late 1970s to mid 1980s. Would get them resoled twice before the uppers were done. Stopped wearing them around 86-87 after I had two pairs where the sole outlasted the uppers and the pair had to be skipped in less than six months.
@@NotALot-xm6gz Yes same experience A pair of Oxblood 10 hole'ers I bought were trashed within 6monthes I thought because I had worn them for work so I bought a pair of black steelies for work and some more Oxblood ones for leisure Cleaned them and dubbed them fanatically but again the leather split and I called it a day after that. The price of them is ridiculous now. There was a time in the uk everyone wore them cops kids even remember the postman had a pair of Doc shoes pity they couldn't invest a bit of that money in keeping the products great
As an ex skinhead and had classic docs, eight eylets, yellow stitch and tag at the back. The leather was never coated, we used to bull them with polish (oxblood) was the favourite The sole’s didn’t have foam in them either.
Love the content. Keep it coming. My pair of JK bison forefronts were delivered a few days ago. That leather smells so good out of the box I almost don't want to wear them outside.
Great stuff as always, man. I will def be grabbing some solovairs. I have a made in england and a few pairs of mall brand docs so I gotta round out the collection lol
Dropped for some Solovairs a year ago and am quite happy with them for what I paid. Have since graduated to a solid pair of Builder Pros for work and find myself more often than not wearing them off the clock because of how ridiculously comfortable they've gotten. The break in was relatively easy (lucky for me) and they have only gotten better since. I do still pull on the Solos every now and then when I'm too lazy to properly lace up and they make for a great casual "messy" pair.
If you are doing made in England boots, you could also look at William Lennon, they are a very traditional shoe maker from England famous for their work boots
Awesome! I bought a pair of the Made in Englands a few months ago. After the usual painful one week break-in period that I experience with all Docs, they've been great. Glad to hear they aren't total sh it. I'd probably still buy the Doc's over the Solovairs, since I'd constantly have to explain that "no, no these aren't real Docs. Yes they're cheaper but they're better. Really... they are."
Preface, I don't wear docs at all, but that's said I would be the kind to get solovair just because they are not docs and people would ask questions of scoff, people need to be told or we all end up with the same thing.
@@shameless_plugg than the mall docs, you are right, solovair are more expensive, but the UK docs are more expensive again. So depends on what your comparison is, in this case it was to the UK ones in which case the solovairs are cheaper.
@quentinnash7194 yeah I think the comments about break-in being crappy for doc martens are interesting. I really only got blisters one day and that's because I bought them in new york and over the next week walked about 5-10 miles in them. Only got some small blisters the first day. Yeah the leather isn't the best but it's a pretty unique look, and they're pretty comfy shoes too. I have enough other shoes that I don't *need* to wear docs for long walks and wouldn't choose to either - they're heavy and you'll get tired in them a lot faster than say, yeezy 500's, ultraboosts, or other running/"lifestyle" (quotes because what the heck is a lifestyle shoe) shoes. That said, I like them for what they are. Definitely priced higher than what I think they're worth but I have over 30 pairs of shoes so I'm not exactly beating them to death...so they'll last me a long time.
I have had several pairs of docs, before I went fully over to milsurp boots I started wearing Gripfast. Easily the best of the bunch, a much better boot all around. I still wear them sometimes, but never my docs. Heavy lug sole, steel toe, heavy leather. Great boots.
This channel fucking rules. Since it’s nicer weather, maybe a top 10 hiking boot options or something like that? Either way, glad Solovair is getting the recognition it deserves.
As an owner of 1980s DMs and modern MIE DMs, they are not the same. The 1980s DMs have better leather, longer lasting outsoles, stronger eyelets and we’re built on a different last. The MIE DMs are better than the new regular ones but that ain’t saying much…
@@deppe4202 hard and uncomfortable! Bad leather man they just ain’t the same. I don’t mean to speak for this other gentleman but yeah. Doc martens sucks now they’re novelty shoe now so people can feel cool. I could play a game of basketball in the low-cut plain black doc martens I wore in high school. I wore them in they were so comfortable and soft.
I wore docs every day from 1979 to around 1993...I always had cherry red 8 eyelet docs...I was a scooter boy so they were a bike boot for me too...They would last between 18 to 24 months...The soles would wear down and eventually crack but I had no issues with stitching or the leather...I polished them including stitching with Carr, Day and Martin oxblood polish which a lot of the London skins were using to get the unique colour...I moved onto german para-boots after and today I still have a pair or oxblood docs from the early 90's which I wear rarely...I recently got some Grenson Freds (brogue boots)...which are so I good I have 3 pairs and was happy that the same creases that the docs had around the heal and sides are in the same places
I had a pair of black low cut made in England doc shoes. Super comfy wore them from CA train hopping and working restaurants in Denver. The leather quality on a each shoe was a little different and they had a handmade feel. Vs the cheapo Chinese version. They just felt real. They had really good life and quality til the soles got burned out took about a year or two. Rough wear every day toting a backpack.
Ty. I've owned about 5 pair MIE. Soles wear out after a couple years of all day wearing. Recently bought Nick's Falcon. Very heavy. Wish Docs soles lasted longer. Thanks again for the video
I bought a pair of docs in the 90s and wore them every day for at least 5 years walking everywhere. The soles were crappy in the winter, so slippery on ice, but they were so comfortable once they were broken in. My secret to breaking them in was to put masking tape anywhere on my foot where a blister was starting for 2 weeks until they really were comfortable. Now as a 50 year old guy I can't go buy 8 hole docs, I'm not flexible enough to put the damn things on and off. Now i need Soleovair to make slip ons that look like docs LOL
So far, I'm still breaking in my Solovairs. The Mall Docs are still more comfortable, but I've also worn them a lot longer, but the Solovairs are getting there. Yes, do the Gripfast!
Thursday’s Hero and Stomper boots are much better in construction and similar in silhouette. I’m a big Grant Stone guy myself, but Thursday definitely is the way to go in this price bracket.
been having a helluva time breaking in my made in england docs. would love to wear them more but eveytime i do, me feet get blistered up AF. i was treating them with leather honey oil on the outside. now that you mention the plastic coating thing, i probably wasn't conditioning them at all afterall.
That wooden shank was everything!!! Really made the shoe indestructible and solid. The made in England ones today just don’t feel the same. They feel cheaper quality which is disappointing at that expensive price point. I knew something had changed in the construction from the ones I wore in the early 90s. Thanks for the video. I still buy vintage made in England ones on ebay because they’re superior to what’s being sold today.
Excellent, that was great to see and thank you for putting up the review of mie docs. Solovair are really good boots and that clip explains it well why they are better. 👍 Yes please on the Gripfast, i have several pairs of these as well and they are great boots. 🙂👍 Another good review if you wanted to do is comparing the gaucho leather, full grain, as its in both makes of boots, the docs and solovair. 👍
My first boots were the made in England docs. Out of the box the laces snapped as tightening them up and they killed my feet….returned them. Saw your video and got my Solovair….on my 3rd pair.
The main advantage of the Docs for me was there’s a Doc Martens store (NYC) where I was able to try it on and make sure I had the right size. Ordering Solovairs online would be more of a crapshoot.
The thing is rather than buying a crap shoe just because it’s available i would then rather fmgo for the DM england made or a completely different shoe altogether. What’s the use in buying bad shoes? 😅
A few things here I believe both versions are available in a greasy leather that you can condition The best way to condition the plastic coated versions is to unlace them and spray the inside with suede conditioner. Angelus and Saphir make good versions of this product I wish Solovair made replacement soles in a version similar to the Vibram 100 so I could resole my Red Wing IRs with a leather mid and this transparent PVC sole. Those soles are grippy and were great back when I was a line cook in restaurants. They never slipped in grease. But that was back in the 1990s and I could have swore they had a different tread pattern (similar to the vibram 100)
The Horween leathers are awesome. I take the laces out and rub them with my baseball mitt mink oil. I massage them with the soaked rag while I watch tv a few evenings and they’re perfect.
Another brilliant video. I love how your work has progressed over the years. You really have done an epic job. Btw, I love the knife you use, I’d love one of those for my leather work. What are they called please?
@@colachofcb I’ve had good luck ordering to third-party recipients where the specific items I’m seeking are available., then they ship to me. I did this with the kangaroo leather and hemp Vibram hikers.
once the shoe's upper has been cut in half, and before the bandsaw, you could do a bar drop or balldrop test at the toe of the boot as well, it'll show i the square of foam makes any difference!
Good to hear that there is competition hopefully the Doc Martens take that into account. Have to check if mine were made in England or not there’s also room for proposing a high end offer. I’m sure people would buy it.
Another great Dr martens video, would love to see you do a video on the grinders Cedric boot, which is another Dr martens type boot. Mainly cos I want to know if they're worth buying and wearing lol..
Yessss!!! Was hoping you'd do a vid for gripfast, which apparently are now also mane by Solovair? I've always considered gripfast boots to a much sturdier/heavier & superior version of docs. The classics anyway - definitely basing my claim on the classic version which i discovered back in '97 in SF. More recently was about to throw down $260 on a new pair (green vs electric blue) right before finding out tht the soles are now made of a similar rubbery material of solovair/docs but in black. The classics were made of a tough dense hardened rubber sole (among one of the differences btwn classics vs current). Still have two of the classics, one's an 8 eye black and 10 eye blood red & still wear them. Side note, i discovered Nicks/Whites/Franks/Wesco through your channel - will likely never buy another pair of docs/grips and invest more $ on top quality USA made boots. 😉👢
Every pair I ever got, vintage made in England, new "for life" and everything in between has fallen apart, split, etc in well under a year, and I'm quite good on maintenance. I only wear actual military boots now and would recommend the same to anyone on the fence. Bates, Matterhorn etc.
Im a delivery guy for a certain colored gigantic parcel service. On my feet all day . Made the switch to Solovair and am glad i did. Way more comfortable than those Docs.
I am a Gen X American skinhead. I started off wearing Georgia loggers. The first paradox that I bought were MIE from a shoe chain. The current ones I have, I bought off Amazon. They were a good price but aren't the same.
I have both. Only thing that no one seems to mention is that the solovairs have a wide bulbous fit. The MIE docs are a lot slimmer - I’ve tried all different sizes of solovairs and the MIE docs fit my narrow feet 100x better. I’d recommend Solovair astronauts for those with narrow feet. Brilliant boots.
Docs are kinda just running on brand recognition at this point (they're Docs, they have that counterculture history). But they have let quality slip while charging that premium for their name. I would just recommend Solovair/NPS for anyone wanting similar style boots
I just bought a pair of vintage GATs. I am going to purchase adidas samba and puma superliga to compare, as well as a “new” (Asian manufactured) GATs. I don’t want to cut up my shoes but I will be doing a thorough comparisons.
i worked outside my whole life and i give any of these boots to hold up about a day maybe two. they might be good for just wearing around town and that's it in my opinion.
I would love to see you cut apart some Italian brands. I am personally a big fan of Velasca and their story. I have had their Tencin laced boot for 3 years now and I am very impressed by the durability and build quality.
I have a pair of MIE docs. Great style & people often comment on them. Quality is not very good though. The laces disintegrated within s few months, cracks appeared in the leather at all the usual places after a year, & the soles have worn down 80 per cent after two years. But I still like them.....😮
I have been waiting a long time for a comparison of Doc to Gripfast. Having owned several pairs of both, I know the Gripfasts feel much more comfortable than Docs, but it would be nice to see a quanative analysis.
For anyone who does't know, Solovair and Gripfast are both made by NPS. Here's what their website has to say: Gripfast was founded by Northamptonshire based White & Co who wanted to create hardwearing footwear that represents the very best of British and made to the highest standards. White & Co, like NPS Shoes, were a government contractor in the 1940’s and manufactured footwear for the British Army which further extended to a military contract for the Australian Army. Gripfast was established in 1990 following increased demand for a slightly more rugged, extreme, edgier boot. Gripfast were steel toe cap boots and shoes made from high quality leathers on a UK army last and featured a 22mm Commando Double Sole with reinforced screws. Incorporating the traditional shoemaking techniques including the Goodyear welted method, White & Co experienced rapid growth for Gripfast particularly in the USA and Europe. Times change and in 2003 White & Co found itself in a position where production had to cease but instead of closing all together they opted to move production to other Northamptonshire Goodyear welted footwear factories which is where the NPS Shoes and Gripfast chapter begins. It was important to us that Gripfast footwear remained true to its roots therefore many of the original features remain including concealed steel toe caps, authentic storm “U” welt, resilient insulating air cushioning Commando soles and genuine galvanised screws that are hand inserted into each cleat. Gripfast footwear by NPS shoes is made on the 5400 last, our widest last shape offering one of the broadest toe box shapes and also features in the Solovair Classic, Premium and Steel Toe collections. Gripfast Derby Boots are currently made with 6, 10 and 14 eyelets from a choice of Hi-Shine, Greasy and Rub-off leathers. In comparison, the technique used to fuse the welt to the sole is the same for Gripfast and Solovair. This process happens in the 'Levelling' room where temporary joins between the sole and the welt are made using a heated plate before a heat sealing machine permanently fuses the welt to the sole by rotating the footwear along a 700°C heated blade. The difference at this stage in the shoe making process is that Solovair footwear feature the original Sole-of-Air sole with our signature sole suspension technology. The Solovair PVC sole is resistant to acid, oil, fat, petrol and alkali but doesn't feature galvanised screws like the Gripfast footwear. The Solovair collection is made on several last shapes from an extensive range of leathers and finishes. Design differences when comparing the Solovair Steel Toe Cap collection and Gripfast Originals are the two part back panel on Gripfast footwear, the storm “U” welt and spacing between the eyelets.
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No offense, but maybe enough with the Doc Martens already?
I think you need to cut apart Gripfast next and compare the differences against the solovair 😊
Quick question…is there any company that makes a similar doc marten style that is made like Nicks boots or another hand made company? Would love to see a comparison on this type of boot made by more craftsmanship boots.
Keep up these videos I love them ❤❤❤
*_Question: Why did you abandon your million views content for 100k view content??? The jungle boots still making views yet you go for the low rung content???_*
Personally, as a British man I wouldn’t buy any Doc Martens, full stop. They took production overseas and then sold an inferior product at an inflated price. NPS/Solovair had faith in their people and product and did it the hard way. Solovair get my money, and my gratitude, every time.
Solovair are ridiculously expensive, they've priced themselves out of the reach of most people, I've bought 3 Dr martens boots of different types and the Only issue I've encountered is one pair had tongues lined with really cheap foam which rips off in your hand, otherwise the boots are flawless after daily use 🤷
@@RookiereeceSolovair is cheaper than Dr M made in England like £50. We are talking about Solovair vs DrM made in England not the other DrMs.
@@gromenteal2133 that's very well but at the same time the cheap foreign made DM's haven't caused me any issues and have took a good amount of abuse just fine
Oi! Oi! , Mate!
@@Rookiereece solovair sells for £179 whereas outsourced docs sell for £159. That's only £20 difference which, when we're talking about such high price points, is nothing at all.
I love this series because it is analogous to so many other products in the marketplace. Doc Marten is the Harley Davidson of boots - a company trading on legacy brand recognition where real quality and performance has been surpassed by competitors long ago. How "cool" is a product when it is available in literally every strip mall across the world? I bought a pair of Solovairs based on this series and they are great. They fit true to size, came in the mail on schedule, and the company paid my import duties. For people who actually care about the history and quality of their footwear, Solovair is the way to go.
how long did shipping take? to what state?
@@jackwiegmann Hi Jack, delivery took about 8 days to the west coast of British Columbia, Canada.
took less than 48 hours dhl express shipping for (a small extra cost) to Portugal and they also paid any import fees but honestly even without express I'm sure I would have got them in 3-4 days max. Ordered at night and early morning same day already notified they had been shipped with a tracking number. As for sizing if it might help got the 8 eyes derby boots greasy grain leather in 6.5 UK which is 40 EUR or 7.5 US men and I usually wear 40.5/41 sneakers (nike, addidas) etc. and they fit perfectly with some extra room left for the toes so I would recommend going half a size down compared to your sneaker wearing size. Would recommend going for greasy, gaucho, crazyhorse leathers and avoid Hi-shine and others if you care about durability because these don't have the plastic layer that cracks easily over time.
@@Patrick-nc6kk Great advice! Thank you!
Never heard of them here in the states. I’ll have to check them out.
A hiking boot series would be super appreciated 👍🏻. There are so many old school brand that have gone to garbage.
But there should be good german brands in the comparison, i think Europeans make by far the best hiking boots... Meindl, Hanwag, Trabert, etc (all the "zwiegenäht"/double stitched models)
Hiking boots would be great. Have to put in a pair of Limmers if they do get covered...
I’d be interested in a wear comparison of fabric vs. leather boots. I’ve had two pairs of leather hiking boots in my life, both Scarpa. I might try my new JK OTs out carrying a pack this summer.
Aku make good boots
Asolo 500 series (520 - goretex; 535 - no goretex) are my go-to hiking boots. I'm often in wet areas, so the 520s are my jam.
For those who don’t know, DM head office and production is in the same road as the Solovair factory. It’s a tight lane in a small village with the two companies almost opposite each other.
I live there and can tell you everyone locally will wear Solovair over DM.
I grew up wearing Docs in the 70's and 80's and they were excellent, hard wearing, comfortable boots. I made a return to Docs a couple of years ago, hoping they would be as good as I remembered them, but whilst initially comfortable, they soon felt like the soles had 'flats' and the uppers soon felt saggy and loose. Now I know why. Thank you Anvil Rose! I shall be ditching my Docs and getting myself a pair of Solovairs!
I love the idea that made in england docs are a thing, when doc marten says they didnt change anything in the move out of england. Like, huh?
Took a day trip to Nevada City, CA and my son thrifted me a pair of these MIE eight-eyes. They were brand new, tags, pristine box, info card etc. Best $50 find. Perfectly my size and I love them and the memory of our day!
personally I went with Horween Leather Made in England Docs a couple years back based on your old video. waited, saved for them, and copped them on sale. They are my first and only pair of 1460s, I wear them constantly and they're still going strong after several years. no issues. Solovair is definitely the pick overall, but for me I wanted docs and I'm glad I didn't waste time on their lowerend counterparts and did my research via your videos. cheers!
Bought a pair in the 80's...lasted me nearly 20yrs. Bought a pair the other yr...started coming apart after 2 yrs. The outsoles on the "Made in England" range aren't as chunky/thick as normal old DM's. They have a cheek to say they're just the same as original DM's.
Yes totally agree some time in the 80's the quality rapidly changed for the worst
The heels go in no time at all, think it’s deliberate. The structure/ design of the sole has changed. Wouldn’t buy another new pair
As an Englishman who is an old skinhead, and still owns an original made in England pair of docs.....id go with the solovairs, they stayed true to their values and kept production in England, whereas doctor martens sold out and charge over inflated prices for an inferior product. Ive checked out solovair boots in the flesh, and their antique finished cherry rub boots look far superior to docs these days. Great comparison, thanks for sharing your findings 👍🏻
Oi Oi Oi from Orange County California 🇺🇸.. 50 now and always a Skinhead
All your doc martens videos influenced me in getting my first pair of 1460s on sale for $126 lol pretty excited
I was always wearing docs in the 70s and 80s growing up in the uk as a punk rocker I remember their quality dropped off a cliff around the mid-80s
It was quite normal to get them resoled but around the 82/4 the leather was changed it would crack and split along the stitching and on the creases.
The soles were also changed or the width of the seal was
They did pop occasionally this had always happend but where it was possible to repair them with a hot butter knife and make a decent repair this was no longer possible.
I moved on to army surplus German para boots that lasted forever after that, good video by the way
Came here to post the same observation as someone that lived in his Docs late 1970s to mid 1980s. Would get them resoled twice before the uppers were done. Stopped wearing them around 86-87 after I had two pairs where the sole outlasted the uppers and the pair had to be skipped in less than six months.
@@NotALot-xm6gz Yes same experience
A pair of Oxblood 10 hole'ers I bought were trashed within 6monthes I thought because I had worn them for work so I bought a pair of black steelies for work and some more Oxblood ones for leisure
Cleaned them and dubbed them fanatically but again the leather split and I called it a day after that.
The price of them is ridiculous now.
There was a time in the uk everyone wore them cops kids even remember the postman had a pair of Doc shoes pity they couldn't invest a bit of that money in keeping the products great
I had my first pair in 1969, the leather was waxy, we spent hours polishing them with oxblood polish to get the shiny.
Yeah to me now the leather looks cheep like faux leather witch always tears cracks unlike good leather that lasts long
Same here...Scooterboy...Red 8s and moved onto ex-army german para-boots...Still have my last pair of 90's docs...and para-boots
looking forward to the gripfast video! Thanks Rose Anvil.
As an ex skinhead and had classic docs, eight eylets, yellow stitch and tag at the back. The leather was never coated, we used to bull them with polish (oxblood) was the favourite
The sole’s didn’t have foam in them either.
I still have my 1993 Docs, they still look good because i didn't wear them a lot
Love the content. Keep it coming. My pair of JK bison forefronts were delivered a few days ago. That leather smells so good out of the box I almost don't want to wear them outside.
Great stuff as always, man. I will def be grabbing some solovairs. I have a made in england and a few pairs of mall brand docs so I gotta round out the collection lol
Dropped for some Solovairs a year ago and am quite happy with them for what I paid. Have since graduated to a solid pair of Builder Pros for work and find myself more often than not wearing them off the clock because of how ridiculously comfortable they've gotten. The break in was relatively easy (lucky for me) and they have only gotten better since. I do still pull on the Solos every now and then when I'm too lazy to properly lace up and they make for a great casual "messy" pair.
If you are doing made in England boots, you could also look at William Lennon, they are a very traditional shoe maker from England famous for their work boots
Too true.
I'll be in England in a month and will be visiting an NPS store to get my first pair of Solovair. Thanks for the reviews
I love my IRs. Been wearing them for a few years and they just keep getting more comfortable and better looking. 👍
Great video! Really appreciate the efforts here.
Thank you for this video!!!
Good content. Thanks! I've had DMs in the past and they would outperform contemporary versions.
nice review...glad I found you...looking at some other of your vids to see what options I have
Great video! Thanks! The pacing was fast on this one.
Great video as always, Weston.
Thank you dude. I was looking at the made in England Docs but now I know how to save a bit and get a better product.
Would be interesting to buy a deadstock vintage ' made in england' pair and compare them to the 'made in england' ones that are made now.
He did that in one of his first doc marten videos.
@@erikfry5887 He did the 90s one, would love to see the 70s or 80s one, some people say the quality has gone downhill since the 90s
Awesome! I bought a pair of the Made in Englands a few months ago. After the usual painful one week break-in period that I experience with all Docs, they've been great. Glad to hear they aren't total sh it. I'd probably still buy the Doc's over the Solovairs, since I'd constantly have to explain that "no, no these aren't real Docs. Yes they're cheaper but they're better. Really... they are."
Preface, I don't wear docs at all, but that's said I would be the kind to get solovair just because they are not docs and people would ask questions of scoff, people need to be told or we all end up with the same thing.
Solovair isn't cheaper...
@@shameless_plugg than the mall docs, you are right, solovair are more expensive, but the UK docs are more expensive again. So depends on what your comparison is, in this case it was to the UK ones in which case the solovairs are cheaper.
@quentinnash7194 yeah I think the comments about break-in being crappy for doc martens are interesting. I really only got blisters one day and that's because I bought them in new york and over the next week walked about 5-10 miles in them. Only got some small blisters the first day. Yeah the leather isn't the best but it's a pretty unique look, and they're pretty comfy shoes too. I have enough other shoes that I don't *need* to wear docs for long walks and wouldn't choose to either - they're heavy and you'll get tired in them a lot faster than say, yeezy 500's, ultraboosts, or other running/"lifestyle" (quotes because what the heck is a lifestyle shoe) shoes. That said, I like them for what they are. Definitely priced higher than what I think they're worth but I have over 30 pairs of shoes so I'm not exactly beating them to death...so they'll last me a long time.
Great video!
I have had several pairs of docs, before I went fully over to milsurp boots I started wearing Gripfast. Easily the best of the bunch, a much better boot all around. I still wear them sometimes, but never my docs. Heavy lug sole, steel toe, heavy leather. Great boots.
I've not had docs since my last pair fell apart 10 years ago.
I'll be buying a pair of solovairs.
Great video showing the differences between the two boots!! This may be a long shot but maybe one day could you review Hunter rubber boots?
This was a great video 👍
Love this channel
Another great video dude 💪
Need that gripfast vid, I have a greasy black pair and they've been awesome so far
This channel fucking rules. Since it’s nicer weather, maybe a top 10 hiking boot options or something like that? Either way, glad Solovair is getting the recognition it deserves.
As an owner of 1980s DMs and modern MIE DMs, they are not the same. The 1980s DMs have better leather, longer lasting outsoles, stronger eyelets and we’re built on a different last. The MIE DMs are better than the new regular ones but that ain’t saying much…
How did the last changed? I am very curious because when looking at old pictures of Punkers there dms allways look slimmer in the toe area.
@@deppe4202 hard and uncomfortable! Bad leather man they just ain’t the same. I don’t mean to speak for this other gentleman but yeah. Doc martens sucks now they’re novelty shoe now so people can feel cool. I could play a game of basketball in the low-cut plain black doc martens I wore in high school. I wore them in they were so comfortable and soft.
Nice review!
I wore docs every day from 1979 to around 1993...I always had cherry red 8 eyelet docs...I was a scooter boy so they were a bike boot for me too...They would last between 18 to 24 months...The soles would wear down and eventually crack but I had no issues with stitching or the leather...I polished them including stitching with Carr, Day and Martin oxblood polish which a lot of the London skins were using to get the unique colour...I moved onto german para-boots after and today I still have a pair or oxblood docs from the early 90's which I wear rarely...I recently got some Grenson Freds (brogue boots)...which are so I good I have 3 pairs and was happy that the same creases that the docs had around the heal and sides are in the same places
I had a pair of black low cut made in England doc shoes. Super comfy wore them from CA train hopping and working restaurants in Denver.
The leather quality on a each shoe was a little different and they had a handmade feel. Vs the cheapo Chinese version. They just felt real.
They had really good life and quality til the soles got burned out took about a year or two. Rough wear every day toting a backpack.
Thanks for this
Ty. I've owned about 5 pair MIE. Soles wear out after a couple years of all day wearing. Recently bought Nick's Falcon. Very heavy. Wish Docs soles lasted longer. Thanks again for the video
I bought a pair of docs in the 90s and wore them every day for at least 5 years walking everywhere. The soles were crappy in the winter, so slippery on ice, but they were so comfortable once they were broken in. My secret to breaking them in was to put masking tape anywhere on my foot where a blister was starting for 2 weeks until they really were comfortable. Now as a 50 year old guy I can't go buy 8 hole docs, I'm not flexible enough to put the damn things on and off. Now i need Soleovair to make slip ons that look like docs LOL
Jim - 50 isn't old. Lose some weight and stretch/do yoga. Keep the faith!
Just about the same story here. 🙂 Born in '73. Working on de-fat-ass-ifying presently.
@@cacogenicist me too, doing Keto down 80lbs but not flexible yet. Still working on that
You guys are spring chickens 😂 No seriously, 50 is still young these days. You can absolutely reach your goals 😊 fitness or otherwise 🙌
So far, I'm still breaking in my Solovairs. The Mall Docs are still more comfortable, but I've also worn them a lot longer, but the Solovairs are getting there. Yes, do the Gripfast!
Another "Doc like" boot to try would be Grafters boots. Built similarly to the Doc Marten Church model boots.
My eyes!
I love my Grinders!
Thank you rose anviiiiil
Thursday’s Hero and Stomper boots are much better in construction and similar in silhouette.
I’m a big Grant Stone guy myself, but Thursday definitely is the way to go in this price bracket.
I’ve been waiting for you to do Gripfast! They’re my favorite and also made by NPS. I would also love for you to do George Cox creepers, another fave.
Yes i'd go for the Solovair. I haven't tried the gripfast yet.
Loake make a similar range of boots with thick PVC soles which cost around the same as the Solovair boots and come in several leathers.
Love the channel. Please do a video on the Red Wing Supersole 2.0. Super common work boot with a good reputation.
Yes please make a video about Gripfast!
been having a helluva time breaking in my made in england docs. would love to wear them more but eveytime i do, me feet get blistered up AF. i was treating them with leather honey oil on the outside. now that you mention the plastic coating thing, i probably wasn't conditioning them at all afterall.
Get some good wool socks, like darn tough
That wooden shank was everything!!! Really made the shoe indestructible and solid. The made in England ones today just don’t feel the same. They feel cheaper quality which is disappointing at that expensive price point. I knew something had changed in the construction from the ones I wore in the early 90s. Thanks for the video. I still buy vintage made in England ones on ebay because they’re superior to what’s being sold today.
The wooden shank is not needed any more.
nice new editing!!
Excellent, that was great to see and thank you for putting up the review of mie docs.
Solovair are really good boots and that clip explains it well why they are better. 👍
Yes please on the Gripfast, i have several pairs of these as well and they are great boots. 🙂👍
Another good review if you wanted to do is comparing the gaucho leather, full grain, as its in both makes of boots, the docs and solovair. 👍
My first boots were the made in England docs. Out of the box the laces snapped as tightening them up and they killed my feet….returned them. Saw your video and got my Solovair….on my 3rd pair.
The main advantage of the Docs for me was there’s a Doc Martens store (NYC) where I was able to try it on and make sure I had the right size. Ordering Solovairs online would be more of a crapshoot.
Solovairs are not available in many places so the price would end up a lot higher than just basic doc martins or even the england ones.
The thing is rather than buying a crap shoe just because it’s available i would then rather fmgo for the DM england made or a completely different shoe altogether. What’s the use in buying bad shoes? 😅
A few things here
I believe both versions are available in a greasy leather that you can condition
The best way to condition the plastic coated versions is to unlace them and spray the inside with suede conditioner. Angelus and Saphir make good versions of this product
I wish Solovair made replacement soles in a version similar to the Vibram 100 so I could resole my Red Wing IRs with a leather mid and this transparent PVC sole. Those soles are grippy and were great back when I was a line cook in restaurants. They never slipped in grease. But that was back in the 1990s and I could have swore they had a different tread pattern (similar to the vibram 100)
Cant find the greasy leather Docs on their website here in The Netherlands 😥
The Horween leathers are awesome. I take the laces out and rub them with my baseball mitt mink oil. I massage them with the soaked rag while I watch tv a few evenings and they’re perfect.
Another brilliant video. I love how your work has progressed over the years. You really have done an epic job.
Btw, I love the knife you use, I’d love one of those for my leather work. What are they called please?
@@colachofcb I’ve had good luck ordering to third-party recipients where the specific items I’m seeking are available., then they ship to me. I did this with the kangaroo leather and hemp Vibram hikers.
Would love to see some higher end British boots like Crockett and Jones and aee how they compare to a similarly priced US boot.
Gripfasts wouod be awesome to check out! Maybe some other solivair boots too! Steel toe perhaps?
once the shoe's upper has been cut in half, and before the bandsaw, you could do a bar drop or balldrop test at the toe of the boot as well, it'll show i the square of foam makes any difference!
Yes Gripfast boots next please !!!
Good to hear that there is competition hopefully the Doc Martens take that into account. Have to check if mine were made in England or not there’s also room for proposing a high end offer. I’m sure people would buy it.
Great stuff as always.
I couldn't help thinking, isn't there already a Doc vs Solovair video on this channel though ?
Nice Crown the Empire hat!
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Another great Dr martens video, would love to see you do a video on the grinders Cedric boot, which is another Dr martens type boot. Mainly cos I want to know if they're worth buying and wearing lol..
please do other solovair and doc mart models! Especially the DM's Jadons and Soloviar's Platform Derby boot!
It would be super cool to see the steel toe solovairs cut in half to see if there are any differences for work boots
Hi friends. I had a pair bought in 1992. They last until today. Best boots ever
love the content man, keep it up! and please review the rick owens tractor bozo boot, been wondering if it was good or not
Second this. Or go all the way and try to cut some Guidi!
Yessss!!! Was hoping you'd do a vid for gripfast, which apparently are now also mane by Solovair? I've always considered gripfast boots to a much sturdier/heavier & superior version of docs. The classics anyway - definitely basing my claim on the classic version which i discovered back in '97 in SF. More recently was about to throw down $260 on a new pair (green vs electric blue) right before finding out tht the soles are now made of a similar rubbery material of solovair/docs but in black. The classics were made of a tough dense hardened rubber sole (among one of the differences btwn classics vs current). Still have two of the classics, one's an 8 eye black and 10 eye blood red & still wear them. Side note, i discovered Nicks/Whites/Franks/Wesco through your channel - will likely never buy another pair of docs/grips and invest more $ on top quality USA made boots. 😉👢
Solovair does have boots without Hi-shine (plastic coat on top of the leather) and those with grain leather are the most durable.
Every pair I ever got, vintage made in England, new "for life" and everything in between has fallen apart, split, etc in well under a year, and I'm quite good on maintenance. I only wear actual military boots now and would recommend the same to anyone on the fence. Bates, Matterhorn etc.
really should do an asics video that compares the 1000, 2000 and kayano, covering the fundamentals of runner construction.
Great video.
I Like my MIE docs. Sadly the outsoles wear Out quick. Might get another pair
you should try the gaucho leather solovairs, see what their non patent leather performs like
YES! PLEASE DO GRIPFAST! I purchased Gripfast in hopes of having the best version of English boots after the demise of Grinders.
Im a delivery guy for a certain colored gigantic parcel service. On my feet all day . Made the switch to Solovair and am glad i did. Way more comfortable than those Docs.
Good to hear, did you order the same size in both brands?
I am a Gen X American skinhead. I started off wearing Georgia loggers. The first paradox that I bought were MIE from a shoe chain. The current ones I have, I bought off Amazon. They were a good price but aren't the same.
Got the for life model back in the day still got em bet bitta spitt and polish would bring em back to life best d.m to buy in my opinion
Please do the gripfast ones next.
I have both. Only thing that no one seems to mention is that the solovairs have a wide bulbous fit. The MIE docs are a lot slimmer - I’ve tried all different sizes of solovairs and the MIE docs fit my narrow feet 100x better.
I’d recommend Solovair astronauts for those with narrow feet. Brilliant boots.
Docs are kinda just running on brand recognition at this point (they're Docs, they have that counterculture history). But they have let quality slip while charging that premium for their name. I would just recommend Solovair/NPS for anyone wanting similar style boots
Please compare German Army Trainers and the Samba to see the differences in terms of construction. Thank you for the comparison on the Docs!
I just bought a pair of vintage GATs. I am going to purchase adidas samba and puma superliga to compare, as well as a “new” (Asian manufactured) GATs. I don’t want to cut up my shoes but I will be doing a thorough comparisons.
i worked outside my whole life and i give any of these boots to hold up about a day maybe two. they might be good for just wearing around town and that's it in my opinion.
That wallet plug was fantastic
standard issue footwear for school and after school for me and my mates growing up in the 70's and early 80's..
I look forward to seeing NPS Gripfast range getting reviewed.
I would love to see you cut apart some Italian brands. I am personally a big fan of Velasca and their story. I have had their Tencin laced boot for 3 years now and I am very impressed by the durability and build quality.
I bought a made in England 1460 vintage for $140 from Browns Fashion this year.
If Solovair makes green stitches boots ,I would love to have it
I have Docs made in England and Solovair and I prefer the Solovair.
I have a pair of MIE docs. Great style & people often comment on them.
Quality is not very good though.
The laces disintegrated within s few months, cracks appeared in the leather at all the usual places after a year, & the soles have worn down 80 per cent after two years.
But I still like them.....😮
oree nyc makes a great one around the same price point, owen hyatt made one. nicks has a similar model that i think might take the cake
I have been waiting a long time for a comparison of Doc to Gripfast. Having owned several pairs of both, I know the Gripfasts feel much more comfortable than Docs, but it would be nice to see a quanative analysis.
For anyone who does't know, Solovair and Gripfast are both made by NPS. Here's what their website has to say:
Gripfast was founded by Northamptonshire based White & Co who wanted to create hardwearing footwear that represents the very best of British and made to the highest standards. White & Co, like NPS Shoes, were a government contractor in the 1940’s and manufactured footwear for the British Army which further extended to a military contract for the Australian Army.
Gripfast was established in 1990 following increased demand for a slightly more rugged, extreme, edgier boot. Gripfast were steel toe cap boots and shoes made from high quality leathers on a UK army last and featured a 22mm Commando Double Sole with reinforced screws. Incorporating the traditional shoemaking techniques including the Goodyear welted method, White & Co experienced rapid growth for Gripfast particularly in the USA and Europe.
Times change and in 2003 White & Co found itself in a position where production had to cease but instead of closing all together they opted to move production to other Northamptonshire Goodyear welted footwear factories which is where the NPS Shoes and Gripfast chapter begins.
It was important to us that Gripfast footwear remained true to its roots therefore many of the original features remain including concealed steel toe caps, authentic storm “U” welt, resilient insulating air cushioning Commando soles and genuine galvanised screws that are hand inserted into each cleat.
Gripfast footwear by NPS shoes is made on the 5400 last, our widest last shape offering one of the broadest toe box shapes and also features in the Solovair Classic, Premium and Steel Toe collections.
Gripfast Derby Boots are currently made with 6, 10 and 14 eyelets from a choice of Hi-Shine, Greasy and Rub-off leathers.
In comparison, the technique used to fuse the welt to the sole is the same for Gripfast and Solovair. This process happens in the 'Levelling' room where temporary joins between the sole and the welt are made using a heated plate before a heat sealing machine permanently fuses the welt to the sole by rotating the footwear along a 700°C heated blade.
The difference at this stage in the shoe making process is that Solovair footwear feature the original Sole-of-Air sole with our signature sole suspension technology. The Solovair PVC sole is resistant to acid, oil, fat, petrol and alkali but doesn't feature galvanised screws like the Gripfast footwear.
The Solovair collection is made on several last shapes from an extensive range of leathers and finishes.
Design differences when comparing the Solovair Steel Toe Cap collection and Gripfast Originals are the two part back panel on Gripfast footwear, the storm “U” welt and spacing between the eyelets.