500,000 Steps Dr. Martens vs Solovair (4 Things I Hate)

250 Miles, 500 hours, 500,000 steps (give or take) in the last few month with my Made in England Docs on one foot and my Solovair Oxblood on the other foot. I came away from the experience disappointed with the Dr. Martens so in this video I go through what i don't like about the Docs and what i liked about the Solovair boots.

[Zeverinsen]

You should make a video like "Top 5 boots that look like Doc Martens, but are much better!" and I'd watch that

[happy]

martens is just following the old business philosophy....build a reputation and brand loyalty with good product then cheap out for maximum profit.

[jasonettorre]

Had Docs in the early 90s that took a long time to break in and were really tough. They lasted so long the rubber sole dried out and broke. I saw new ones the last few years and WTF they're thin and cheap, but still expensive. You can tell they're not going for the same customer.

[MatthewHiltner]

After 20-some years of daily wearing, I bailed on Docs after three pairs in a row blew up on me. Tried Solovair and they are exactly was Docs used to be.

[boomboomfruit]

U have to respect the balls that it takes to tell people that an expensive brand is trash and actually prove it

[WS]

You can also send Solovairs back to be resoled, or you can buy replacement soles from them and have them repaired by your own cobbler. The Solovairs are so much nicer, just like the original 1980's Docs.

[RobotHunter]

I literally just bought my first pair of doc martens yesterday and this video pops up in my recommended lmao

[plasmasquid]

I would love to see you compare an actual vintage doc boot (made before 2000s) and their current Made in England line to showcase the difference in quality. (I own a pair of the 11-eye steel toe derby Solovairs, and they're still rocking 6 years later! I love 'em.)

[tirameyhey]

Solovair actually were the original manufacturers of Doc Martens before DM decided to go to Asia, that’s when the cooperation split up and Solovair continued to produce on their own and keep up the original quality

[philthymcnasty]

I remember when doc Martin's used to be <$100. Then they became mainstream popular. It appears they went up in price and also down in quality.

[jetenginee.]

This really surprised me, my dad has a pair of docs that he's had since before I was born and they're still going strong so it's sad that a trusted brand is cheaping out now they have good brand recognition

[sleepygrle]

I found a vintage pair of docs at a thrift store for like $10-$15 I don’t remember exactly bc it was like 5 years ago. They’re great I love them. I was going to buy a new pair bc I loved my other ones so much, I went to the store to get some and I was surprised how different they were in quality. I would never buy them for the price they selling them

[letoemsa]

Well, as a DMs fan I have worn all the generations. I realized several things:
1) Only greasy leather will last, all the shiny coating leather will crease and crack within a season. No matter when the boots were manufactured. No matter how you care.
2) DMs used to have thicker outsole with better protector, not the modern flat-profiled. I have 1461 in black with this protector and they last for 5 years with a lot of life left.
3) Save your nerves and money and prefer Solovair or Timb made in USA with vibram outsole. Way better. Though I really love DMs style and yellow stitch, as you can see it is simply not worth it.
Best,

[msato]

My first pair of DM was 1987, since then I had around 15 pairs of DM. The quality has gone from good to bad to really bad. I found Solovair about 10 years ago and never look back.

[blearyspace]

I'm a long time Docs wearer, but bought my first pair of Solovairs after watching your comparison video. Sure enough, the Solovairs are old school to break in, but the build is in a different league from modern DMs. The replaceable soles are a huge plus because I cover a lot of miles

[softballgeek]

Am I the only one who’s never had an issue with docs? Reading through the comments and I wear mine in the winter all the time and have never slipped or fallen on ice and where I am we get a lot of ice. I also have managed to step in pretty deep puddles and never have my feet gotten soaking wet. I’ve had mine for almost a full year and they’ve held up pretty well for me. With that being said, I will not stop buying docs because I have had a good experience with them but I also would not be opposed to trying out solovairs as they seem to be the older version of what docs used to be. This is in no way a hate comment just my opinion! I appreciate that you shared this with us as it does give everyone a view of the difference of quality between docs and solovairs

[nathanalane]

I’ve owned several pairs of Docs and I’ve loved all of them. I’ve always just bought their cheap line from Journeys and then I don’t feel cheated when they wear out. The style is classic and that yellow thread is like the Nike swoosh - iconic. Just would NEVER trust this brand to compete with the serious boots of the world. They’re a fashion brand, full stop.

[erikajewel]

i made my first shoe mistake at 15 buying a pair of these for $110. thought that was way too much money and well it was. the sealing ontop of the leather completely peeled off and they look a wrinkled ballsack 5 years later (with a period of not being worn consistently for a few years in between) im happy that you made this video featuring this other brand!

[charlottewilliams]

I’ve now switched from dm’s to Solovair. I’ve worn dm’s for most of my life and agree with the video. I live in the UK and solovairs are more expensive but marginally when you consider how much your spending anyway. The solovairs are much better quality and more sturdy. I think they look smarter too if that’s something that your into. Also think it’s better to support Solovair as they’re more independent and are still authentic whereas dm’s are a big brand that are very focused on making money.

[gboy]

Loved how you backed your opinion with facts and a solution on how to fix it!! Definitely solidifies it to me