DOC MARTENS 1490 VS SOLOVAIR ASTRONAUT BOOT

Dr Martens 1490 versus Solovair Astronaut boot!
The side by side comparison the world has been waiting for!
This is the classic story of two best friends that grew apart and went separate ways.
This is also my story about my classic journey to find my next favorite pair of boots. \
I’ve looked at everything from Dr. Martens, Thursday Boot Company, Wesco, Frank’s, Whites, JK boots, Timberland, Salewa, Bates, Corcoran, and the list goes on!!!!
I have not found a single boot that gets as close to what I want as Solovair and Dr. Martens.
Every single one of these boots are a trade off in my opinion for the way I plan to use them.
I am really trying to find one boot that can cover 90 percent of my weekly activities.
This has been much harder than I imagined it would be.

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Much love, KRT LYFE!
Thank you!

#krtlyfe #SOLOVAIR #drmartens

[KRTLyfe]

I’ve done a lot of pondering off camera and while editing this video. I also had my first bad experience with Dr. Martens since filming this vlog. I do think the Solovair boot is better than the Docs but $75.00 USD better EHHHH. It is a very close race almost like Mercedes vs Redbull 2021. After looking at countless boots from brands across the world and the United States such as White’s, Frank’s, JK, Corcoran, Bates, Red Wing, Salewa, and the list goes on. I am still leaning towards the derby “combat boot” design because it is my favorite and most versatile for my life style. All of these boots come with some form of compromise. Hope this video helps someone out there in a similar conundrum. 

Thanks for watching!

[szefula]

Bought a pair of 1460 Docs, they had to change it within a few weeks, the second one had have a new sole and died in less than 3 years.
Bought a pair of Derby Solovairs and they will be 4 years old in a few months. No issues. Price difference was £30…

[susilena]

docs quality is rubbish nowdays, solovair is much much better, better leather, better sole, with woodshank ....

[Shnitzy]

that slimmer, cleaner look from Solovair is worth the extra price to me. love those boots

[markanderson]

It's great to get lost in a comments section with people nerding out over boots.

[vonanstetten]

I got the Solovair 8-Eye Derby boot for 6 month now. I have to say that the price difference to the DMs starts with the way better quality. The Solovairs are made with an old traditional shoemaking craftmanship. The shoe is able to fit to your specific footshape over a long time of wearing, so they get more and more comfy over the time. The Seconds Thing is the way the insole is made. The solovairs got a classic hard leather insole that gets the shape of exact your footprint over the time. When i feel with my hand inside the boot, there is my personal footbed now. DMs Just don't have it, it's a simple artifical leather insole that does nothing exept getting broken to fast.
My wife and my oldest daughter got DMs and the Long Time quality is a joke.
For me there is no question for the price difference. The price for solovairs is absolutely honest. They're Made in England and the way they're made on these old, heavy machines says everything. I got no information about the long time quality of the solovairs. But for me it's absolutely clear that they last for many, many years.

[HarryFlashmanVC]

Red Pilling Doc Martens wearers...
So, I'm a UK based blasting engineer in my 50s. From 1985 to 1995 I wore Docs pretty much all the time, comfortable, tough, affordable, repairable. 1995 to 2010 I was desk bound so it was shoes and Chelsea boots. 2010 Set up a blasting business, back in the field. Bought 4 pairs Docs, 1 pair Chelsea, 1 pair steel Chelsea, 1 pair laced I pair steel laced. Within 12 months all had fallen to bits, furthermore I had serious lower back and knee issues. Went to see my physio who diagnosed poor footwear.
Switched to Solovair...
Like wearing the old Docs as they once were.
The biggest problem with Docs is they no longer have a shank. Shanks are essential in boots because they give the stiffness and support needed. A boot without a shank is a trainer (sneaker to you Americans).
Boots like Iron Rangers use steel Shanks, Solovairs use hard wood (oak or ash), other companies use fibreboards or GRP etc. Whatever you use, no shank=no boot....
Modern Docs.. fashion items
Solovairs = boots

[MrJoshiej]

Solovair all the way the quality of Doc Martens has gone way downhill

[reynoltrevino]

I was under the impression that Solovair boots were Good Year Welted and can be resoled, whereas Dr. Martens are glued and cannot be resoled. That's where the real $75 difference is.

[martinsmith]

Nice review and thank you. 🙂
The solovair leather does seem better.
I would love to see another review of these 2 boots. Perhaps after a month or so of wearing them etc, the differences. You seem to give a good honest opinion and the comparison of the 2 in the future would be great. 👍🙂

[ASeanCurry]

The Solovair is the better boot and you'll see that when the DM falls apart. You need to research the NPS (Solvair) history and then you might understand

[vman]

These boots are now the same price in the uk, with the made in England dr martens now £220. Solovairs are way better for the price

[dylankelly]

I think for a fair apples to apples comparison you should have reviewed a made in england Dr Martens boot vs a Solovair Derby boot, not the astronaut boot. The astronaut boot is a more narrow last.

[FEARisCOLD]

I have 11 eye high shine and 8 eye greasy for almost a year now and theyre dope. Theyre tough. Ive purposely tried to get them a little beat up and its hard and I live in nyc lol. I dont think Docs would have lasted this long with me.

[Slappadatface]

It’s not a debate, and if you know about shoe construction, it’s not even close. Not remotely. Docs aren’t even at the quality of target shoes. Solovair is what docs were when they were good.

[PetrolheadShrew]

A fairer comparison would have been the Made in England Dr Marten, that would have levelled up the price difference a lot, however, over here in the UK, I don't think DM do an English made 1490 today, inly 1460.

That said, trust me, if you come back after 6months of equal wearing, you'll be telling us that you'll never buy an Asian made DM again, because they're not even worth the 196usd you paid.

The corrected grain cheaper leather will be splitting and cracking, the shankless soles collapsing, and the heel badly worn out!

Solovair rule, still made in the NPS factory in England where DM started before they decided to put profit way before quality and slash their production costs by being inconsistently made all over Asia.

[sharifbukhari]

The biggest difference is in the quality of the leather and the soles (they are resoleable!). Solovair boots are thicker and the leather is of a much higher quality (tighter grain structure), according to Rose Anvils testing. They cut both boots in half and showed that internal components of the Solovair midsole have much better structure with a shank; the outsole is better welded and is more wear resistant with a more aggressive lugs. Even that glossy coating of Solovair is better and is more "high shine" while the Docs look more like a "medium shine" in comparison. Solovair are worth extra money in every way. Solovair having replacement soles easily available is what made me get mine. So they'll last way longer than Docs ever will. I don't imagine I'll buy Docs again

[jquill]

The welt “stitching” on the solovairs is purely cosmetic, the real stitch is hidden. Apparently solovairs are more easily repaired also.

[whatarefriends]

Great review. Key thing I noticed is didn’t you say the Solovair leaks? I saw a guy standing in a stream with non waterproof Docs saying they didn’t leak

[flproductions]

That extra $75 is going to the local, and traditioned craftsmanship from actual persons in the UK. So one has to ask themselves: Should I proudly wear something made by labor that is compensated fairly, by people that live in actual houses with nice kitchens, or should I wear a product that is made in a sweatshop by persons that live in tin roof structures surviving on soup?