Legend, don’t even like these boots but love the reviews. I’d honestly watch you review a piece of plain A4 paper! Great presentation as always with a touch of ASMR. Peace ✌️
I switched to Solovair, absolutely love them!! I do have my Made in England 1460 Docs but I will not buy another pair of made in Asia, they did not last as well.
I use pledge furniture polish. Works great on corrected leather coated boots. No grease no mess and safe to use. I found most polish products will not penetrate coated leather. High end boots , calf leather Or cordovan, I use saphir renovateur. Great video! Great Reviews as always. 👍
Good review mate, had both solovair and made in England docs. Both brilliant boots however the leather I prefer on the docs as it wears a bit nicer than the solovair boots. I recently bought a pair of Swedish m59 army boots for work and long walks in the woods, I definitely recommend having a look at them! Cheers
I used to consider MIEs as an option comparable but still worse than solovairs, but with the DM/Solovair resole costs in the U.S. (a few UK cobblers will do it, but shipping is a pain and prices are still somewhat steep, but they're my only option), I'd much rather go through that hassle with solovairs. Though, if I lived in england and had a pair of MIE docs, that service would be worth it
From my experience with corrected leather on my dr martens, only waxy products can bring out the shine as the wax will sit on the surface. I find a shoe cream that contains wax works great as well as a regular shoe wax. I prefer the shoe cream because if you put too much of regular shoe wax, the wax will crack and flake off whereas the shoe cream will be less likely to flake. You're right about wonder balsam not penetrating! The corrected leather doesn't let anything penetrate. That's why wax works great for shining.
I've found saphir polish does penetrate better than most since use that same stuff on my tricker's so been trying on my 6 eye brogue pair from solovair
I just started getting into coffee for a couple months now with the aeropress (and I got a burr grinder and some more things). And just now saw you have so much content I didn't know about coffee! I was subscribed from when you started with boots and denim. Maybe some more coffee content soon?? ;)
@@DevonReviewer my local roaster doesn't like it, because it's too small and the cup isn't great he said. I could only see the new aeropress go as a camping thingy.
Thanks, yes i have heard good things about Mink Oil, but as @Blake Davis says this particular leather has a coating which means virtually nothing penetrates
@@bryanvar8310 Funny you should ask. I actually did but noticed some of the leather started failing. I contacted Solovair and they paid for a return to check them out. I miss them though, because they are the best dress boots I ever owned. I'll keep you posted on what happens with solovair.
@@glassbreaks99 Right! I completely forgot about this, sorry. They came back and I've been enjoying them ever since. One thing to note is that the "slipping strap" or whatever you call the strap with the logo on the back, failed on both boots! Solovair has acknowledged this. They repaired the first when they got them but not the second, wich is annoying. They still offered to pay for shipping and repair, but I'm sick of waiting... Anyways, best boots I ever owned.
Great video as always! Just curious as to whether you see the flaking around leather creases in the solovair that I have gotten in my MIE docs? I find that plastic coating om the leather just does not age well. Thanks!
My pair of Hi-Shine Solovair cracked on the toe box in less than 6 months (considering that I mostly stayed home because of lockdown), and support replied it isn't the manufacturer's fault. Unfortunately, Solovair isn't even close to the old Docs.
The only thing that I don't like, is that with the hot knife construction, no cobbler is able to rebuild these shoes to factory specifications. A lot of cobblers do other things, and are able to resole the boot. But they're never truly rebuilt.
@@deadlegs187 It sounds like your cobbler glued them on. Which is not the same as melting the welt and sole together with a hot knife. Glad it's working out for you.
Your beeswax contains naphtha(lene). It's definitely not an alcohol! Naphtha is a hydrocarbon from coal tar or petroleum distillation/fractioning. I couldn't not point this out, having spent years in geotechnics and geoenvironmental contaminated land remediation. :-)
@@themisunderstoodgorilla7030 In theory it could have alcohol as well, however I'm less inclined to think that this is the case as it would flash off pretty readily. Turpentine and heavier, less aggressive solvents are most common in shoe polishes.
do you have any experience with NPS shoes? I like the leather sole and as you will know they are made by solovair, and have a boot identical to this but with a different - imo nicer- sole. The model is the "Heath" I have just got some redwing iron rangers and they are brilliant - highly recommend
i am really amazed by the amount of wear on your docs. i wear standard doc martens on a regular basis. my current pair has been worn daily for over two years now, and even the ribs are still intact. if you have already worn out your soles in just six months, there must be something completely wrong imho...
@@DevonReviewer are you sure it's not the way you walk or something? Lots of people put lots of miles in them and they last a fair while. I too find it bizarre the speed you go through them. Yet you keep going back to them 😳
Have you seen the tredair boots, made by doc martens, I bought some a couple of years back and seem to wear better than doc martens sole, the tread seems thicker
I am looking for a place to resole my DMs. Solovair actually sells replacement soles and in England there are cobblers who resole the Goodyear welt. I am on a search for one in America. I know it is expensive to resole any boot, but I hate to throw away good leather. I have a pair of DMS that will be 21 very soon. They had lugged soles and they are just beginning to wear down. I picked up some soles from Solovair thinking "if they sell the soles and they resole in England, they must resole in the USA..." Not quite so simple. Help a sister out.
@ Angus’s Dorman, send them to England to get them done. Sometimes I become attached to boots in a sentimental way when they are worn in ‘just right’ I have a pair of DM’s that are over 35 years old and I can’t part with them, they would still last long than buying a new pair because the quality of new ones has dropped.
before you send the boots overseas ......you may try your luck with cobbler Ingo Keller (www.schuhgott.de) from cologne. He does the whole resole work for Red Wing germany and partly other european states, but he also resoles other branda. I have seen pictures of docs, that he resoled with any sole the customer wishes. I have myself let him resole a pair of Red Wing and the work was superb.
Hi there, great videos. I’ve just bought a pair of solovair nut grain derby boots (they on their way to me in New Zealand), what can you recommend to soften the leather ?
hi there first time viewer, been eyeing the brand for awhile since ive sold my doc martens. what would you say about sizing regarding these particular pair of boots? i normally wear a size uk8 however have average size feet so anything too wide or too narrow isnt great for me. also i tend to stay away from shoes that are too pointy as they are not my style. for now im eyeing solovair's 6 eye astronaut boot as a simple entry model. would like to hear your thoughts if you got time. cheers mate.
Hey Devon, I've been looking at buying the 6 Eye Darby, but I noticed it does have a different last from the 8 eye Darby. Do you notice a huge difference in the silhouette between the two? It seems the 6 eye has a less "bulbous" toe compared to the 6 Eye.
I realise I'm answering this late, but for others interested... There's a big difference in the shape and fit, primarily in the height of the toe box and the amount of room around the forefoot. The 8 eye's 409 last feels to me like I've slid my foot into an oversized Wellington boot, even when the length is perfect for use with thin socks. The 6 eye shares a last with the Astronaut, which I've also tried. The fit is more normal and it feels less like a Welly. I do like the look of the 8 eye toe box though. But the fit is so bizarrely floppy that I'm considering donating mine to charity, 2 weeks after I bought them. I can't deal with it with an insole as it would reduce the available length and my toes would then contact the front of the boot. Ditto for thicker socks. Very frustrating. Other interesting differences with the 8 eye and the Astronaut are that the internal heel counter on the Derby boots is external on the Astronaut. I find the position of the top of the counter on the Derby to be very daft - it's perfectly positioned to cut into my skin immediately below where my ankle bone protrudes. If it was 5mm lower it wouldn't be a problem (I know as a 5mm insole fixes the issue). I don't think I have unusual feet, and I'm coming to the conclusion that the Astronaut and 6 eye Derby are a much better design than their 8 eye Derby. There's also a leather lined version of the 6 eye Derby (that I assume doesn't have the poorly designed internal heel counter), but it comes in very limited choices of leather and is more expensive. This Brogue design is by far the best value for money, but it's not really my style.
Since these have leather lining, would it make it part of their lifestyle line? On their solovairdirect website they have classic, premium, and lifestyle. Been wanting a pair of lifestyle chelseas but not sure about the leather quality. Not sure if the full grain leather is worth it because the hi-shine from them isnt good imo. Also bought a MiE pair of doc martens and wasnt impressed, especially with some stitching sliding out of place, and as far as im aware, the same place that makes MiE make solovair. They dont really specify what the midsole, and insole are, or what the rest of the inside is anywhere
Hi Paulo, MiE are not manufactured in the same factory as Solovair - we are separate brands with separate factories. For further help with our footwear, email us at customer.services@nps-shoes.com
DevonReviewer ah my bad I knew you had another pair and I knew you had red boots ( the dms ) and my solovairs are red and I just assumed yours were too since everyone gets the black dms but my original question stands on the update since that was about five or six months ago
I tend to use a generic all cedar shoe tree, I like the ones that have the additional sprung section for the toe box. Lots of bargains out there if you look around!
This is a big no-no for me. I don't like the soles, the cosmetic stitches, the plastic sheen of the bookbinder leather which produces inevitably the most cheap-looking creases that crack after a couple of years. No no no.
