Back to my roots DR MARTENS Classic Shoe Designs 

Good to see you back!

You definitely right, shoes are making a comeback and I think shoes will make a big comeback in 24, kudos devonreviewer

I have the Made in England 1461's in Horween Cavalier, and I installed elastic laces on them to basically make them slip-ons. Haven't worn them a lot, but they're okay. Definitely the best Docs I've ever had, but I never plan on buying boots/shoes from them again.

Split toe derbies are an acquired taste but most people into shoes and boots get into them eventually. I'm not sure how these are made but for many manufacturers the split sole stitching has to be made by hand and is quite a highly skilled job. I managed to "get into" split toe derbies and then sort of fell out of love of them. I still own a pair of boots and a pair of shoes with a split toe but let the others go.

No nonsense.. at 56 gone back to dms . Had a a pair of 1460s when around 14 year old and wore them all most exclusively for a few years . Don’t remember them wearing out think my tastes just changed . Bought 4 pairs over Christmas and a pair of Solovair. Takes me back to fantastic time in my life . They are cool without trying ..,

Man, people can say whatever they want about Martens quality but those damn shoes really look sharp. No wonder why teenagers from every generation gravitate towards them.

I bought the Saddle Tan 1461s in the sale too (although I missed out on the extra 10%!) as i'd wanted them for ages. i have some DM boots that are a chukka style in a similar leather and they have lasted 10 years or so. The boots also have the commando sole and it has also lasted very well, even with my odd over-pronation ware pattern

Doc Martens were so good once. The last pair I had was in 2014. The back of the heel dug into my foot so badly that it was painful. That's when I bought my first pair of Solovair, and I'll never go back.

I owned a pair like these years ago. They bit into the back of my ankle very painfully. Couldn't wear them. Hope they've fixed that. Loved my DM boots.

Those look sharp!

The 2046 is my favourite design. Especially in the grained whiskey leather.

I turned to shoes as well. I got Viberg bastion and i all ready have red wing work oxford. I really like idea of 1461 made in uk but they dont fit. Green carrera is a killer shoe in my mind

The saddle tan looks good. Used to wear that style a lot, but one word of warning after a year or less of use the leather cracks at the front where there is a toe crease (also the sole is a problem). But if you got them in a sale it is probably worth it.

The 1460 Pascal Waxed Full Grain Leather model has the commando soles.

They made a cfs leather version of their 1460 just before Christmas that was made in England and had the commando sole. They look very chunky and was very tempted. Might still be able to find a pair 👍

You should get some white leather shoes and make an update on the patina over time.

NPS/Solovairs are still very much budget boots for English made boots. That's inevitable given our labour and other costs (energy costs, taxes, business rates, property, VAT etc.) and they cannot be compared with the better English manufacturers who charge significantly more. Having said that, I've owned two NPS brand boots and four pairs of Solovair "premium" branded boots and their full grain leathers are pretty decent and not at all comparable to Doc Martins that I have examined. Their QC has been a little mixed.I do know that Solovair also makes footwear with the Doc Martin's look which does include shiny, coated leathers and pretty poor, corrected grain and rub off leathers. Strangely enough these have been at pretty much the same price as my "premium" boots with full grain leather though I notice they are phasing these out. There's a lot of misinformation out there that Solovair were the original Doc Martin manufacturer. The reality is that Solovair did manufacture a small number of Doc Martin's footwear some of the time, in a factory that employed eighty to a hundred people but that R Griggs, the owner of the Doc Martin brand, employed three thousand people at their peak in the UK making Doc Martins and the vast majority of Doc Martins made were manufactured in their factories and not by NPS. And from memory they had leather in the 1970s and 1980s that looked just as artificial as the majority of today's Doc Martin leathers but that most people never really knew the difference between good and bad leathers back then.

I’ve still got my For Life boots. Black and Ox Blood. Black pair are very very worn but still ok (just)! How do you get them to honour the ‘for life’ deal?

Something about the shape of these is just amazing. Say what you will about DM, but you can't say they make an ugly shoe.

Concerning resoles, unfortunately AirWair no longer sells the outsoles to cobblers in the U.K. I got my solovairs resoled by The Key Cobbler, they also did Doc Marten resoles with on-brand outsoles. Sadly, when I went to try to get a pair of vintage doc martens resoled, I found out Airwair is no longer providing them. I was told they were doing it to trial their own resole service, but never heard anything of it anywhere else and got no reply from Dr. Martens when I emailed them to ask about it. Luckily, The Key Cobbler now offers a different PVC air cushioned sole (virtually identical to the older style of post-DM Solovair outsoles). I hope to get one of my pairs resoled with them when I get the chance.

I think they use them soles on the industrial dm safety boots.

Nice pick ups but i'm done with DM's as the quality is nowhere these days since they took their manufacturing away from Solovair. If i'm ever in the market for a DM/air sole , then I will go Solovair.

should have gone with the black 'made in england' 1461. quality is so much better ☮

Much as I'll wade into the Docs vs Solovair debate here, but I have been looking at the Gaucho Crazy Horse leather ones. Docs still do look good though. Style-wise they look weird to me as a shoe rather than a boot, but that's just personal opinion to me. Docs over all still look good

Uk 1461 had actual shank. I don’t get why not in others. It felt great but instep was too high

Fantastic video, I don't care what people say, love DM shoes!

Just watched your shed wood burner install video. How is that keeping up after all these years?

"As I say" counter: 3

ignore my comment, well that's nice..!!