EDIT: I’m saying “insoles” when what I should be saying is “inserts” slip O’ DE OL’ TONGUE! All these boots have insoles as it’s structurally important for the boot! Sorry!
Huge opportunity for you to fly out to Spokane work with Nicks or JK and design you're own boots..... And even do a battle of a bunch of different PNW boot makers for the Snail Grail Boot.....
Same difference. An insole can be synonymous with the footbed, even though sometimes the latter is used to distinguish the base insole layer that's attached to the boot's structure.
In the end, they are US military combat boots with urethane soles. I should know, as I work combat boots for 4 years that looked just like these except for the soles and they were only worth $30 USD at the time at the military clothing store on base.
In the end, they are US military combat boots with urethane soles. I should know, as I work combat boots for 4 years that looked just like these except for the soles and they were only worth $30 USD at the time at the military clothing store on base.
I bought Solovairs about a year ago and they are the best boots I owned so far. I choose them over Docs because I think they look classier without the yellow stitching. The quality is great and I liked that they came in a little cheaper than Docs.
Re: sizing - I have a pair of 11-eye derby boots in EU 42 (UK 8, US 9). For reference, my normal sneaker size is either EU 42.5 or 43 (UK 8.5/9, US 9.5/10), my Birkenstocks are EU 41 (UK 7, US 8), and my docs were the same size as Solovair. I bought them about two years ago and am extremely happy with the purchase. They're definitely showing signs of wear (in part because they've got a rub-off colour - that's a feature, not a bug) but are holding up just fine and I expect them to last for a number of years. For comparison, my docs (the overseas ones, bought in 2017 so around the time the quality went down) were in such a horrible shape by the ca. 2-year mark that I had to yeet them in the trash.
Yeah I myself went down half size from my true size. For example I wear a US 9 D in sneakers but in my Solovair Dealer Boots I wear an US 8.5 D and they're easily the best fitting boots I own in my collection.
Sizing - my usual footwear size is USA 8.5 and I have really wide feet. Solovair 11 Eye Derby Boots (Last Shape 409) is true to size for me, USA 8.5 / UK 7.5 fits snug with zero wiggle room. Recently bought Solovair Dealer Boots (Last Shape 493) half a size bigger USA 9 / UK 8 to accommodate arch support insoles - and they where a little lose without insoles and perfect fit with medium volume insoles. Also should mention awesome delivery times from Solovair and DHL! My boots arrived from Birmingham, UK to WA, USA in 3 days with free shipping option.
Magic spoon sucks and they are a lie. Check down below the ingredients and you’ll see…BIO ENGINEERED FOOD INGREDIENT google search then you too will know it’s BAD.
One of the usual lemons of solovair is that the sole does not fit completely to the leather and leaves space, through which water can enter very easily
In the end, they are US military combat boots with urethane soles. I should know, as I work combat boots for 4 years that looked just like these except for the soles and they were only worth $30 USD at the time at the military clothing store on base.
As a Brit I’m deeply ashamed of both Dr Martens and Solovair…….each were very good up to about 40 years ago. Production values today are terrible. America, please do not waste your money…..🇬🇧
@@aayotechnology if you have between $500 and $1500 to spare then…..Cheaney….Crockett and Jones….Trickers….Edward Green (if you’re feeling very rich)……I have Cheaney ….the Coniston….I would guess $650 in Dollars. Mine are 22 years old…re soled and heeled at the factory once. An incredible boot.
I bought a pair of Solovairs because they made them in a bright colour that Dr Martens don't make. Aside from the obvious improvement in quality over Docs (Even made in England Dr Martens are a bit naff, thin tears bleeding leather), they just offer better variety 😊
I can't wait to get a pair myself, just matter of time and place.... But I'm surprised it's such an icon with the high price point. Guess people just save up.
@@TheNunakun they’ve had a big price increase over the past 5-10 years. I’ve got two pairs, purchased 8-10 years ago. cost me $350(chestnut with rubber sole) & $400 (suede with leather sole) aud respectively. Just had them both re-soled. both look pretty good considering they’ve had a lot of use put on them. Admittedly they’ve turned into more of a dress shoe than a real work boot, but still interested in Michael’s opinion.
My pull tabs on my brogue solovairs burst immediately, laces broke quickly and winter moisture stained them within a week 😢. I had thoroughly bought into their history researching and gutted. Sold the. For buttons afterwards
I had many "lemons" because I have bought many of them.their quality has dropped since they had to make a rebrand because the Dr Martens lawsuit. They changed materials and their producing standards.
I know docs aren’t the best quality boots in the world far from it yet no one ever complains about trainers being over priced for what they really are which is basically shit!
i have two pairs of solovair's greasy black dealer boots (their chelseas) and love them. one regular pair and the other the gripfast brand steel toes. absolutely love them both, i get a lot of compliments at work about them. I typically wear a size 9, but sized down to 8.5 US (7.5 UK) and they fit perfectly. The only uncomortable part of the break in was the top of the foot for about a month, but now they're the most comfortable boots I've ever owned.
In the end, they are US military combat boots with urethane soles. I should know, as I work combat boots for 4 years that looked just like these except for the soles and they were only worth $30 USD at the time at the military clothing store on base.
I need to correct you on the statement on the insoles 2:45 You were talking about the sock liners. The Solovair have a half sock liner, the Dr Martens a full length. Insoles and their materials are one of the most important parts in the construction of footwear. And high quality footwear has in most cases vegetable tanned insoles that are 2-5mm thick. Cheap footwear has somestimes just fabric or in many cases texon insoles, that are not as durable as leather insoles.
You are confusing the sock liner (insole) with the footbed. A sock liner is in no way structural to a shoe and is put in place with a little to no glue just so it doesn't slide around. The structural part to which the gemming is glued in the case of these boots or other Goodyear welted boots is the footbed.
I recently discovered your channel and I have to say that you produce content of high quality. I appreciate a lot the touch of humour you put in your videos and the "cinematography". Thank you very much 🕺
Thanks for this video and all the research. Solovair simply deserves more recognition. I would tend to say that the only reason someone will choose Doc Martens over Solovair nowadays is the yellow stitching. It's such a fashion statement recognized globally. If you got the yellow stitching, you're "in the tribe" you know. If you're more interessed in quality and durability, choose Solovair. I have pairs of loafers, boots and chelsea from Solovair and I'm very happy with it. The leather, even after months of use, is still astonishing if you treat it well (clean and nourish) and I got no issues with them whatsoever. For the Sizing, I would tend to recommend to size down just from a half size; that's what I did with all my purchases and it fit me very well ; but I guess it depends if you got large feets or not, so beware.
Wooden shanks are used by Crockett and Jones, Trickers, Cheaney, Loake and most British boot makers. If you're standing on ladders all day then get a steel shank but for normal use... All of these boots are are low end budget boots and the UK has high labour costs so there inevitably will be compromises of quality control AND leather quality. Don't expect the same quality and consistency as other budget brands like Loake ( their made in England boots cost £290 though) Be aware that Solovair has a lot of heavily finished leather in their boot ranges. All their glossy offerings are plastic coated leather as are their rub off offering (though the latter use a thinner synthetic pigment than the glossy offerings). Crazy Horse leather is a form of nubuck (buffed surface) . It should also be noted that even "full grain leather" is often heavily finished to cover up cosmetic flaws in the leather. At this price point it is necessary to use as much of the hide as possible and that will include less desirable areas. Having said that, I've owned four pairs of their premium Solovair boots including two Chromexcel leather pairs and two have had surprising good leather quality. The other two ( 1 CXL, 1 calf leather) had some issues.
Very informative... So.... i cannot get boots like the Dr Marthens that i bought in the 90's and lasted me 15 years of very frequent use, even if i try solavair...
When I first watched a couple of your videos, I thought you might’ve had a half million or more subs with your level of writing and production. I was dumbfounded when I discovered you had less than 50k. I have no doubt you’ll get there👏🏽
Interesting to be watching this as the Dr Martens share price collapses another 10% percent today. I used to buy these when I younger, I thought that they were fantastic, although I never understood why I always had sore heals until I started to buy more sophisticated shoes. It was the Docs. Check out the video of Rose Anvil cutting a pair of Docs apart, they are just junk.
That's a terrible lace-fraying design with the lace holes on the Solovairs. Also the fake outer welt and stitching. Well, the general rule is true in life, you get what you pay for.
Another interesting boot worth considering if you want Docs is the Thursday Stomper. They even come in a Cherry color that they only offer with one other boot :)
I got a pair of Made in England DMs a while ago and within the first 8 months the leather had developed holes. A little while after this on a trip to Camden, I found a boot shop where the man behind the counter was trying to persuade some tourists to give Solovair a go, lamenting the poor quality of DMs. Decided to get a pair and about 5 years later they're still going strong but I did have problems with the eyelets too (one wasn't secured in properly so I had to re-attach it with a pair of pliers).
I love how every ad for this cereal doesn't include someone actually opening a sealed box, putting the cereal in their mouth, chewing, and swallowing all in one cut.
Have worn Docs since the late 80's. Kids in Toronto used to roll each other for them - you got caught walking through a mall outside of your neigbourhood by yourself and you'd likely get jumped for your docs. I saved up the earnings from my grade 8 summer job for a pair of cherry 10 holes - my dream boot going into grade 9. Bought a pair a few years ago and just could not work them in - they hurt like hell every time I wore them. Took the plunge after 30+ years and bought Solovair 11 hole in red - put them on right out of the box and wore them around the house all day, they were like butter, so quality I almost shed a f*cking tear. Docs went in the bin. I haven't taken these Solovairs off since! #bunchofuckingoofs #untouchables
Nice video, but i dislike Solovairs. I have 40 Docs and 10 solovairs. What i dislike is the shape of solovairs. Some say Docs and solovair look and feel the same. No they don't. Docs just feel better for me on the foot. I only wear docs with that hard cardboard insole. Those Docs with the cushioned insole are often of less quality. And in the last years i had solovair pairs which aged pretty quickly or were defect. 10 years ago i really liked both brands. I went back to wearing Docs with all their imperfections. I think you have to know what pair of Docs you are buying. For example : I bought the Horween leather docs. = fantastic boots with beautiful patina. Thats no diss to Solovair, i think they are really okay and good boot.
100%. Take this with a pinch of salt because my partner works for DMs, but I was team Solovair for a while, but recently I've started appreciating DMs again after getting some Horween and SF Stead MIE pairs. They fit me way better and have a nicer shape than Solovairs too. If you're comparing the nicest DMs with the nicest Solovairs, DM's are definitely better quality. I think the real problem with DMs is that they sell low and high quality shoes side by-side without really making it clear which is which, so you have to make sure you're buying the right pair.
Get the correct size and wear better socks. I've never had a problem with that on either my Docs or my Solovairs. Sometimes it's just like that if your foot shape is wrong for the boot, and you can get heel pads until they break in
I have the same greasy derby boots from solovair. I got them at an outlet for less than half price, they are very dependable boots, even if the upper is a bit floppy
I want more casual black boots, for a second I considered Solofair instead of Red wings moc toe, because I like the classic styling of the Doc Martins but they are in different planets in terms of quality.
In solovair sizing, I'm a full size smaller for the steel toe models (I'm a UK7, I purchased a UK6 and used a memory foam insole) and usually a half-size smaller for standard (UK7, I purchased a UK6.5. They are slightly roomy, but not enough to warrant the use of an insole.
I’ve had a pair of dealer boots in greasy black for almost three years. They were too tight at the beginning but now are like comfy slippers. I wear them just about as my only shoe in the colder 6 months of the year. They get wet, they get dirty, I wipe them off. I condition them a couple times a year. For the money, I couldn’t be happier. I want another pair in the crazy horse brown
I actually work for doc Martens, the insoles will probably never rip because of the welting and the leather from the made in England is of much better quality than the made in Thailand, it is selected from England and I think it is known to the public, nevertheless I didn’t know solovair existed and they look pretty cool, glad to learn something new, you have a new subscriber. Greetings from Valencia, Spain
bought a pair of solovair cheleas, theyve become my daily shoe. i wear them to work almost every day, and im on my feet all day. ive owned them for nearly a year and outside of expected sole wear and a few leather creases caused by simply having feet, there are literally no signs of damage.
debate around the origin of the leather is a non sense, either south american, or asian, or european, cows are basically the same breeds; a cow is a cow and leather is leather. What's problematic, is that neither Solovair or Doc's really communicate around the stiffness of their leather. Doc's does (a little) by saying it's smooth or greasy or full grain but that's pretty much it. Owning solovairs and doc's myself, i can say that solovair's full grain leather is incredibly stiff and hard to break in.The creasings at the ankle and upper foot look more natural and beautiful just like quality leather should wear over time. But does that makes it the Doc's killer, certainly not. Doc's have their own stiff leather like the waxed full grain and the crazy horse. and construction of the boot are a little different. I happen to have a very large footing, the sole's stitching is a little higher on Doc's that's giving me much more comfort when walking. Even if Solovair's tend to feel more durable, i can tell you that my 5 years old crazy horse 1490 are still up for quite a few walks. Doc's brand lost itself with these "iconic" coated leather, i don't know why, maybe production method has changed, but they are not as durable as they were back in the 90's. As weird as it sound, stiff full grain crazy horse or waxed leathers built in vietnam are more durable than the coated MIE, just because of that plastic coating tending to peel off from their leathers. My point is that both brands have their pros and cons, depending on what you need. just don't go for coated, glossy, or fake leather. they are not worth their price. and if you want your leather to be durable, take care of it with the appropriate methods and products.
don't worry, my first pair of boots were docs and i loved them. I have solovairs now but only because I love the style so much I could justify paying twice as much (i got my original docs on sale). I say just wear your docs through and once they're at the end of life, get solovairs if you still want that style of boot.
I bought docs too, literally less than a week ago. I've done loads of research online and talked to a lot of my family + coworkers about them, they've all said they're absolutely brilliant, except they all bought them over 8 years ago, and they're all the better quality made in England versions. I bought a pair of the 1460 smooths and they feel so cheap it's unreal. It's like wearing a boot made of plastic. They're horrible. I doubt they'd last more than a year to be honest.
Docs are trash if you're looking for a quality long lasting boot, but as far as fashion and comfort go they're fine. Comfort varies with foot shape of course. I'd still buy Docs at a thrift store if I see them, but I won't pay retail anymore. There's just too much markup for a brand name where the quality is barely better than something you could find at Walmart
Last lot of Solovair boots I owned lasted 8 months. Quality wasn’t great. One of the tags on the top ripped off within the first few weeks. Soles split in the end. This was the second pair I’d owned and the last sadly.
Have greasy black, toe cap Solovairs and they're awesome. The gray thread and smoke gray sole is definitely preferred for me. Only gripe is that I'm not small by any means and the boots still touch towards the top when tying them up.
Alten martens waren toll made in england ende 90 anfang 2000 die jetzigen sind extrem schlecht verarbeitet, solovair sind da eine andre liga da sie wircklich england fabrik noch Produziert werden alleine vom leder merkt man es schon
I bought a pair of Gripfast boots in 2000 when i lived in Georgia. Gripfast cost me 400 british pounds, (500-600 american) were handmade and it took about 6 months to arrive after ordering. Back then you could only order from the factory. Fastforward 24 years, ive worn the same boots when i lived in Germany (2004-2008), visited England, Switzerland, and still have them in 2024. The only thing i have added or changed is the insole/padding. The rubber on bottom is about halfway worn down, and there is now a small crack on top just above where the big toe bends. Dr. Martins i owned in 1996-2000 were far worse condition after just 4 years with same type of abuse if not less. Cant speak about Solovair, but if ur going to buy a boot, go with Gripfast, they have lasted 1/4 of a lifetime with zero repairs needed.
they are not at all comfortable for me, I came specially to London to the store where they sell them and it was a disaster, not a convenient form, of any model, for me. I tried on everything that was my size and nothing, a nightmare, it all depends on the leg. i bought two new vintage martins😂
Not sure why Doc Martens get so much crap. I’ve been unbiasedly buying Doc Martens for a while now. I beat the living shi** out of my Doc Martens and they still look and feel better than most of my other name brand boots I own. I cannot say the same for Thursday Boots though
If you want a pair of doc like boots that aren’t terrible quality you’re better off just buying second hand army surplus boots. I bought a pair of second hand Austrian army feldschuh leicht by steinkogler for 40 euro and they’re my favorite boots I’ve ever owned
I have worn Dr Martens since school days back in the 1970s. I find the newer non British made ones just fine. When the soles get worn down I have them replaced at The Key Cobbler who do a fine job. I do look after them well with polish and Wonder Balsam and I never pay full price for them but wait for sale prices.
People don't buy Docs because they're the best boot in the world, they buy them for the specific style, and the adequate amount of ruggedness. If I wanted the best boots in terms of quality, I wouldn't by Docs or Solovair, I'd buy something else, and I feel the Solovairs are just marginally better than the MIE docs. Saying that, DM should really put shanks in their Asian boots too.
That useless bouncing sole is the reason I am looking new shoes... Wonder how many people die from trying to use Martens in winter climates every year?
It is incredible that the marketing teams were able to sell y'all on "air" as a benefit. They're selling air which is free instead of filling that space with quality materials. A+ Marketing department. Ya fooled em
Anybody have recommendations for a boot that works for the desert? I live in the American southwest and I want something that is breathable but still looks good for the office… I was leaning toward Jim Green but I’m not certain yet
I love you Michael. I need to be yr best friend. It would be really easy for you since I have no friends. So let me know what the friendship fee will be
on the cheap Docs you can condition the leather from the inside with either leather conditioner or baseball glove oil and that will help keep them from drying out and cracking too bad
I would still rather have a real good year welt over the fake shit both offer, its the only option that with some care to the upper will make the boot neigh immortal
I only wear Solovair shoes after I found them about 5years ago. I would highly recommend them to anyone who is looking for this style of shoe. I own a number of pairs now and enjoy each one every time I wear them. Lots of compliments on them. They wear great and look great with very minimal maintenance.
