I’ve had a pair of docs every 5 or 6 years since 1981 and I could no longer bear the deteriorating quality issues. The last straw was my Cappers leather breaking open behind the toe box after 8 months. I love DMs but I won’t buy them anymore. I have the solovair 11 hole derby boots and I can tell you from experience, these are of the quality the 80s DMs used to be. Solovair all the way. Thank you for your informative video..

Just got mine today. Shipped DHL from England and arrived to the mid-Atlantic region of the US in 4 days. I got the same model as in this video except not shinny because I’m hoping it’s less maintenance. I’m usually a 10-10.5 in the us and I got 11. They were a smidge loose but as soon as I put in a thin insole they were perfect. So far I’ve just worn them around the house. Last time I wore boots I was a teenager but I know better than to wear them out and about all day. I will note that they’re much more comfortable than what I was expecting. You notice immediately the support they provide. First impressions, I’m very happy with them so far.

Definitely looking into to these to replace my M.I.E 1460 Reds when they inevitably die in 12 months. I'll be watching regularly for updates mate.

I absolutely love my Solovair boots. They're so incredibly comfortable, only took a week to break in, and can truly take a beating. I will never bother with Dr Martens again. They're just so good. They can be worn as work boots and also as a fashion statement.

In my opinion, these boots have higher quality leather than (modern) Made in England DM1460s. The leather on DM1460s starts cracking quite soon regardless of conditioning. The effect is much less pronounced on Solovairs.

Early Solovairs had yellow stiching around the welt, only recently they switched to this grey one, to further disconnect themselves from the Dr. Marten's. Couple things I've noticed comparing old Solovairs to Dr. Martens's MIE: 1. The welt on MIE's is indeed quite more chunky, but the stiching is more uneven that on Solovairs. Also, on DM's the welt begins on the outside of the boot, while on Solovairs, it begins on the inside, looks more clean in my opinon. 2. Laces - the MIE's laces are better quality than Solovairs, but I still switch them for pracord ones. 3. Sole - the sole on Solovairs is 2 mm thicker than on MIE's, the tread pattern is about the same thickness. 4. Stitching on the backstay of DM's, appears to be thicker than Solovairs 5. Top of the shaft in DM's isn't finished in any way, but in Solovair there is thin leather piping. 6. Leather feels the same. 7. The pull strap on Solovairs is tad bit longer, and feels more rigid than DM one 8. Size - I wear UK 9 on most of my boots and shoes, and I do quite feel that DM's are a tiny little bit smaller in size 9 that Solovair Above may not apply to new (gray stiched) Solovairs. Overall they feel about the same, but price wise over here, Solovair is waay cheaper than MIE DM's. To be frank, I would not buy MIE's if they were not on a killer sale, but since there was, I pulled the trigger and got them 30% off on Valentine's Day. They were still more expensive than Solovair though.

I have had mine some weeks - same as the ones reviewed here and I have had real issues with the seam where the tongue meets the boot being very unforgiving on the top of my foot and making them really uncomfortable. When I first got them the seam would fold over when I put the boot on creating a really thick ridge. I sent them back to the factory and I was really glad that they smoothed it over and sent them back so I hadn't lost my first week of pain. I am still having issues with the ridge however so I have ordered some boot stretchers and Ill see if that helps. Probably just needs a few mm of stretch to take that pressure of. Other than that Ive had no rubbing or blisters and I really do love the look.

Love the ASMR as you're handling the leather

Just came through the door and wow they are amazing 😍

They're definitely worth the price. I have a pair from 1997 and they are just as good as they were when I first bought them. I just got them resoled and they are awesome.

Just recently got a pair of Solovair 8-Hole Derbies, and am quite pleased!

Solovairs are the more mature docs. Perfect for someone who grew up wearing the old docs and wants to bring the look into maturity and get away from those distinct yellow lines. But if you care more about advertising you’re wearing the brand you’d probably want the yellow. I’m a big heritage/Goodyear welted boot fan but this video is propelling me to relive a bit of my teenage years and get a pair of solovairs. Still have my old pair from the 90s and it’s unfortunate how fast the new soles wear out vs the old ones. The life of docs are more or less tied to their soles after all.

Nice to see you've got some Red Wings in the background.

I started wearing Doc Martens in 2011 and have loved them ever since, so much so that since then I have ended with 8 pairs of DMs boots(my second pair which are 1914's are Made in England). 2 pairs of my DMs are sandals and shoes. None of my Doc's have failed on me, my first pair is 8 years old now and still relatively like new, the only thing I had done to them was have them resoled at Timpson's with proper doc's soles after 3 years of having them. All my other Doc's are still going strong. I have 2 pairs of 1460's(1st pair 8yr old and for life 4yr old), 1 pair of mie 1914(6yr old), 1461(5yr old), 1490(2yr old), Jadon (almost 11 months old), Fenton sandals (spring 2019) and finally my latest pair 8761 BXB(about 3 weeks old). Not 1 pair of them has failed on me so far. I am curious as to how solovair compares to them with the original pre 00's Doc's being made by the same company though. I look forward to seeing how your solovair boots hold up over time😊.

They are definitely more appealing to look at. I look forward to see how you get on with these. It would be fair if you compared them more with the Made in England DMs.

Definitely looking into this brand after this review looking forward to seeing how you get on! I'm shocked at the 1460s poor quality nowadays with Dr Martens.

Wow looking good

Very interested to see how these hold up to your use.

I've just purchased a pair of Grinders Stag 2015, but I do love the look of these! I'm a huge fan of the stitch colour. I have a pair of vintage Tuff boots that are a bit more matte than these and the Docs, but have a darker stitch thread which I love! They're comfortable, durable, and satisfy the fashion application they were intended for. I will keep these on my Wishlist though. Thanks for the review. I would strongly suggest trying out either the surgeon's or berluti knots. You remove the need for double knots and still use up a bit of length so they don't get stepped on, but more importantly, the knot is much nicer!

Have had my pair for about a year now. There is a real issue with the design of the tongue and the way it folds into an unforgiving hard ridge. This has caused me a lot of pain on the top of my left foot to the extent that I had to stop wearing them for a few months while I treated the injury on my foot (ice pack, anti inflammatory ...) The soles provide little arch support so I had to put an insole in. Anyway, I persevered, wearing slightly thicker socks and the leather gradually softened a little bit. Now they are almost comfortable. There is still a bit of heel lift, but the leather has held up very well. I am not entirely keen on the plasticky look, but overall still happy I got these....

That took me back to my teenage years in the 80's and my first few pair of Doc Martins. I'll be ordering a set soon I hope.

Nice looking boots!

I've got a pair of classic 1460 DM's coming after not having owned a pair since I was a Punk loving teenager in the seventies! after looking at your reviews I'm a bit nervous about the quantity. If these Solovair's fare better over time they may be an option. Thanks for the reviews.

Solovair looks really well refined boots without any doubt looks supple leather

I'm going to get those exact boots. They look great.

Docs started bursting in the late 70s / or about 1980. Sometimes after 2 months, sometimes 4

Did you find that the feeling of the edge of the foot bed is more noticeable in these rather than Dr Martens?

The only thing that threw me off about my pair, is on the site the boot doesn’t have binding of the very top where it wraps around your ankle. Almost mine are constructed a bit different than yours, and my friends pair are a bit different as well. His also are just a smooth leather are the very top, with out binding. Imo they look much better

Only compliant I have with mine is that the tongue on one of the boots always wants to slide over like it wasn't put in right. Tried everything to try and get it to stay but it always ends up going to the side.

beautiful, do they come with the insoles?

I'd be very interested for someone to provide a comparison of the different leather types offered by Solovair. Most seem to go for this "hi-shine" leather, which seems to be the lowest quality leather offered (according to Solovair's own description), simply due to it's similarity to the classic Dr. Martens.

It would interesting to know if they use cork footbeds, like Doc Martens used to. Docs in the 70's didn't need breaking in, from my experience and were comfy from the start. That all changed in around 1985 when the quality dropped and they cut my heels to bits and I still have scar tissue.

I have the Made in England Docs, so I imagine they're just about the same as these minus the coloring of various parts. Hardly wear them, but I'd probably wear them a lot more with the nice greyish/white stitching these ones have. Overall the colors make the boot look a little more elegant and less "hip" than the Doc counterpart.

They look more subtle than the DMs, I like them.

Thanks for your video. I was thinking of buying a pair. What is the best way to break them in with as little discomfort as possible?

Nice video. I prefer these much more than my doc MIE 1460's but unfortunately the soles wear fast as well. May wear a little slower but I didn't really pay attention. Unfortunately any see through rubber sole is to soft and wears quick. But I still love these. Thanks for posting this video.

Thank you for the review! I got a pair of Doc's 'bout a half a year ago and the quality was horrible. They cracked in a couple of months. Wish I could get my hands on these SOLOVAIR boots. Looking good!

Try Blackmans, cherry brogue dealer is my fave of theirs and a fraction of a Doc price wise and they were another company that utilised the sole that DM and Solovair used. East London firm and us hooligans used to get 'em out back of the factory in Hackney.

I think you ought to consider calling some of your vids under the A.S.M.R. banner, cos your reviews and the way you speak are very soothing. Its difficult to explain, but touching and manipulating squeaking,creaking leather boots with a soft informative voice gives a lot of people "The Fizz". Youll need to make your vids at least twice as long and your hits will go up and up. ASMR the new phenomena. (not just boots)

Could.you olease compare with your made in england. As the quality of solovair looks superb. And im sure everyone would love a followup on you m.i.e oxbloods

Finally! :)

Just received my 11 hole steal toe capped solovair derby boots and the quality is great when it comes to how they are put together but I was quit surprised at how thin the leather is. I am used to iron rangers and JK custom boots though. They socked up the leather conditioner very quickly, so a bit dry out of the factory. I will see how they survive 12 hour shifts in an engineering factory :)

Is there a lot of room for the top of the foot in the solovair? compared to dr martens please? because dr martens hurt me so much and I even bruise

Nice!!!

are these the Hi-shine ones?("Navy Hi-Shine 8 Eye Derby Boot" ) or shiny black and hi shine are diffrent types of shine? and what do you think is better to buy, the greasy or the shiney ones? thanks

Just when I thought I couldn't find any more iconic boots to invest in.....

Hello, great video Purchase a pair of Doc Martens M.I.E 1460 they were a UK size 9 and they were so tight on my feet. Just wondering if the Solovair boots have the same fitting as the Doc Martens? Don’t know if I should go one size up on the Solovair boots? I don’t want to make the same mistake. Any advice would be great. Thank you

Are these the Solovair Hi-Shine Derby boot or is shiny black a different model?

hey! i love your boot reviews. You know very much about boots :) i need some advice regarding sizing from the Black Greasy 8 Eye Derby Boot (Last 409). Maybe you can help me please? I ordered the Burgundy Rub-Off 6 Eye Brogue Boot last week in size UK10 (Last 493). Unfortunaly they are a bit too big for my taste and the shiny leather isnt my favorite. The next option is the Black Grease 8 Eye Derby Boot. According to their homepage, the two pairs aren´t equal when compared to sizing. Boots with the Last 493 seemed to be at least 1/2 size bigger then the one with Last 409. What are your experiences? best regards Jo Ny

I bought the monkey boot in December 2020 and they still look excellent. I wear them at least once a week if not two or three times. My next pair might be the pair that you have. The main decision I have to make is high, shine or low shine.

My Solovairs are good. Just a little too big at the top of the boot above the ankle. Making it fit loose like a cowboyboot. I can get them tight.

Are they wider in the toebox compared to the dealer boot

I've had my steel cap DMs for 10 years.... 😁👍

How are your MIE Oxblood Dr.Martens?

Hey, I have a question yall, in relation to the doc martins should I go the same size or a different size? I need to know as I am considering to order a pair and well with my docs I had to go a 1 1/2 size smaller than my normal size and well since Solovair doesn't take refunds for acquiring the wrong size I was just wondering.

Cool boot

For this price range I would definitely go with a polyurethane sole which is proven to be very durable

I bought a pair of these in 2016 after three pairs of Asian Docs split on me. Without a doubt Solovair are the best boots I've ever owned!! Didn't take too long to break in, incredibly comfy and sturdy 😁

Can you switch out the insoles?

WIl these be good to wear even when raining and snowing?

Every pair of DM's I had in the 70's and 80's the soles split after about 6 months and the hot knife repair was hopeless. I was in school and spent many a squelchy day in those things until they eventually priced them out of most people's pockets and these are even worse.

Are these the hi shine ones?

Do the shoes fit smaller or larger?

Another problem I had with DM’s is they don’t come in 1/2 sizes. I wear size 9.5 US but I had to buy Size 10 in DM and it doesn’t fit right at all unfortunately

I will be buying these but the greasy ones 8 eye

**Patiently waiting till Solovair goes on sale** I love my Dr. Martens, I got a pair last year and they're still lasting there is only two small slits where my foot creases when I walk but a little bit of Saphir Renovarice Creme works wonders. However, I was lucky enough to snag a few pair of DM's from the 90's and the quality is night and day now keep in mind my 2021 pair is from *Vietnam* not *Made in England* but I did some digging before I went and got myself just a pair of *Made in Englands*. I ended up finding out that even the current line of *Made in Englands* deteriorate not as fast but quick enough. I love the fact that NPS was like, "Ok well, we'll just keep making the *same* boot*." with the same materials and even adding in a shank. As soon as a sale happens (if one ever does) I'm going to buy myself a pair.

Solovairs use a proper Goodyear welt stitch you can actually buy replacement soles and replace the soles which you cant on the dr martens as they use heat to stick the sole onto the boot as well as stiching

Hello, one question, you bought the 8.5UK, I'm from USA and I usually wear 9.5US, may I know the length of your foot, just for reference, I'm still deciding what size should I get, regards!!

Tengo un par hace 11 meses, son excelentes y de mejor calidad que las Dr. Martens, además todas son hechas a mano en Inglaterra. sería bueno que hicieras una comparación de las dos marcas. Saludos y muy buen video !

Hows your mie oxblood?

I have two pairs of these and three pairs of MIE Docs.....watch the welting on the Solovairs, both of mine had the soles coming loose after about a year, the MIE Docs didn't do that after 4 years.(the one pair i had back then, two of them I got just recently) .... I fixed it by re-welting them with a soldering iron, but it's still extremely annoying.

Bonjour; je n'arrive pas a trouvé une réponse a ma question, peut-être trouverais-je de l'aide ici ? Je suis amoureux des Solovair, et j'aimerais savoir si c'est utile de mettre de la graisse pour assouplir le cuir et éviter de craquer le cuir trop rapidement ou ça ne sert a rien et il vaut mieux mettre de la crème et/ou de la graisse après les avoir porté pour les faire ? J’espère qu'on pourra m'éclairé un peu : ) merci ps: désolé pour la traduction automatique de google ^^ Hello; I can not find an answer to my question, may I find help here? I am in love with Solovair, and I would like to know if it is useful to put fat to soften the leather and avoid cracking the leather too quickly or it is useless and it is better to put cream and / or fat after wearing them to do them? I hope we can enlighten a little:) thank you ps: sorry for the automatic translation of google ^^

Very good looking boots. How do they compare with Redwing boots?

are the sizing on these the same as docs? TYIA. I only have the ones that were made in asian countries if that also helps

Gonna have to get a pair of these when my docs wear out. I hate buying Vietnamese or Chinese made products.

Is the sizing similar to doc martens

Is this the Hi - Shine model? If it is , they don't look that shiny which is lovely !

Since I saw so many Videos prasing the Solovair Boots I decided to buy them, they are my first Boots with laces and so far the quality is perfect, but the Boots realy hurt on top of my feet. I'm guessing it is because there is the stich that combines the tongue of the boot with the Rest, has anyone had similar experiences and did the pain Go away? Cheers

Great video, what jeans are you wearing on the On Foot footage?

In my opinion both brands are a fashion shoe and are Goodyear Welted in name only as they are both GLUED soles. For the same price you can get a proper Goodyear welted boot from Meermin with NO GLUE. The leather quality is head an shoulders above both these boots and for an additional 80 quid you can get MTO Meermins in Shell Cordovan. The only reason to get either of these is British patriotism but its the difference between getting a Triumph and a Ferrari when both are now in the same price range.

From my understanding, DM Made in Englands are still made by Solovair/NPS on contract in Northampton, but the latter does not like to advertise that fact. The biggest advantage of Solovairs though is that their soles are attached through the standard goodyear welted construction, not moulded onto the shoe/boot like DMs, meaning that they can be re-soled by any cobbler, whereas DMs can only be re-soled with original soles by Timpson in the UK. Even with other types of soles, such as Vibrams, DM are quite difficult to re-sole, I’ve tried to get my old pair of DM MIE 1461s re-soled here in the Philippines, but the local cobblers I’ve shown them to seem to be unsure about how to do so.

Oo-aaar my lovely!

Does the "Last" model run wide?

It looks like these boots have the same sole as of DMs

The leather visibly looks better on these than docs. Docs seem a little flimsier and cheaper looking . Well because they are considering these are more money than the regulars and less than the made in englands

Is that an SG in the brackground?

I prefer the yellow stitching.. any videos of them worn for a few months?

How long is you feet from toes to heel? I go 8 for Docs and it's a lil bit tight. I am thinking between going 8.5 or 9 for these boots. Please help me. Thank you.

I have a pair of these and love them, but the top is looser than the 1460s. Compare the profile and last. Its not quite the same. The Solovair are looser despite tightening the laces to the max. Look at Devon's fit, it i s loose on the top as well. This feels awkward because when you tighten the laces it snugs your entire foot, but not over the ankle.

Size. What is your size in cm and your UK number for DMs and Solovair?

Your names not Dave is it?

Are these slimmer than docs?

Interesting about you going up a half size. Currently their website says these boots run about a half size larger. I also wear an 8 so they currently recommend a 7.5 or using thick socks. I also didn't see any reference to the tracing processed referenced in the video ... just FYI ... they do state on the website "It is free and very simple to exchange or ask for a refund, so you can try the footwear in the comfort of your own home to make sure they fit." ... but then at the bottom of the size guide page I found this: "Please note returns for incorrect size are accepted, but we are not accountable for orders where the incorrect size has been purchased." ... What? That seems very poorly worded. I ordered my normal size 8 ... we'll see how it all works out. Cheers & thanks for the excellent video!

Did you use any dubbing to break them in?

I will stick with Red Wing or Thorogood boots, sizing is the biggest issue for me, no half or wide size options. Size 11 1/2 2E / EE US

These are all UK made, doc's are not

I really like these boots but I just can't justify paying that much. I had a pair of doc martens years ago and they were nowhere near as expensive as they are now

They still have the plasticity look of the leather like most of the Dr martens . Does anybody know what kind of leather they use, what grain ?

Don't mess with the Doc .

I want some. 🤗