Solovair's customer service is AMAZING. Bought a pair of Solovair dealer boots last year. It was half a size too big. Return & exchange was a breeze. Then the one of the new boots developed an issue where the right heel was making a whoosh sound whenever I step on it. By that time it was already past the return period. Contacted Solovair asking if they have any suggestions on how to silence the sound. They offered to send another pair and told me to keep the other pair! They'll be my go-to brand for boots for life!

I was literally a Dr. Marten fanboy, I own something like 6 pairs of docs and just 2 months ago, got myself Made in England boots from Indonesia. I tried everything to break them and even after 2 months, my feet were hurting like crazy. Today, I visited Noah's in NYC, saw the Solovair 3 eye Gibson shoe in green, tried them on and they instantly fit so well, it just felt like magic. I visited the Doc store in Soho and just gave away my Docs to those guys. I am sorry but I am never gonna buy Docs ever in my life now :( I am actually now gonna visit Northampton and buy more Solovair. Blue pills for me :)

Wonderful and insightful review!!!! I wear Solovair, GripFast, and Dr Martens!!!! I’ve got a few older pairs of Dr Martens made by Solovair and honestly even though they are decades old, I think that’s when the best quality was available 1970’s/1980’s!!!! I feel a lot of nostalgia for DM’s, but Solovair I think has the edge with the shank these days.

💙 Solovair 💙 …For the past 10 years I was wearing Dr. Martens basically every day and I really loved them. But… even in this short period of time I felt the decline of quality. So I decided to try out Solovair and I guess this love will last at least the next 15-20 years 😂

I'm a OG Dr. Martens fan from the 90s. Bought my first pair 0f 1460s that were not made in England, absolutely not happy with them. The feel and even the look don't even compare to my vintage ones. So I saw a few videos on Solovairs, including this one, and decided to try the blue pill. Ordered my first pair of derbies and man. They look, feel, and wear like my old ones did. Now I'm a Solovair fan.

I loved the video, thanks for putting in the time and effort! Helped out a lot 😁

Really good review. The resole is a real game changer to longevity and especially making the boots tougher. So the issues you said are true like the the stitching that connects to the tongue and the upper aperently thats due to the fact that there is no gusset on the boots while the docs do which is an issue if you want the tongue to hold well properly which I have seen bad reviews about that with the solovairs(though I will recommend to take care of your boots so it may not happen for a while longer) but some people prefer that since it makes taking of the boot more easier but it’s somewhat a shame, the second is the back of the heel yeah they’ve been know for that issue due to the stiffness of the leather but I solved that by using those orthopedic ankle straps you get at the local pharmacy and it really helps and the last part is the leather I will admit it can be bulky and annoying but you have to bare it since it’s better quality and to get it way softer you can use the that balsam or their dubbing, I do straight lace it to keep it secure and it really meads in well but I wouldn’t recommend that lace method you used because it has been know to make the boot quite loose and you want to keep it secure to get it in the proper shape but you do you. And for what what you pay for the solovairs it’s really fair and honest and a good budget boot for the average consumer unlike the MIE docs but I understand why most people will get the Asian docs and all the hype but with solovairs you have the original methods and longevity so it matters to what the people want.

I had Doc Martens back in the late 90s. Tough boots, but one particular pair killed my feet. I bought a pair of Solovair Derbys in brown gaucho leather right before the pandemic. Like putting on an old pair of driving gloves, they fit so well. I wear them more often than sneakers because they give a lot of support and comfort. You just don't see shoe companies these days take the extra effort to construct their soles in a true Goodyear welt like Solovair does. A lot of American brands have butchered their good name by cutting quality, and passing off cheaply made Chinese glued construction junk at top quality prices.

Pro tip when puttin mink oil/wander balsam put it inside of the boot because the oil cant go through the coat of plastic

HALF SIZES!! Wow I'm between sizes for Docs, but always try 1 up and 1 down just to see which fits better but man it's frustrating. Would definitely try a Solovair half size next time I buy boots.

Solovair! 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.

Equilibrated review, I noticed there is a lot of hate around this brand. Just one point: Dr Martend can be resoled like Solovair. Also if you want a boots made of Horween or Steads leather Dr.Martens offers them sometimes, Solovair does not. I also agree that they should offer half size, for me 9 is too tight and 10 too roomy.

The stitch on the outside is fake, Rose Anvil already cut them in half

Actually the Solovairs are a direct competitor to the made in England docs. And the mie docs can’t hold a candle to Solovairs. Superior construction, superior materials (except maybe the doc cxl uppers). Docs are throwaway shoes and built accordingly. So yeah…😂

I have always had Asian Dr Martens and I had to throw them away each time in 1 year because the leather broke on my toe. I'm thinking of taking Solovaire, I've never had a Dr made in England

Living in Northamptonshire borders and visited Solovair factory I can say with confidence Solovair are different league to Doc, Solovair used to make the Doc Martin. Solovair customer service is the best around to, when buying Solovair can come up half a size big

Love Solovairs …. Great boots. However big question …. What’s with the lacing strategy ? Never seen boots laced like that

By the way Ive been on a binge of your videos and just wanna say the quality of your videos and editing is really good quality! I went with getting a pair of Jadons in the end. I looked for the solovair equivalent and man, as comfortable as everyone says it is(which im sure is true) I didnt like the look of it at all sadly. Call me shallow or superficial, but I really love the classic DM's look! A Question; so after watching your video and Rose Anvils, the purpose of the shank is for arch support and structure...since you have a pair of jadons too, with such a thick platform, do you think a shank would be necessary? The platform seems harder to bend and probably doesnt sag as much as the classic 1460's i think. I also liked that you pointed out DM's have got a bigger fanbase, which also means more complaints hahaha. I think its not really fair to brand everything made in Asia as bad. It's thanks to it being made in Asia I finally am able to get my dream DM's. p.s for arch support, as someone with flatfeet, arch support padding does wonders! makes any shoe comfortable! cheaply available too!

I really like the quality of Solovair Boots and the Toe Shank they are definitely more smoother on your feet than modern day Dr Martens and the issue with modern day Dr Martens is the soles don’t last long I only wear vintage Dr Martens these days I won’t be buying any more modern day Dr Martens

Awesome video, loved the comparison between the two.

Sorry where can you get Solovair in the US?

Great video, I think I will try the solovairs in the future

The biggest complaint that I have with Solovair is the pair you get at the ball of your feet. Solovair does not have cushion in the front part of the boot. Doc’s have a cushion in the front part of the boot. My Made in England doc’s hold up better then my Asian made Docs. I taking the blue pill for right now. But I still take the red one but only in the Made in England Doc’s. Team Solovair💙.

Great video! Is solovair's greasy leather more difficult to maintain than Dr.Martens?

How are your solovair boots breaking in ? 🙂

Wear a size 10 in Nike Af1’s, 9.5 in my Chuck 70’s. What size derby’s should I buy??

I owe both the doc martens and the Solovair’s and I look at it this way, which is the better fashion icon..the doc martens, which is the better shoe the Solovair’s

Cool walking montage

So I see you're a Solovair man now. 😊 when is the next Solovair review? I bought my 1st DocMartens just last Tuesday March14, a 1460 smooth leather. 3 days later while walking in the rainy UK-streets, it got leaked and damped--toes got wet. Like my £40 (about $50) Caterpillar steel-toe took 3 years to start leaking/seeping water in it, this DM's took only 3 days after purchase, so I returned it. So now, March 18, I ordered a Solovair crazy horse 6-eye, online. 👍👍 I need some boots here in the UK, not "want", but need coz of...UK trek and all that, and DocMartens failed me on day-3.

Why do you say Doc Martens can't be resoled? There are many repairers on U-tube demonstrating how it can be done. To any half decent repairer it's one of the easiest repairs to do.Original Doc Martens units are readily available and can be replaced easily. I have little confidence in your knowledge of Doc Martens if you suggest they cannot be repaired.

My own opinion is that Docs look better and have that countercultural credit which I love, so I prefer them, although Solovair might have slightly better quality. Thanks for the video!

Sometimes you can get a good looking pair of Docs for less than $100.

I ain’t gonna lie I prefer the grey stitching (the yellow one is too tacky for me but it’s barely noticeable so Idc)

If you wear dc martens size 9US men..how tall are you Sir? Me i know

I also don’t like the stitch down method AT ALL!!! Very uncomfortable to break in

I dunno.... I really wanna like Solovair, but I HAAATE the way the heel looks, almost too big, hanging over the sole. That's what has always caught my eye with DMs. The sole sticks out behind the heel, so it doesn't look like you have giant hoagies for feet that don't fit in the boots. 🤷‍♀️

I made the mistake of wearing a pair of thin socks in my new NPS boots(not Solovair), Dainite soles, much more hard material. I was fine for a good hour or so of my day and working in IT, I was called out to a job, it wasn't far and I didn't need anything so I walked to the customer, about I don't know... half a mile or so. Did the job, on my feet realizing my feet are starting to hurt and took a few minutes to sit down and just chat and update my notes. After the job I walked back and by the time I was in the office my heels were having a lot of impact pain. After another hour or so it calmed right down and the boots being good material my feet were nice and toasty and it felt so nice just sitting at my desk with a lovely warmth enveloping my feet. Another 4 or 5 of those kind of jobs and they should be broken in properly. I am looking forward to winter to see how they retain heat.

I’m never buying dr martens ever again. I loved them in the olden days, but the moderns docs are just garbage. The leather actually got holes in it within 3 months of wearing them and I actually took care of them.

What fanbase to docs have??? It seems like everyone hates them on KZfaq 😂

Great review and thank you. 👍 I think for the price , solovair have good solid construction and very good leather, especially the greasy and gaucho leathers. Both full grain. I find the shank is a great support. I have both pairs of boots, the mie docs and the greasy solovair. Personally, i much prefer the solovair greasy over the docs. 👍 I am admin on a very good solovair group called, "solovair and gripfast boot fans." Plenty of info and pics on there, including mine, if you want to join ? 🙂

Good video, it's the Blue pill for you now 😆

I wore Docs in the 90's and knew first hand their quality. Now my latest pair....Not worth the money! Both heel liners completely fell apart within 3 months, the tongue on the left boot tore in half by month 4 and and I'm about 9 months in right now and I've got a nickel sized hole in the top leather of my right boot. TRASH in my opinion. I wear them 4-5 days a week for work and I should have gotten AT LEAST a year solid worth of wear. SMH.

Solovairs can be resoled because they use glue. Fair enough. But the Docs heat welded seal is vastly superior, so it is a trade off.

1 minute in and im gunna vote solovair, never owned a pair, but i know for a fact that dr marten are complete rubbish. back to the video...

Who cares about resoling?