Submitted by shmomolo t3_yvcxoq in BuyItForLife
ok so doc martens are supposed to last forever but my jadon maxes have broken twice in the two years i've had them. platform combat boots are an absolute staple in my wardrobe being 4'10 so i want to buy the best quality possible. i've heard great things about the quality of new rock boots but they don't ship to the US. I'm looking for 3+ inches ideally but could settle for less in the name of quality. thank you!!
I don’t understand why people still think that? It haven’t been true for 30 years..
Word of mouth amd people repeating things they've heard so they sound smart, even of they personally don't know what they're talking about.
This is why every high quality company goes to shit. They can cust costs dramatically and keep prices high and it takes years for the names reputation to tank. The CEO gets to claim boosted profits and bail out in theor golden parachute before it crashes
And even when new, those were designed to be work boots but kind of as cheap as possible footwear for workers.
taken over by hedge fund and quality has gone down.
Its just a fashionable brand name nowdays.
I’m a Red Wing guy but anything with a Goodyear welt can be resoled. Check out r/goodyearwelt too.
Edit: I didn’t read the whole post before this suggestion but it’s worth checking out also maybe Thursday Boot Co?
Btw goodyear welt is famous but most welted boots can be resoled, and ultimately even some non-welted but it's usually notworth it for those.
For example, stitchdown welted construction can be resoled just as easily or even easier (no messing with cork). There's also the Norwegian "Storm Welt" that's a more waterproof version f welted boots. There's the fancier Blake stitch for more dressy shoes, and other types and hybrids...
I haven’t been able to buy new red wings for years because my old ones won’t die. I’m on my second pair in 23 years. Taken them hiking / canoeing about once every week or 2.
I also went to r/goodyearwelt when searching for boot recommendations. Tons of good info there.
If you're willing to shell out, R13 makes a pricey doc marten style platform boot. They're handmade in Italy at a very high quality factory (source: me, I worked there). The sole is a vibram sheet so it will wear out, but easy enough to get resoled. I put winter treads on mine.
I've had three pairs, one of mine the welt came unthreaded after five years of almost every day wear, the other two are still in great shape.
Dr. Martens are not supposed to last forever. No footwear lasts forever as that's not a thing and Dr. Martens are only marginally better than normal footwear as they are a pain in the neck to have resoled. And I'm no cobbler, but the Jadon Max with its ginormous soles may not be repairable. So you may just have to buy another pair.
The issue with people here is they have no idea of what you speak: These are platform combat boots and very few people know what those are. I'd look to their 1460 Pascal Max Platform Combat Boots with the upper being a bit hardier than the Jadon Max version.
Btw while people often talk about how Docs are harder to resole, they're not really much different to othe welted boots. A competent shoemaker will be able to resole them, they just won't use the melting method to glue it together (instead they'll use glue that is used by all other boots and shoes including way more premium ones). The sole of the Docs can be pulled off, the bond is not stronger than good glue (especially not on the new ones). Docs used the melting method so they were cheaper to produce back then. And if you can't just pull it off you can definitely get it off with a good knife (and a shoemaker can grind off the remaining stuff on the shoe grinding machine).
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Not quite, Docs were manufactured by many cobblers, Solovair was one of them, and most were located in Northamptonshire, shoe capital of the british empire... Even today the "made in England" Docs are made in the same city but not by Solovair (in another old Docs factory).
Solovairs are better than the new made in england Docs. They're a lot like the classic Docs were. That said, Docs were designed to be cheap for mass manufacturing. They were pretty durable and comfortable but nowhere near as good as old premium boots were. They charge around 200$ for them today, but a large part of that goes towards a lot more expensive UK workers, and a big part goes towards paying for the iconic style of the Docs.
For 200$ you can get better boots like Thursdays. For ~300$ you can get even much better boots like Redwings. And for ~500$-800€ you can find the best of the best.
Thise high end boots will use thicker leather and much stronger construction methods, and will not include materials that degrade much with wear (like, the Docs have a bunch of felt in the sole, it's more comfortable at first compared to e.g. solid leather but it breaks down with wear, meanwhile a solid leather midsole just moulds up to your foot and gets more and more comfortable).
Wow. You kinda went out of your way to be a jerk there. Ok. Great. Platforms? Go for it.
Thank you for this!
Apparently, there may be better options.. sorry,
To be clear, since the other commenter kinda didn't say this, if you want docs the right choice at the current time is solovair. It's just that if you go beyond the trendy docs look you can get far better quality boots from other companies for around the same price, and boots that initially cost double or triple what docs cost may end up being cheaper in the bifl sense because they will last for many resoles.
Ok. I shall delete the comment.
I got these and despite the cost they fell apart very quickly. They were just glued together though they did look great. My doc work boots which are built better have lasted years.
Are they older? My old ones always lasted. Someone made some other suggestions down there somewhere. I lost my old ones all in a fire. It’s very discouraging.
Danner. I currently own three pairs over 5 years old with lots of life yet.
I concur with Danner. I’ve had my hiking hunting boots for 14+ years. They’re exceptionally good. Plenty of life left in them too.
All old skinheads in UK wear Solovairs now. So...
I salivate over these Nicks customs that remind me of Docs I had in high school: https://www.reddit.com/gallery/xxedeg
thank you!
My wife is selling some brown nicks, typically a women’s size 7, nicks size 4.5e. We love their boots but she finds White’s boots to be better for her arches.
solovair all the way. Had mine for 2 years still good as new (almost!)
I bought a pair of boots from this company before Covid and have been so very pleased. They are handmade and of great quality. I will need to get mine re-soled soon but that’s another good thing about them…they are repairable. Mine look a lot like Doc Martens but are lighter and more comfy to wear for hours.
PNW logger boots. They are very expensive but will give you a stacked heal, and are as nearly endlessly repairable as footwear gets.
Thorogoods!
My Solovairs have been going a couple of years regular wear with no issues. Need a resole but that's no problem with a Goodyear welt. Pair of Lanx also seem very good quality and expected to last but currently had under 1 year so will have to see.
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What about Panama Jacks? Manufactured in Spain. I have four pairs of these shoes. Very good quality and they will last a very long time.
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There used to be UK models that were guaranteed for life...
Doc martens are trash! My spouse switched to Thoroughgoods a few years ago. Made in USA and you can get them resoled indefinitely. Danner also makes lovely boots.
The original doc Martin manufactures now work under the name “Solovair” so if you want the original quality order from their website
Whites
whitemike40 t1_iwdnst1 wrote
Doc martens are not supposed to last forever, maybe years ago, but now they are cheap disposable footwear