F-21 t1_ivn9ljn wrote on November 9, 2022 at 4:52 AM

Reply to comment by hazelstone137 in Clothes - What are durable brands? by TheFledge534

> Dr. Martens.

Nope they're sadly a lifestyle brand for the last 20 years. There are a bunch of way better choices out there. At least for the same style, there is Solovair, but if you want better quality something like thorogoods are way better made.

hazelstone137 t1_ivn9wc1 wrote on November 9, 2022 at 4:54 AM

I've worn my Doc boots consistently for 3 years, still going strong. Sorry you haven't had a good experience with them. Seems like every brand is a lifestyle brand. That's the point of having a brand. Never heard of Solovair I'll check them out and maybe I'll join their lifestyle myself.

F-21 t1_ivnpp06 wrote on November 9, 2022 at 7:53 AM

With lifestyle brand I meant that their image and perception is such that people buy them regardless of quality, and ultimately this led to a big decline in quality since the 90's.

These were cheap but durable work boots when they were first made. Today they're just cheap boots, they use cheaper leather, cheaper soles, don't even include a shank, use a lot more of cheap foam instead of felt, they outsource production so they're made in chinese sweatshops so the company stuffs as much profit as they can from selling their overpriced product...

For the 200$ you can get a much higher quality product. Docs don't sell for their quality, they sell cause they're Docs.

hazelstone137 t1_ivo8fyd wrote on November 9, 2022 at 12:07 PM

Makes sense. All mine have held up really well. I guess I got lucky.

F-21 t1_ivogpti wrote on November 9, 2022 at 1:24 PM

In the end, that's all that matters :)

Sorry if I ranted a bit too much.

hazelstone137 t1_ivp4s5q wrote on November 9, 2022 at 4:17 PM

No worries.. I enjoy the conversation. It definitely sucks when quality goes downhill and I appreciate you mentioning the Solovair boots, I didn't realize they were associated with DMs. I'll have to get some to do a comparison. It's akin to the Sanita and Dansko relationship in the clog world.

F-21 t1_ivpckbl wrote on November 9, 2022 at 5:08 PM

Yeah DM was huge back in the day, but the town they made them in (Northamptonshire) was historically the centre of shoemaking in the British Empire, lots of manufacturers were there... Solovair was one of them, and they made lots of boots for DM but also their own stuff.

Alternatively, something like Redwing Iron Rangers is way higher quality. Or in the US style but more affordable, the Thursday boots are pretty decent too.

And lately I really love Jim Green. Amazing quality for the cost, and they seem to be a very transparent company with some good goals. They even show the whole production process. On those boots everything is both glued and stitched... These are actual work boots in SA, not the heritage or classic fashion boots they sell in the US or Europe nowadays.