Dr Martens

[Fifty150]

 

[Fifty150]

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They were stiff out of the box. I laced them on, and went to lunch. I noticed the stiffness of the leather, even as I was operating the pedals of the truck. But after the first few miles of driving, I didn't notice it anymore. Maybe my mind just drifted off to more important things, like paying attention to the road. A few hours later, when I took them off, it occurred to me that the boots felt fine. As if there were no break in process at all. The leather had already begun to mold around my feet. As I put them on again today, I noticed zero difficulty. No stiffness. Every step felt good. This was nothing at all like what I went through with breaking in other boots.

 

[Arnold Layne]

Not a great deal of love for the good doctor in the Lounge it would seem.
Nevertheless I thought I'd post my current rotation of 'Cherry Red' 1460's. The top pair are 'Made in England' the rest S E Asia.
Cherry Red was Dr Martens first colour released on the 1st of April 1960 hence the style being known as 1460.

 

[Fifty150]

Most of us acknowledge what Dr. Martens are, and are not. Where they get me is with the sale prices. You get a good value shoe for $67.99 USD. To me, at that price, it's an exceptional value.

 

[Arnold Layne]

A limited edition in conjunction with the Tate gallery a pair of 1460's made from a couple of paintings by JMW Turner.
You can tell they are made from original paintings as the glaze is cracked

 

[Fifty150]

The leather description was nubuck and suede. I knew that oil would change the color. I didn't care about the color. What I do care about is that oil will moisturize, condition, and prevent water damage. I oiled them right out of the box. No regrets. I know that a lot of people say not to oil suede, nubuck, and roughout. But I've oiled them without any issues. Sure, the color changes. But the benefits of the oil, to me, outweighs the color change.


As for the tumbled nubuck itself, it is incredibly soft. Nothing like the hard, smooth leather, with the painted on laminate coating. There is zero stiffness and discomfort. No breaking in.

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[Jon Crow]

Yep, 1460 8 hole cherry reds and black marten Oxford shoes

 

[Fifty150]

Their first trip to the bar. The oil has already been absorbed into the leather. Buttery soft. Zero discomfort. No break-in. Well worth $67.

 

[Jon Crow]

Not a great deal of love for the good doctor in the Lounge it would seem.
Nevertheless I thought I'd post my current rotation of 'Cherry Red' 1460's. The top pair are 'Made in England' the rest S E Asia.
Cherry Red was Dr Martens first colour released on the 1st of April 1960 hence the style being known as 1460. View attachment 665940

I have cherry reds also

 

[Jon Crow]

Not a great deal of love for the good doctor in the Lounge it would seem.
Nevertheless I thought I'd post my current rotation of 'Cherry Red' 1460's. The top pair are 'Made in England' the rest S E Asia.
Cherry Red was Dr Martens first colour released on the 1st of April 1960 hence the style being known as 1460. View attachment 665940

Your correct also about se Asia, my dm Oxford shoes are made in England but my boots in Vietnam

 

[Edward]

Their first trip to the bar. The oil has already been absorbed into the leather. Buttery soft. Zero discomfort. No break-in. Well worth $67.

View attachment 669939​

These look great. I would think the softer leather will last much longer too. My first pair of DMs eventually split along the top where they crease. I tend to find softer and, for whatever reason, grained leathers like this tend to be more durable. (Though to be fair to those first DMs of mine - the standard, eight eylet boots in black - I wore nothing else, and wore them HARD, for eighteen months before that happened.) My second pair were a waxed brown leather, and I had longer out of those. I'd probably have had them a few more years than I did had there been the same options to have them resoled then as now. I've not had any docs since the late 90s now, but that's really been more down to a shift in my own aesthetics rather than anything else. I did try to buy a pair of those ones they sold for a bit where they promised to repair or replace them forever (for a nominal £25 admin charge each time) for the wife a few Christmases ago, but they'd canned the offer - seems too many peopled took them up on it and it didn't work out as economical for them as they'd thought. I did in the end buy her a couple of pairs of Mary Janes from them, which she loved and wore hard for about eight years before they died.

 

[Fifty150]

There is a small collective of people who are boot and/or shoe hobbyists. They are into things like build quality, construction techniques, parts used, leather quality, etc. The rest of the world just wears shoes. Same way car enthusiasts know about power trains, suspensions, braking, cornering, etc...... and most people just ride in cars.

To anyone who is not a boot aficionado, Dr. Martens are worn because they are fashionable. Nobody is buying Dr. Martens for actual trade jobs or labor. Dr. Martens customers are not looking for the finest leather, or the ability to recraft the shoe. Dr. Martens has never been the best boot that you can buy. The price reflects it.

Dr. Martens boots offer the AirSole. That's what I am buying them for. It is uniquely comfortable. NPS Solovair sells the exact same boots. I haven't bought any yet because Dr. Martens always seem to have a lower price.

 

[Fifty150]

I have seen on the interwebs that people report problems with their feet hurting and that the leather is too stiff.

I've never had that problem with Dr. Martens. Even the smooth leather, which is hard because of the painted on laminate top coat. I just wear them. They break in around my foot, and the way my foot flexes. My feet have never hurt from wearing Dr. Martens.


I have a cousin who also has several pairs. I asked her about that, thinking that a girl's point of view might be different. She thinks it's because people are buying the wrong size. It sounds about right. Dr. Martens only comes in whole sizes. No half sizes.



I recently bought a pair with smooth leather. They felt stiff for about the first hour, or first few hours. Then they were fine. I wore them today. No pain.

 

[Fifty150]

Not a great deal of love for the good doctor in the Lounge it would seem.

The people who buy Dr. Martens, are buying them as a fashion item. The distinct image, and Dr. Martens marketing, appeals to certain tastes. After a certain age, people grow out of them. You go to a job, where Dr. Martens do not fit into the dress code. I remember trying to color the yellow stitches black, and paint the sides of the soles black, so that I can wear them. This was around the same time that I took a pair of brown jump boots, and dyed them black. Not to fear, more young people are born every day. And Dr. Martens has increased their product line to try to capture the next fashion trend. Too bad Dr. Martens didn't think to expand their product line into a better quality boot.