Doc Martens

[littleroad]

My DD13 has spent the last year surgically attached to her Docs. They’ve worn down too much and need replaced so I ordered a pair from Schuh. When they’ve arrived they felt almost plasticky. The leather is quite hard. She has wee feet so they’re junior ones. Her old pair are pretty soft and pliable. I appreciate they have had 365+ days of wear but neither of us remember them being hard like this at the start. Is this how they are or have we been unlucky?

I would expect shoes that expensive to last more than a year!

I’ve just bought a pair of Solovairs which are hand made in the factory that used to make DMs before they became mass produced. They’re really lovely and don’t feel plasticky at all.

I’ve never had DMs so can’t compare though.

I don't know about tbe junior ones, but the adult ones are either the original 4160s (?) or they also do ones called Pascale which are a much softer leather and don't need breaking in.

are they real leather, or vegan leather? My friend bought vegan leather ones by accident and hated the feel

As they’re Junior ones they are considerably cheaper than adults. That’s the merit of fiddly feet I guess. She has worn them almost constantly. With shorts etc too and they’re her school shoes. In all honesty I’m not disappointed by the wear. I will have a look at the other brand though.

I think it depends on the style, dome are softer than others. Both of mine took the skin off my shins!

Double layer of socks help, and wearing them little and often helped to break them in.

I believe there is a cream you can buy which softens them.

Mine are so comfy now that I hate wearing anything else.

**sorry posted too soon! She hated the feel of them, realised they were vegan ‘leather’ and swapped them for real leather

I’m starting to wonder if they are vegan leather. Will see if I can add a picture. They even look different!

I wear Doc Marten youth range boots (the perk of small feet), I have 2 pairs - one are the "pascale" style which were pretty soft from the start and didn't need breaking in, the other are much harder and to be honest I can only wear them for short periods or they hurt, although they do seem to be (very) gradually breaking in

I got into Doc Marten's about three years ago and now own several pairs. They used to be manufactured in the UK but as far as I'm aware they're largely made in Asia now. There's definitely a difference between the look and feel of the leather across the ones I have. There just seems to be a cheaper quality to some of them. Unfortunately that hasn't brought down the price. I have Doc Marten socks (double layered with padding in places that may rub) but with some of the boots I stick blister plasters on before I get a blister.

Also, I have size 5 feet, and their size 5 fitted me properly, but later ones I've bought are always on the large size so I need the double layer socks. I think they're just created on a conveyor belt in China now.

It does sound like you may have bought vegan boots by accident, they have lighter labels on the back. I think the colours are reversed.

Real DMs come with a guarantee for the soles and uppers. At least that's what the DM store staff told me when I bought my DD's first 1460s a couple of weeks ago. Two years on uppers and a year on soles I believe but possibly the reverse. Might be worth exploring.

I wear Doc Martens to work. I’ve worn them every day (except Sundays) for 6 years. There’s still plenty of wear left in them.

Are childrens DM’s different to adults? My DD had a pair of DM’s when she was a teenager. She simply had to have a pair of purple DM’s so had them for Christmas. She didn’t wear them everyday (not allowed for school) but most evenings. They lasted until she decided she didn’t like DM’s anymore 🙄 Probably around 2 years

I think some of the childrens Docs don’t have leather uppers. They’ve been made in Asia for 20 years now so there hasn’t been a recent reduction in quality. It’s really hard to find the materials on the childrens docs so it might be worth looking on their website.

The leather and feel depends on the style you bought. The 1460s are very hard leather. I’ve had the Newtons and currently have the Pascales which are both very soft leather. I would struggle with the 1460s.

What material are the Vonda boots? I keep looking at them & trying to think no I'm not having them, but I really want a pair.

I have been in a DM shop a few times to double check I don't want a pair (because I was sure I should!). I wore them as a teen and the leather now definitely looks different. It's almost like it looks too perfect. There's a sheen to it and a smoothness that doesn't look like leather. The vegan ones actually have a bit less of that smooth perfectness. I found it strange so checked where they were made.

Having had the problem with Hunter Wellies after they moved away from their traditional U.K. production, I decided against the DMs. Not because other countries can't make shoes, but when a production move like that takes place, I've learned from experience (looking at you Hunter wellies that fade and crack) it's not for quality improvement.

I ended up with a pair of g-star boots and loving them. No idea where they're made but the quality was better and they're also comfortable.

We are going to head into town after work today and have a chat with the staff at the Docs shop. That’s where she bought her last pair. The wear is quite pronounced on the soles, at the back and very one sided. She’s developed a sports related knee problem and I think the angle of the wear is worsening the issue. She is quite lop sided in the way she walks anyway! Will take old and new boot with us for comparison!

Solovair used to make DMs before they outsourced production to the Far East.

Their boots are better quality and made in the U.K.

uk.nps-solovair.com/

Another vote for Solovairs. They are what docs used to be.

Solovairs are not cheap but they are much better quality than DMs. They come up regularly on ebay but watch the sizes. They tend to run a little large.

The lopsidedness needs to be assessed now, or she'll have problems later. Get it checked out by a specialist.

The plasticky leather is probably patent leather. The patent leather docs are a pig to break in. Return them.

She is under a physio. She’s a swimmer and she’s developed a knee problem which isn’t uncommon. Lots being noticed now about small knee caps and shrunken muscles. Not a lot can be done about a small knee cap unfortunately!
Went to the docs shop today. The girl agreed that the leather wasn’t as good as her old pair and also said the quality of children’s boots isn’t as good as it is for adults. She went for the Pascal leather ones which unfortunately I had to pay adult prices for! Will look at the other brand though as it would be good to see a comparison.

Might be worth buying Doc Socks, available on the DM website. They are double layered where they need to be. They are made specifically for ‘breaking in’ new DM’s.

@littleroad , I'm glad she's seeing a physio.

The pascals are ok, don't need breaking in. The other brand equivalent is £179, but they often are listed on ebay, worn only a few times, so you'd probably get them for much less. There's also an outlet site. Be prepared for the sizes being unpredictable though, so make sure you can return or resell them.
I got my derby boots for £35 including posting and they were as new.
Solovair do half sizes, from 3 to 12 or something, which is a big plus.

Just looked at the DM site and the children's shoes stop at size 3! That's shocking.

IME the quality of kids DM's is very poor compared to adult's.

I gave up on DMs because of the drop in quality and the lack of half-sizes.