I've heard a lot of good things about that brand but unfornitely it is a pain in the *** to get a pair in the US.My little input on the subject. I've been wearing Doc's for the past 25-30 yrs. still have a pair of 1460 and 1461 that are probably close to that age. When they moved the factory the quality went to crap. Bought two pair that were made offshore, soles were horrible as well as the leather. Barely lasted two years.
Take a look at Solovair. One of the original doc makers, still made in England. http://britboot.co.uk/engine/shop/category/Solovair/Boots
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I've heard a lot of good things about that brand but unfornitely it is a pain in the *** to get a pair in the US.
Some bits which might be useful, sorry but I didn't look up the model numbers.
I've a pair of the regular 10 hole brown boots, the leather is not good, they have delaminated through the creases after a couple of years. I don't wear them a lot. I can't read the label, but I think it says Made in Thailand.
I've a pair of 'For Life' black shoes, I have for a couple of years, and I'm really pleased with them. I wear them 3 or 4 times a week, and that would include walking a fair distance in them as I try to walk 10,000 steps every day. Leather is in good shape, I polish them pretty frequently. Soles are wearing, tread has pretty well gone. I'd buy them again. The soles, and also the overall 'look' of the shoes are a bit chunkier than the regular and Made in England equivalents.
I've a pair of Made in England Shoes and also 10 hole boots. both I bought from the US website, taking advantage of various sales. Both are OX-blood which are a different shade (redder) than the Asian made ones. I was curious about the comment above about the stitching, have to say that I couldn't spot a difference, but I don't have a particularly accurate eye.
I've a pair of the 'greasy look' Chelsea boots, which are made in Thailand, had them a year, got them in the sale, and wore them in the winter, would have been the alternate for the for life shoes. They have worn really well both soles and the leather. (I've never polished them).
My original, crappy made in Asia boots were bought from the British Boot shop when I was living in Australia, so they do overseas sales (from what I remember, they didn't do VAT free sales though). I was in their store a couple of years ago (wife wanted a pair) and I was complaining about the delaminating leather. They said that in their view, the Solvair boots are better than any of the current doc range, including Made in England, and those would be the ones to buy.
I night treat myself to a pair of black boots sometime, and then I'll try the Solvair.
Wow thank you for the break down. All that being said, which line would you recommend and which age the best?
the last two pairs I've bought have been Made in England, shoes were in the last sale, the boots much have been in last years black Friday sale. I'm hoping that the leather is the same quality with the same durability as they used to have in the 'good old days'.
Wow! Sorry to hijack this thread, but those shoes are really nice looking! The 3-Eye Gibson in Oxblood is pretty tempting. Anyone have any experience with how well these shoes hold up? Also, do they not offer US 1/2 sizes?