Doc Martins

[dsonyay]

Hi.. I'm interested in a pair of Doc Martins shoes.. anyone wear them? Was there a long break in period if leather?

What about their Chelsea models? What do you think of them?

[Kirri]

I've loved my docs in the past but definitely require breaking in over time. But they last for a long time and when broken in, are so comfortable. I have experience with 8 hole boots in regular leather. I've also had shoes and they didn't require so long to break in.

[Rocks]

I tried Docs back in the past and never got them broken in. I wish I had thought! They were classic cherry red lace up boots. Pretty but painful and I didn't have the patience.

[jess]

Hi.. I'm interested in a pair of Doc Martins shoes.. anyone wear them?
I love mine and both hubby and I have had many pairs of the years.

Was there a long break in period if leather?
OMG yes! I'm pretty sure I still have scars on my calves from breaking in my first pair in high school lol!

What about their Chelsea models? What do you think of them?
I haven't worn these yet, sorry.

Hubs wears his pretty much any time he's not wearing his chucks (yes, he's kind of stuck in the 90's) and has just started breaking in his second replacement in the last 6 or so years. He estimates it will take about 20 hours of walking (in short intervals, and a very unscientific estimate) before he can wear them for a full day at work without extra thick socks and bandaids.
FOR LIFE 1460 | Men's Boots & Shoes | Official Dr Martens Store

I prefer these as I do not wear them every day like used to 20 years ago (the older my feet get the more I need arch support). My current pair is about 5 years old and is so perfectly broken in I might cry when they finally need replacing. I always go with the greasy leather since I prefer the visual and find them MUCH more comfortable to break in. Especially around the tops.
1460 GREASY | Classic Styles | Official Dr Martens Store

But overall hubs and I have probably owned 15 pairs of Docs over the years (his all boots, mine boots, shoes, and even a pair of mary janes back in the day) and totally recommend them.

[capncat]

I’ve had a couple pairs over the years and liked them (only lace-up styles, so can’t speak for chelseas, unfortch). I don’t remember much about breaking them in, but I normally wear thick wool socks with them, so that may have shielded from some of the potential discomfort.

Their quality has supposedly taken a bit of a dive since moving much of their production to low cost countries, though i’m told the made in England (“vintage” collection) are still very durable.

You might also check out solovair, they share the same type of sole as dr martens, are all made in England, and have a lot more styles available for a comparable price.

[dsonyay]

I know their boots requires some walking to break in well, but dont know much about their shoes.. I'm guessing Chelseas are gonna need a few wears to break on seeing as they're boots.

I wear wool socks as well, usually light to midweight Smartwool, so blisters and hotspots are usually not a big deal.

[BWeaves]

I refuse to break in shoes or boots anymore. There are so many brands that are comfortable right out of the box, that there's no excuse for a boot that you have to break in. You're breaking your feet.

[Aeon]

In high school I had a classic 8-eye boot and a pair of truly fugly sandals (hey! they were "in style" back then) and they required a good month long breaking in period but felt as if they were molded to my fee after that. Like @capncat mentioned, I heard the quality of some of their shoes has gone down, but a couple of years ago I ordered a pair of Aimlitas and they were comfortable to wear right out of the box, no breaking in required. I had prepped myself to wear those boots for a couple of weeks straight to break them in. I did return those for other reasons but the quality seemed on par with the shoes I owned over fifteen years ago.

Doc's are HEAVY though. I prefer lighter weight shoes now so I don't even give much of a glance at the brand anymore.

[Marsha]

Doc's are HEAVY though. I prefer lighter weight shoes now so I don't even give much of a glance at the brand anymore.

They do have some styles with a new, lightweight sole. I have a leather boot with the new sole that I like a lot. But I tried a version made out of something kind of like cordura fabric that I found very uncomfortable and I returned them.


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[dsonyay]

Yeah, my friend has some of their shoes and he says tjey are light. He wears a lot of docs and has never mentioned poor quality. I'll find out

I too, feel breaking in shoes need not be painful.. it's mInly sock related for me.. good socks witj new ,stiff boots are shoes is normally a non issue.

[Pokilani]

I've had three pairs of Docs. A 6-eyelet boot was the most comfortable of them all as they has extra padding around the ankle/calf. The 8-eyelet took some times for my calves to adjust and were the least comfortable for me and then a zip-up style that also took some time to break in, but once I did they were awesome. In the end, I got rid of all three because I had a short season of wearing them because they did not keep my feet warm in the harsh WI winters.

[G42]

Oddly enough, I had just read an interest news article on the evolution of Docs, the new styles, etc.

You all might find this interesting too:

https://quartzy.qz.com/1128526/the-r...-martens-boot/

[Artdime]

Thanks for the article link, very interesting. I still have a pair of their "made in England" shoes. But I have not worn them very often as they are pretty heavy.

[Vecturist]

I own 2 pairs of Docs - a pair of the 8 hole boots and a pair of Oxfords. The boots took awhile to break in, but the oxfords didn't. They're great when I'm on my feet all day in the lab - especially when I'm working with fun chemicals. I have small feet (women's 5 US) so I can get away with kid sizes and one of these days I will pick up an 'unconventional' pair.

[proximal]

You might also check out solovair, they share the same type of sole as dr martens, are all made in England, and have a lot more styles available for a comparable price.

Solovair is actually the original manufacturing company that made Doc Martens. They're still made in the original patterns on the original lasts.