Dr Martens

[Stiff Collared]

Are there any Dr martin fans about

Yes, I have a 16 hole pair of Cherry red, a 20 hole pair of Cherry steel toe caps, and a 20 hole black pair. I also have 20 hole black rangers. At 71, I realise that I am a bit long in the tooth for such excesses, but my excuse is that they are ideal for wearing in the snow.

 

[anon`]

Just to add that all new DMs will be made in China, but Johnson Shoes has a stock of the old 'Made in England' types. While they last.

Production of some styles (specifically, the 'Vintage' line) was moved back to the UK in 2007. Everything else is still being produced in China or Thailand, though...

 

[Not-Bogart13]

That's Colin Johnson, maker or dance shoes to the stars...

http://www.deliberateweb.co.uk/johnsonshoes/pages/docmartens1.htm

Thank you kindly.

 

[carter]

Yes, I have a 16 hole pair of Cherry red, a 20 hole pair of Cherry steel toe caps, and a 20 hole black pair. I also have 20 hole black rangers. At 71, I realise that I am a bit long in the tooth for such excesses, but my excuse is that they are ideal for wearing in the snow.

Stiff Collared, You've a decade on me so that makes me a veritable whippersnapper. It's only a number after all.

Would you share some information on the break-in period for your 20 holes? I'm wondering how long it takes and whether there are any tips on making it as pain free as possible. Thanks, Carter

 

[MEDIUMMYND]

Stiff Collared, You've a decade on me so that makes me a veritable whippersnapper. It's only a number after all.

Would you share some information on the break-in period for your 20 holes? I'm wondering how long it takes and whether there are any tips on making it as pain free as possible. Thanks, Carter

As i said before i have found DM"s t be a buy and wear boot and don"t need much in the way of breaking in

 

[H.Johnson]

A quick check in my local surplus shop shows black 20 holes at 45 GBP. They will ship to the U.S.

 

[Lou]

I had a pair of black Dr. Marten shoes that lasted for ten years. I could have worn them longer, but they were always a little too wide. If I find another pair that was made in England, they're mine.

 

[univibe88]

You don't have to find old stock to get some made in England. They have returned to manufacturing some models there. Check out their "vintage" line. You can buy right from their website.

http://www.dmusastore.com/pc-2343-2-1490.aspx

 

[celtic]

I've never been a fan of the yellow stitching and yellowish soles, especially on the darker boots.

I have a pair of Gripfast (made by TUK) rangers that have black soles and white stitching, but their soles are much more rugged than the DMs (of course not as comfortable or "bouncy, either, though...)

and I did own a pair of Getta Grips (made by DM) 20-hole rangers with a black sole, but they didn't fit my calves so I had them cut to 13 hole...but they killed my heels so I gave them away.

I may end up with a pair of oxblood DMs in the future, but I sure wish they made the original 1490 with black stitching and soles because I like the style.

 

[RIOT]

All this talk makes me want to lace up my docs again.

 

[Stiff Collared]

Stiff Collared, You've a decade on me so that makes me a veritable whippersnapper. It's only a number after all.

Would you share some information on the break-in period for your 20 holes? I'm wondering how long it takes and whether there are any tips on making it as pain free as possible. Thanks, Carter

I never had any problems breaking them in, but I was wearing Boots in the army over 50 years ago. If you wear thick football socks that should ease any initial pain.

 

[i_am_the_scruff]

Stiff Collared, You've a decade on me so that makes me a veritable whippersnapper. It's only a number after all.

Would you share some information on the break-in period for your 20 holes? I'm wondering how long it takes and whether there are any tips on making it as pain free as possible. Thanks, Carter

I have 20 hole DMs and they caused me some pain when I tried wearing them. They gave me blisters every single time I put them on. I took them to a shoe repair place and they did this stretching thing to them and i've been able to wear them ever since with no problems at all.

 

[littlehalfpipe]

Dr. Martins are great

I used to have a pair of shiny red 14's but I outgrew them. I still have them as I can't bring myself to part with them. They look quite striking on my white dresser though. For Christmas this year, I'm going to try to pay half and half with my parents for a pair of black 14's. Lets see how that works out.

 

[byronic]

For anybody who has discomfort whilst breaking in new boots i recommend the following: Buy your boots approximately one month before you want to wear them, (easier said than done, i know) and using a brush or a cloth liberally rub in a tin of dubbin (neutral polish or that waterproofing wax for motorcycle jackets or sadlery- it's much of a muchness) to each boot- this may be done over the course of several evenings, leaving in a warm place overnight between each application- when that's done leave the boots for a couple of weeks or so in a moderately warm place (like the bottom of an airing cupboard or under a radiator), this will allow the leather to absorb the polish, softening & waterproofing it at the same time. Do NOT attempt to hurry the process by using more heat as this could melt any glue used in the manufacture of the boots.
P.S: for those tricky nooks n crannies like the stitching in the welts where the leather meets the soles i find an old toothbrush does the trick perfectly.

 

[carter]

They're here.

Thanks for all the good advice on breaking in my 20 holes. They arrived Friday (fast shipping) and I put them on yesterday. I don't believe there will be any break-in issues. Great fit and very comfortable. Just what I needed for underbrush and snakes up at the lake.

 

[MEDIUMMYND]

I never had any problems breaking them in, but I was wearing Boots in the army over 50 years ago. If you wear thick football socks that should ease any initial pain.

Stiff Collared is spot on but i read with interest that the British army now has a lot of trouble with new recruits on basic training because they have sore feet,due to the fact that they have only ever worn trainers.It is interesting to note that most don"t even lace their trainers up no wonder they struggle when faced with a pair of proper boots.

 

[Stiff Collared]

Stiff Collared is spot on but i read with interest that the British army now has a lot of trouble with new recruits on basic training because they have sore feet,due to the fact that they have only ever worn trainers.It is interesting to note that most don"t even lace their trainers up no wonder they struggle when faced with a pair of proper boots.

That would certainly be a problem with younger guys who have probably never worn anything but trainers all their life. I feel sorry for this generation who don't seem to have any individuality in their style of dress. I doubt if many of them will ever wear brogues, or even know the pleasure of double cuffs and cuff links. As for Stiff Collars and collar studs, they are now looked upon as antiques, very sad!

 

[Nathan Flowers]

I completely wore out a pair of 8 eye DM's in aztec crazy horse back in the 90s, and wish I could get another pair made in England. I wear a size 14(UK) though.

 

[H.Johnson]

Not all styles are having their production returned to England, although it can be argued that the DM range had become too diverse and the 'most interesting' styles (i.e. those in the vintage range) are being produced again in Northampton. I must admit, though, I've compared a pair of 1460s to my originals and they don't look quite the same.

For those in the UK, there is a factory shop in Wollaston (the village where the factory is sited) that sells 'seconds' cheaply. Shoes typically go for around 20 GBP and boots around 30 GBP. Whatever you do, don't pay full RRP for a pair of Docs. Discounting is common.

Hey, here's something some people may not know. Doc Martens once made a copy of the 1936 pattern flying boot, buckle front, sheepskin lining, Airwear (tm) sole and all.

 

[Abyss]

My Martins came in on Wednesday, only a week and a half late. They didn't ship them to the store with the rest of the order...

Anyways, they are currently on my feet, and they are good. Not exactly lace-up-and-wear, because they need a little bit of breaking in time due to the stiffness of the leather, but theye're breaking in very quickly with no special help.

I have a question, how did you people lace up your Docs? I decided to go with Army Style lacing, because of both the stiffness of the leather and the fact that the style is more economical in its use of the laces, so there's more lace sticking out of the top of the boot, so I could knot the ends of the lace and pull all the slack out to get the boots on and off instead of having to unlace and relace the boot every time I put it on. I got tired of that almost before I got the boot, heh.