One of the good things about buying from such an enormous company: they have a ton of other leathers to choose from. I picked up the classic leather because it’s the most popular and I wanted the review to be as useful for as many people as possible, but you can also get these in oxblood – I had a pair when I was 17 – or white, or seasonal options that, in the past, have included flowers.
Dr. Martens Leather Care
- Doc ”
- Made of lanolin, beeswax, coconut oil
- Use once a month
- Dubbin Polish will add a thicker wax layer
The company is known for their “Wonder Balsam” product that they recommend for their leather, which is made from lanolin, beeswax, and coconut oil. It’s meant to soften and polish the leather, for use kasidie every 6 months or so depending on how hard you wear them and how dry the leather looks.
Dr. Martens Sole
- Super soft
- Great shock absorption
- No shank
- Hard to resole
This is the main event. The sole is what made Dr. ous and it’s made from an inorganic rubber that’s oil and fat resistant. It really is super soft; as I mentioned above, it was originally used for people with orthotic concerns or foot pain.
While it’s not at all dressy, this is meant to be a comfy, casual boot and I have to say the sole was my favorite thing about the boot. The shock absorption is great, the rubber is soft but not too soft, and it’s a delight to walk around in.
After the rubber, there’s what the guy on the phone called a “cork material” and then the insole is a “vegan material” that he then clarified is polyurethane foam, which would further add to the shock absorption.
A few downsides to this sole: there’s no shank, which means it’s not as stable as other boots, and it’s very hard to resole. If you’re asking, “But isn’t this a Goodyear welt?” well, I know what you mean. It’s a weird kind of Goodyear welt and just as Doc Martens calls this “full grain leather,” I feel like they’re playing fast and loose with their terms, here. For these shoes, the upper is heat sewn to the sole with flame. You can see it in this neat video below, which should start at the welting.
Yes, it looks cool, but while some cobblers do specialize in resoling these shoes you shouldn’t expect to be able to resole them. But then, the sole is super longlasting and the upper isn’t that longlasting, so it probably won’t be an issue.
Dr. Martens Fit & Sizing
- No half sizes
For men, the sizes run from 6 to 14. There’s just one width available and no half sizes. To find your fit, they recommend sizing down one half to one full size – I’m an 11.5 and the size 11 fit me fine. But with no half sizes and no other widths, they’re making the shoe somewhat inaccessible to, what, half the population?
Number 2: the lack of a shank was clear. A lot of people feel like a shank is the most important part of a shoe and purists will be disappointed by this.
Number 3: in general, it just doesn’t fit the foot very well. I often have ankle slippage and I find it simply didn’t contour to the foot very well. To be fair, I’m coming off of a pair of White’s Service Boots which fit better than almost any other shoe I’ve tried. But my Docs give me quite a bit of slippage and more importantly, I just didn’t find it contoured the foot as ergonomically as it should have. This is a brand that began as a means for helping people recover from foot injuries, so I was expecting something more ergonomic but alas, it’s just a pretty blobby, generic fit.