Can You Resole Doc Martens? Yes. But Should You?
If you want to resole your Doc Martens, it makes sense. The famously soft underfoot boots have many diehard fans that wear them right into the ground! Over time, the soles and the heel areas wear down and start to get slippery. Or the sole may start separating from the uppers, or the foam will compress, leaving the boots less comfortable. And Docs are advertised as having a Goodyear welt, which is famously easy to repair.
But it’s a weird kind of Goodyear welt.
Yes, you can resole your favorite pair of Docs Marten boots, but it’s more difficult than a normal Goodyear welted boot, and getting a new sole put on them may cost about the same as buying a new pair.
It’s not just that you can’t easily resole Docs. They’ve changed a lot since the late 90s, unfortunately not for the better. Here’s why you should think about switching to Solovair if you want a bad*ss English-made boot that’s resoleable and good for your feet.
Key Points for Resoling Doc Martens:
- You can resole Docs, but it’s difficult and expensive
- Docs do not use typical high-quality materials of welted boots
- The welt is heat sewn to the sole with flame, making it extra laborious and pricy to resole
- There are similar, higher-quality boots on the market
Further Reading
Interested in getting quality resoleable boots instead of cheap plastic stuff? Check out how →
How Doc Martens are Resoled
Put simply, the deal with Goodyear welts is that the leather upper and the sole aren’t stitched together, they’re attached to a welt that sits between them. This makes it really easy to take the sole off and put a new one on without damaging the upper.
One of the interesting things about Doc Marten soles is that no stitches or threads hold the sole onto the welt portion; it’s melted on using flame. This makes the sole really hard to remove.
In addition to that, welts are usually made of leather but the welt on Doc Martens is the plastic polymer PVC, which is much less durable.
These two factors — the sole is attached with flame to a welt that’s PVC — mean most cobblers will decline when they’re asked to resole Doc Martens. It’s a ton of extra work.
Unlike most Goodyear welted boots, Docs’ flame welting creates a very tight bond between the sole, plastic welt, and uppers. That’s great for holding everything together but not great if you’re the cobbler who has to cut everything apart and rebuild or repair the welt and sole.
Depending on the age of the Docs, I’ve seen at least two ways cobblers resole them. In the video up top, which is by our friends and expert cobblers Trenton and Heath, they completely removed the old welt and replaced everything, including the classic yellow stitching, and reattached the welt with fire. This is essentially a complete rebuild of the sole.
Way more work than a typical resole — which is already more than half the price of a new pair of Docs — and much more expensive.
Then…
Julie Derrick, a cobbler in Portland, Oregon, also replaced the foam layers and sands down the glue and remnants of the old sole. When it comes to the problem of the crummy PVC welt, she added a midsole to create a stable base and attached new Vibram soles to that.
This leaves two sets of stitching. The original yellow stitching is still visible, but a second set of stitching connects the new Vibram sole to the new midsole. She then darkens the new stitching so it’s not visible.
There are many ways to resole boots, but these two videos demonstrate the hoops a cobbler needs to jump through to get the job done. Also, we can just about promise that no cobbler will take up the job for less than $170, which is the same price as getting a new pair of Docs.
The takeaway: Docs claim they’re Goodyear welted, they’re technically right, but at the same time everything is different to your typical Goodyear welted boot.
How Goodyear Welted Boots are Resoled
I’ve been lucky enough to work with a few cobblers. I’ve learned how to resole my first Goodyear boots and helped fix a pair of squeaky soles at Bedo’s Leatherworks. I even handmade my own pair of boots.
The first step in resoling a pair of Goodyear welted boots is carefully removing the old sole from the boot. This is done by cutting the stitching that attaches the sole to the strip of leather, called a welt, that runs along the perimeter of the boot’s outsole.
After the sole has been detached from the welt, the cobbler will peel the worn rubber sole from the midsole layer, which is work because soles are both glued and stitched on. The cobbler then removes any excess glue and stitching, and checks that the leather welt is intact. All of the defunct materials are replaced, and the new sole is attached to the welt and uppers.
That’s the abridged version; I have an entire article on this here and a video above where you can see the process. (It’s surprisingly soothing to watch.)
Further Reading
How I Resoled My Red Wing Boots
After three years of use, it was time to resole my beloved Red Wing Moc Toes, so I met up with expert cobblers who walked me through the process. Check out how →
Considerations Before Purchasing Doc Martens
I’m going to make a pretty big ask here. For a moment, forget what you know about Doc Martens; they are no longer the edgy 90s boot you had as a teenager. They used to be, but in the early 2000s, they moved 98% of their manufacturing to Asia, and in 2014, they were bought by global investment firm Permia.
You won’t find anyone who laments an iconic company reducing quality more than this guy, but the truth is your Docs are likely made in China, Vietnam, Laos, or Thailand with a lot of plastic components glued and melted together with low-quality leather uppers. Yes, there are Made in England Docs that have a better reputation but like it or not, the Dr Martens boots are made in Asia.
As far as boots go, they also lack many key features that make them durable and comfortable boots. We’ll detail below where Docs have devolved (even the made-in-Britain lack many of these features).
- No Shank: Doc Martens used to have a wooden shank that helps with stability.
- No Half Sizes: Docs don’t do half sizes. I’m between sizes.
- Made Overseas: While they symbolize “Cool Britannia,” modern Doc Martens boots are predominantly manufactured in Asia, diverging from their original British roots. It’s not that it’s inherently bad to make something in Asia, but this is where the quality went downhill for Docs.
- Low Quality Leather: Doc Martens use relatively thin materials, often coated with a synthetic layer. Over time, this can lead to cracking and reduced durability. They also don’t even know where the leather comes from: I asked them, and they just said “South America or Asia.”
- Cracking Soles: Doc’s soles are known for their susceptibility to cracking, especially in colder climates.
- Lack of Grip: The sole is soft, and the lugs are shallow, so they lose grip more easily than other boots. They look like they should be grippy with their lugs but they aren’t that deep and combined with the sole’s famous softness (which I admit is comfy), they wear smooth pretty quickly.
[Learn More: How To Break In Doc Marten Boots (Fast) | Dr Martens Break In Tutorial]
Recommended Dr Martens Alternative: Solovair Black Hi-Shine Derby Boots
So, I’ve trashed Docs. They aren’t easily resoleable, they’re made of lower-quality materials than I like, and I don’t think they’re very functional.
But those probably aren’t the reasons most people buy Docs. They buy them because they look cool and they’re affordable. But if you’re part of the crowd who both likes Doc’s aesthetics and wants quality boots, I recommend Solovair’s Hi-Shine Derby Boots.
I compared both boots head to head in a previous article if you want more details.
Solovair Black Hi-Shine Derby Boots are made in England and provide wearers with a clean yet modern design. The silhouette is classic and the brand offers this boot in a myriad of leathers.
Getting New Soles for Solovair Boots
Unlike Docs, you can send your old boots to Solovair, and they’ll resole them at their factory.
The process starts by inserting a foot shaped wooden mold called a last into your old boots to help retain their shape during the resole operation. After securing the last, the sole is separated from the welt using a knife and then temporarily attached to the welt. Then, the boots are brought to the heat seal machine and fused to the welt with a blade heated to 700 °C. Once the fusion is complete, any extra material is trimmed away. The boots are buffed, polished, and returned.
Solovair’s Leather
- Solovair uses European tanneries and cattle
- Dr. Martens sources leather from “South America or Asia”
- Both leathers are smooth and glossy
- Solovair’s is thicker and more robust
Solovair boots boast glossier leather, but both have sanded (or “corrected”) grain to create a smooth finish.
They offer a “hi-shine” and a matte option. Dr. Martens is vague about the origin of its leather, only hinting at South American or Asian sources. In contrast, Solovair proudly sources from European tanneries and cattle, appealing to people who value European craftsmanship. They even use Horween leather for some of their boots. Horween is one the most famous and respected tanneries in the USA, if not the world, so you know they care about quality.
Solovair’s leather is sturdier and less pliable than Dr. Martens’s softer leather. While neither brand excels in leather quality (at least for their most popular boots), Solovair’s thicker, less plasticky material (and their greater transparency) gives them my vote of confidence. (No, I’m not paid to say this. I don’t even make money if you click on a link to Solovair’s store.)
And they appeal to people who love the look of Docs: it’s a nearly identical look, even the leather looks similar while being much higher quality. One downside is that Solovair will require a tougher break in than Docs because of the thicker leather.
[Related: How to Break In Boots; 12 Tricks for Tough Boots]
Solovair Construction
- Both use heat molding
- You can send your boots to Solovair for resoling
- Solovair doesn’t have yellow stitching of Docs
The technique Solovair uses to fuse the welt to the sole is similar to Doc Martens. First, they make temporary joins between the sole and the welt using a heated plate before a heat sealing machine permanently fuses the welt to the sole by rotating the footwear along a 700°C heated blade.
To be clear: it’s about as hard to resole Solovair as it is to resole Dr Martens. But Solovair boots are more durable in every other aspect, so we recommend them over Docs if you want longevity. They even offer replacement soles on their website.
It’s about as hard to resole Solovair as it is to resole Dr Martens.
The most noticeable difference between the boots lies in their appearance. Solovairs have matching stitching that is subtly toned down. This contrasts with the iconic, bright yellow stitching on the original Dr. Martens, which isn’t to everyone’s taste. Some prefer the understated style of Solovair’s stitching for its versatility, while others believe Dr. Martens’ bold yellow stitching is a defining feature of such boots.
[Further Reading: Cheap vs Expensive Boots | 5 Areas to Consider When Buying]
Solovair Sole
- Solovair’s rubber is slightly less springy than Docs
- Solovair has a wooden shank
- Both have extra padding but in different places.
Solovair boots come with a rubber outsole that is marginally less springy than Docs, though the difference is barely noticeable. In terms of their construction, these boots feature increased cushioning under the heel and reduced padding under the toes compared to Dr. Martens.
They have additional foam padding under the heel but less under the toe than the Docs. Notably, Solovair has a shank made from wood rather than steel. This makes it somewhat more prone to breaking over time, especially if the already flexible sole is bent excessively.
However, the general consensus is that Solovair offers more comfort for all-day wear than Docs, and they also maintain their shape better over time.
Sizing
- Dr. Martens: Size down to the nearest whole-size
- Dr. Martens don’t have half sizes
- Solovair: Use British sizing (usually one whole size down from US sizing)
Surprisingly, Dr. Martens doesn’t sell half sizes. If you check out their bad reviews, this is a problem for a few people, like me, who typically wear a size 11.5. The brand suggests sizing down by half to a full size for the best fit. So I chose size 11, which turned out slightly large, but a size 10 would have been too small, leading to a bad fit with the Docs.
Solovair has half sizes. Their boots also have different lasts, so if one model doesn’t work, you can find something that fits your foot better.
[Read More: Do Dr Martens Run Big? How to Size the Punk Rock Icon]
Price
- Dr. Martens South East Asian boots are $170.00
- Docs made-in-England boots are $260.00
- Solovair are all made in England and cost $219.00
Solovair Black Hi-Shine Derby Boots are made in England and provide wearers with a clean yet modern design. The silhouette is classic and the brand offers this boot in a myriad of leathers.
If you compare the Asian-made Docs to the English-made Solovair, Docs are about 40 bucks cheaper. but that’s not really a fair comparison. It’s a lot cheaper to get labor in South East Asian countries.
Docs English-made, “heritage” boots are $40 more than Solovair. The construction is more robust than the Asian made Docs, but Solovair is still a better buy, and better value.
Wrapping Up
It’s almost certain that your neighborhood cobbler won’t want to resole your Dr Martens because of the heat-sewn sole. The same goes for Solovairs. Their construction is weird.
You can find cobblers online who will take on the job, but know it’ll probably cost more than a new pair of boots.
So given it’s so hard to resole Dr Martens, you should try and get the most longlasting version you can get. That’s Solovair, and while they’re pricier than Dr Martens standard boots, they’re cheaper than the Made in England Dr Martens.
But if you want recognizable and familiar boots with yellow stitching and branded pull tabs, Doc Martens boots are the way to go; just don’t expect to replace the sole easily.
Can you still get Dr. Martens boots resoled?
Yes, but it can be difficult to find someone able to resole Dr. Martens boots because the original sole is heat-sealed onto a plastic welt. If you find a willing cobbler, the price will probably be more than a new pair of boots.
Can you take Dr. Martens boots to a cobbler?
Yes, but contact the cobbler first to ensure they're willing to resole a pair of Dr. Martens boots.
Do Dr. Martens boots still have a lifetime guarantee?
No Dr. Martens boots discontinued their lifetime warranty. According to their website, The only footwear (they) guarantee for life is from our discontinued For Life Collection.
Can you exchange old Doc Martens for new ones?
No, you can only get a free exchange for new Dr. Martens boots if they are less than one year old and have a manufacturing defect.
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