6 Doc Marten Alternatives That Don’t Suck

Dr. Martens boots suck. Why?

They’re expensive, poorly made, wear out fast, and you can’t resole them easily. They don’t even make half sizes! (No one wants to wear thick socks every time because their boots are loose.)

It’s a pity, because Dr. Martens used to have a pretty good reputation for a British heritage company, despite being founded by a German who served in World War 2. (As a doctor, to be… fair?) But in the early 2000s, they moved 99 percent of production off of British shores and today, they’re owned by giant conglomerate Griggs Group Limited. The quality took a hit with the outsourcing and modern Docs are sort of like the McDonald’s of edgy combat boots.

Now, what do you do if you want a boot with a chunky sole, comfortable cushioned insole, and glossy black leather in a 6” combat boot style? Read our list of Doc Marten alternatives that don’t suck, of course. Enjoy.

(Just note that Dr. Martens actually trademarked their iconic yellow stitching and has sued over it before, so none of these options will have that particular touch.)

OUR TOP PICKS

Best Overall: Thursday’s Stomper

Most Similar to Docs: Solovair’s Hi-Shine Derby

Best British Made: Goral Sharman

Best USA Made: Red Wing Blacksmith

Best 8-Inch: Jim Green AR8

Best Chelsea: Blundstone 510

Best Overall: Thursday Boot Co Stomper

Thursday Boot Company makes the best Dr. Martens alternative. Just about all our complaints about Docs are remedied here: better welt, better durability, better stability, better sizing.

It has a real Goodyear welt made of vegetable-tanned leather, which any neighborhood cobbler can resole. (Docs have a synthetic welt that most cobblers won’t touch.) The construction includes a Poron insole, vegetable tanned leather midsole and cork filling in the welt cavity — those last two help the boot conform to the shape of your foot over time like a good boot should, but the Poron gives it better shock absorption than old fashioned boots.

See Also: Thursday’s Hero Boot

Thursday sells a zillion boots and if your dealbreaker is the sleeker toe on the Stomper or the slightly more matte leather, consider the more combat boot-looking Thursday’s Hero boot.

We prefer the Stomper because the Hero uses patent leather, which isn’t quite as durable. But it might do a better job of scratching your itch for a Dr Martens alternative, plus it’s cheaper at $199.

Whichever you choose, it’s a better boot than Dr Martens.

Most Similar: Solovair Hi-Shine Derby Boot

Solovair is a charming shoe company based in Northampton, England, a town we’ve visited to explore heritage British bootmakers. They’ve been making shoes and boots for over 140 years, and most pertinently, they used to make the original Doc Martens boots.

When Docs ended their contract, they went right on making them under a different brand as Solovair’s Black Hi-Shine Derby boots. They’re practically identical, just with grey sole stitching instead of yellow.

Other differences? They have a (wooden) shank for better stability, they’ve got thicker leather, a more durable midsole, and a better heel counter. These are all things the OG Docs cut corners on to make more money, like shrinkflation for your feet.

Our pal Weston at Rose Anvil even ran some tests on Solovair’s sole to find that it’s both bouncier (more responsive) and more durable (has a higher Shoe-A rating), in part because Solovair’s finer lattice is better at load dispersal.

Solovair is indeed more like the original Doc Martens than Doc Martens are today; this is the boot that made them popular.

We’d have preferred a steel shank since I literally broke mine when testing the soles’ flexibility, but the real take home message is that Solovair is made better than Dr. Martens and it’s cheaper than the Made In England Dr. Martens. So it’s kind of a no brainer.

Best British Made: Goral Sharman

When small-but-beloved British shoemaker Goral released their Sharman boot, a big song and dance was made about how it was the Dr. Martens Killer. And there are good reasons for that.

They stand out on this list for using the most beloved boot leather on planet Earth: Chromexcel from Chicago’s Horween Leather Company. It’s tough but flexible, has a nice pull-up effect from all the oils and waxes in it, and ages beautifully.

OK, black leather doesn’t age beautifully because you don’t get the color variation of lovely old brown leather — that’ just how black leather works — but to be fair, the Sharman is available in 6 other colors of high quality leather, mostly Horween.

It’s got more durable materials than Docs or Solovair: a steel shank, a leather-topped foam insole , leather midsole, felt filling, and a rubber outsole. They also use a leather-lasting board that gets stitched to the upper, contributing to the fact that Gorals both fit better and will hold their shape better over time.

But it’s still not really resoleable. The construction is more sophisticated than Docs or Solvair, with Goral opting for a “hybrid Blake stitch/cup sole construction” that’s durable and relatively lightweight, but the fact they’ve used a cup sole (see how it comes up onto the upper in that picture?) means the sole can only be replaced with an exact match, which you’d only be able to get from Goral. You’d have to mail the boots to England, and all told, the operation would cost you a good $200.

They also don’t do half sizes — in fact, they only do eight sizes at the time of writing, though they do have wide widths — and they’re very expensive at around $400. (The price has been different every time I visit the site as they try to work out what price converts better, a common phenomenon for digital brands.)

So it’s a great boot, and it’s made in England, and with superior construction to Docs. But: limited fits, limited resoleability, and a high price for something with those limitations.

Best USA Made: Red Wing Blacksmith

If you want a vastly superior boot that’s resoleable and made in America, Red Wing’s Blacksmith is worth every cent of its $330 price tag.

Red Wing makes these boots in Minnesota with legit Goodyear welt construction, the gold standard for long lasting footwear. The company even owns their own tannery down the street, which allows them excellent quality control and the ability to price their boots pretty well when you compare them to other US-made boots of this standard.

If anything breaks, any cobbler can fix them. These are the antithesis of fast fashion.

They are not shiny or super luggy, taking their aesthetic cues more from vintage American work boots than combat boots. They are 100 bucks more than the Made-in-England Docs. But they offer some of the best value for money on this list: you’ll easily go through a few pairs of Docs before your Blacksmiths need repairs.

Best 8-Inch Alternative: Jim Green AR8

A budget friendly, functional boot for people who like supportive hikers and hate poachers. What a pitch.

Jim Green’s AR8 are resoleable and repairable, they’re functional, and you can actually walk in the bush with these. For every 10 pairs sold, Jim Green donates a pair to The Game Rangers Association of Africa (GRAA) to make sure rangers have good boots. People use these good boots to do good.

To learn more, check out our review of Jim Green’s African Ranger — that’s the exact same boot but a couple inches shorter.

Best Waterproof: Timberland Premier

Everyone knows Timberland, the iconic 90s work boot turned streetwear staple. Most people think of them in the Wheat Nubuck colorway, but these boots are so popular they come in a ton of other leathers, including Black Nubuck.

If you like Docs and Timberlands, this is the fusion of the two. Well, the closest you’ll get. They’ve got chunky soles like Doc Martens, the same shaft height, and are black.

And while it’s no combat boot, they have advantages over Docs: they’re waterproof, they’re insulated, and the leather’s more durable and scratchproof. I know this from experience, having worn both extensively.

They also come in half sizes and wide widths, have famously comfortable “anti-fatigue” insoles and 400 grams of PrimaLoft® insulation. The same stuff is used in ski gloves and warm coats.

Best Dr Martens Chelsea Boot Alternative: Blundstone 510

Looking for a boot to compete with Dr Martens’ Chelsea? Blundstone has them, and about 26 other styles of black Chelseas.

Why get these “Blunnies” over the Docs? They’re better made: the leather’s tougher, the shank gives them more stability, and the shock absorption is fantastic — and that’s an area where Doc Martens alternatives often fall short.

Downsides? They’re pricier and they don’t hit the exact same aesthetic cues, but Blundstones are massively popular for a reason and if you’re getting Chelseas from anyone, Blundstone are the absolute kinds of the category.

Who the heck are we to tell you about boots?

We’re boot obsessives. Our reviewers specialize in work boots, heritage boots, and women’s boots. Together we’ve written hundreds of articles and videos about boots, visited tanneries, interviewed experts, and traveled the world in search of the best boots for men.

And If You Need a Cheaper Alternative: Bruno Marc’s “Motorcycle” Biker Boots

We purposely titled this article Doc Martens Alternatives That Don’t Suck because there are plenty of black combat boots out there that are made just as badly if not worse than Docs.

But if you’re here because $150 is too much for a pair of boots and you’re looking for something with a similar vibe at an even lower price, check out Bruno Marc’s Combat Boots.

They’re typically about $50 on Amazon, the zipper makes them easy to get in and out of, and they happen to be vegan to boot.

The 10,000-plus reviews on Amazon suggest it sells just fine and we can’t criticize it too much given it’s a $50 boot. We’d be mad if it were $150, but for $50, all evidence suggests it’s priced fairly.

Tying Up the Best Doc Martens Alternatives

There you have it: one boot that’s basically the original Doc Martens before they went to pot and six more that exceed the original in different ways. Every boot here has its own advantages, and we’re confident there’s one for you.

Above all, these Dr Martens alternatives are more fairly priced, and we’re confident that even if you go with a model that isn’t cheaper, it’ll last much longer than Docs. Because isn’t durability the name of the boot game?