Dr. Marten vs Goral Sharman | What’s the Better British Combat Boot?

One thing you need to know before you buy chunky combat boots is how long you want them to last. Maybe you’re cool with getting a pair that’ll last just a couple of years, since you’ll be in the mood for a new pair by then. Or do you fall into the “buy it for life” crowd?

The combat-boot-but-for-fashion category has grown. You have a few well known contenders, which we covered in this guide to Dr. Martens alternatives. Dr. Martens does indeed lead the category and it’s become a multinational, NASDAQ-listed juggernaut of a company. And now there’s a new contender in the space: Goral, based in northern England.

This article is for a closer comparison of these two: the Sharman and the bestselling 1460 Dr. Martens model — I’d consider these most talked about combat boots this year. We’re looking at durability, comfort, fit, and price to help you make a purchase you’ll be happy with.

The Brands

Dr. Martens are undoubtedly one of the world’s most iconic boots with their instantly recognizable translucent lug soles, glossy leather, and yellow stitching. (They trademarked the yellow stitching, which is why you’ll never see a competitor imitating them that closely.)

In fact, Docs are so popular that we’ve dedicated several articles to them. We’ve seen brands like Solovair try to position themselves as the superior alternative and there are a lot of good arguments for that, but now there is a new brand offering its own twist: Goral. A similarity they share with Solovair is both brands once made the uppers for Docs before focusing on their own products.

Goral is a small shoemaker in Sheffield, England, who are best known for their luxury sneakers but are now hoping to make their mark in the realm of British combat boots. The Goral family has been making shoes since the 1930s when they were headquartered in Poland, so they should have the knowledge and experience to pull this off… But can they?

Aesthetics

• Combat boot aesthetic: tall shaft, luggy sole
• Docs have glossier leather and a more military look
• Goral has a lower profile toe and higher quality, more matte leather

The Dr. Marten’s 1460 needs no introduction. Nearly everyone will immediately be able to identify them by their iconic silhouette and bright yellow stitching that bring to mind the brand’s long association with punk rock, grunge, and rebel culture.

Goral’s Sharman is similar, but not as similar as some brands that are really going for the combat boot look. The Sharman has the same tall shaft and eight sets of eyelets, but the toe is more low profile, making for a boot that’s more versatile.

The uppers look similar to the casual observer, but Docs are actually much glossier and smoother — two characteristics that usually denote lower quality leather, and this is no exception.

The other primary difference is the unusual cup sole design on Goral, which sees the sole extend about a centimeter up onto the boot’s upper. This makes them look less like a Dr. Marten’s clone (like the Solovairs) and more like a Dr. Marten-inspired boot.

Leather

• Dr Marten’s leather is of indeterminate origin
• Goral’s leather is from USA-based Horween in 4 colorways
• Docs are glossier and smoother
• Goral’s is more matte and “skin-like”
• Goral uses thicker leather
• Only the Goral is leather lined

While the made-in-England Dr. Martens have English leather, we’re looking at the bestselling flagship Docs, the 1460s. Those are made in Southeast Asia (probably Thailand) and when we asked them where the leather’s from they told us “South America or Asia.” That’s more than half the world’s population.

They couldn’t get more specific than that, though they did specify the tanneries are LWG-certified, which gives them some points for sustainability.

The Docs’ leather is shiny, plasticky, and exactly what a lot of people are looking for.

I’ll admit Dr.Martens does a good job of talking up the leather, but the truth is that their leather is simply an unimpressive corrected grain leather.

Goral, on the other hand, knocked it out of the park. They went with one of the most respected tanneries in the world, Chicago’s Horween Leather Company, and their most popular boot leather, Chromexcel. This is the go-to boot leather for any good boot brand, whether they’re $400 Grant Stones or thousand-dollar Vibergs.

Chromexcel is a combination-tanned leather, meaning it carries some of the benefits of chrome-tanned and veg-tanned leather: it’s both comfy and durable, it both ages well and is pretty water resistant. It’s not always a given that a leather will have all of these qualities at once.

It’s known for how beautifully it ages, but you should know black leather doesn’t age nicely like other colors because there’s no color variation in black. But Goral offers several other Chromexcel colorways like Forest Green, Dark Brown, and natural Chromexcel.

(To be fair, Dr. Martens sometimes offers Chromexcel boots, but they’re pricier and not the Dr. Martens boot.)

Construction

• Neither boot can be resoled by a neighborhood cobbler
• Dr Martens has a Goodyear welt but it’s synthetic and the sole is fused to it with heat
• Goral uses a combination of a Blake stitch and side wall stitched cupsole design
• The Sharman maintains its shape better than Docs because of the leather lasting board

The insole/lasting board is made of fiberboard, and between the lasting board and outsole is a layer of thick felt for some padding. It’s worth noting that unlike most Goodyear welted boots, there’s no leather underfoot at any point in Docs. That means they won’t mold to your foot the way that heritage quality boots usually do.

Dr. Martens technically constructs their boots with a Goodyear welt, but while that term usually means it can be resoled by any cobbler, yours can’t.

First, the welt is synthetic instead of leather, which means it won’t manage more than one or two resoles. Second, instead of stitching a midsole to the welt, they melt the outsole directly onto the welt with flame.

Dr. Martens are definitely more durable and less likely to delaminate than a sneaker, but you don’t get the same longevity you do with other Goodyear welted boots. Your neighborhood cobbler won’t take the job of resoling them. There are some who specialize in resoling Dr. Martens, but it’s an expensive job — likely more than a new pair.

But if you live in the UK, Dr Martens offers a resole service. You could mail boots there from the US, but the price doesn’t make sense.

The Goral Blake Stitch

Goral took a totally different and very innovative approach to the Sharman’s construction: it’s a hybrid of Blake stitch construction (common on lightweight leather shoes) and sidewall stitched cupsoles (common on high end sneakers).

The lasting board (or insole — Goral says they use the terms interchangeably here) is made of leather and sandwiched between the lasting board and the cup sole is a layer of cork, a shank, and fiberboard.

That means a lot for comfort: the leather and cork underfoot mold to your foot’s shape with time and help control moisture. The shank helps to keep the foot stable as you walk, and many consider it a key element of limiting foot pain after spending all day on your feet.

The cup sole is made from TPS, which is a thermoplastic that measures at 70 Shore A on a Durometer. Without getting technical, that means it’s pretty soft — what a Docs customer would want — but not quite as soft as the famously springy Dr. Martens sole.

Can you resole the Sharman? Well, Goral can, but nobody else can because they’d need the precise kind of cup sole that fits their last. A lot of customers do indeed send their boots and sneakers to Goral for resoling, but the cost might be prohibitive for an American. That said, Goral says they’re happy to send replacement soles to customers anywhere in the world — and once you have them, most cobblers could get it done.

Sizing

• Neither brand offers half sizes
• Dr Martens has sizes US 6 through 16
• Goral has sizes US 7 through 14 — and they do wide widths.
• Dr Martens: Size down to the nearest whole size
• Goral: Size up to the nearest whole size.
• Goral: Make sure you click the “US size” tab when ordering.

Dr. Martens 1460 runs large, which means you should size down to the nearest whole size. They don’t offer half sizes, so if you’re a size 12, get an 11. If you’re 11.5, get an 11.

Docs are notoriously hard to get a good fit, perhaps because they need to be roomy enough to accommodate half sizes and whole sizes both. They’re very roomy boots. If the lace’s facings touch when you lace them up, exchange them for the next size down.

Goral also only offers full sizes but they have two advantages: they offer wide options and they just fit better.

Goral recommends going up to the next full size if you are a half-size. For example, I’m an 11.5 on a Brannock, so I sized up to a 12 US, which is an 11 UK.

While it’s a slimmer look, the toe box on the Sharman is actually quite roomy and the heel is nice and secure. Look at the two boots below and notice how the laces are touching on the Docs because they’re so loose.

Price & Value

• The Dr. Martens 1460 is $170
• Goral’s Sharman is $380 (the price tends to fluctuate)

The Dr. Martens come in at $260 for the Made in England boots but the standard Dr. Martens 1460 model is $170. While you can get a pair of easily resoleable Thursday boots for just $30 more, Dr. Martens aren’t so badly priced.

Goral’s Sharman runs $380 right now, so it’s twice the price of the Docs.

Neither is easy to resole but there are good arguments to go with Goral. They’ll send you soles if you do need a resole, the uppers are more durable, and the balance of leather and cork in the construction means the Goral’s fit and comfort will only improve with time.

Final Thoughts

So, which boot should you choose? Well, it depends on what matters the most to you.

The Sharman is better in a lot of ways: the leather’s thicker and higher quality, they fit the foot better, they have wide widths, they’re made in England, and the leather and cork underfoot means they’ll better mold to the shape of your foot with time.

Meanwhile, the docs have a more classic and casual combat boot look, the leather is glossier, the sole is squishier, and they’re half the price.

If you’re after style and want boots that will catch people’s attention, or if you just don’t want to spend twice the amount of money, go with the Docs. If the price isn’t such a big issue for you and you don’t mind the sleeker profile and more matte leather, just about everything else is superior with Goral.