The "For Life" soles are marked with a special logo.
It’s hard to find another boot that has ingrained itself in the post-war popular culture as much as the venerable Dr. Martens shoe. “Docs” have been the footwear of choice for rockers, housewives, postmen and punks for fifty years, becoming somewhat of an icon along the way. Their trademark Bouncing Soles have even spawned a band of the same name, along with countless imitators.
I got my first pair from a discount shoe store in 1998. They served as work boots, school shoes, hiking boots and everything in between. I’ve covered them in paint and cleaned them with acetone, scuffed them on granite rock faces while climbing, and trekked mile after mile up and down my college campus in them. The only casualty has been a grommet or two and a few pairs of laces. And once a year (0r two) I’d give them a coat of the wonderful substance known as Wonder Balsam and they’d be good-as-new.
But nothing lasts forever. This winter, they finally met their last blizzard. The soles are too slick from years of travel. The leather has lived a rough life and could use a bit more care. It was time for a new pair.
My old boot.
At first, I wasn’t so sure about buying another pair of Docs. Mine had lasted for over a decade, but in that time the company moved production from England to somewhere in Asia. They’d changed designs and soles and everything else and as a result, the quality was dubious sometimes. It wasn’t until recently that they’d remembered their roots and started building real Dr. Martens again.
My opinion improved when I saw they had a new line that brought back the classic styles produced for so many years; the ones that built the brand. The real-deal Docs command a premium ($180 for the classic eight-eye Model 1460 boot) but they’re as legit as it gets, made in England at the Cobbs Lane factory in Wollaston. I was sold.
And then I found out about the For Life line. These boots and shoes are only available online and are guaranteed for the rest of your life to be free of any issues. If they wear out during normal use, Dr. Martens will repair or replace them for you! No more worn out soles. Broken grommets are a thing of the past. It seemed too good to be true.
The classic 8-hole boot.
The "For Life" boots feature buttery soft leater.
I got mine today. It took a week, but $150 w/ free shipping got my nice new boots delivered to my door. Inside were the shoes, an extra pair of metal-tipped laces, and a tub of Wonder Balsam. I slipped them on immediately to see how the fit. Previous pairs of Docs always ran a bit wide but these seemed much more normal. The upper drum-stuffed leather was INCREDIBLY soft too, unlike my previous pairs. The only downsides are a stiffer footbed (fixed with new insoles) and that they’re made in Thailand. That’s it.
If you’re considering boots, these come highly recommended.
Old versus new soles.
Extra goodies include the warranty, boot wax, and laces.
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