Dr. Martens 1460 Boot

A little research goes a long way: though most Dr. Martens are made at facilities in China or Thailand, they do offer a Vintage line that is still made at the Northampton factory. The difference is about US$60, but absolutely worth it. The soles still have "Made In England" embossed on them and everything. Thus, when ordering DMs, read carefully - only a few styles (the 1460, 1490, and 1914 boots and the 1461 shoes) are available from England, and only in particular colors.

Rule of thumb: the boots ranging to US$120 are manufactured in Asia, while the ones priced around US$180 are English. Many online retailers (including, sadly, Amazon itself) don't make the distinction.

Don't believe the haters.

The Made in China vs. Made in England doesn't amount to a significant difference, just make sure that you are buying the correct leather finish to live up to your expectations and treat your boots (and feet) well.

If you prefer Made in England there is a 1460 classic reissue that is about $40 more than you'd pay here. I've been wearing Docs since 1987 and can testify that the shoe laces have always been of poor quality, but the boots themselves are the best and well worth the minuscule effort required to replace the laces.

The break-in period is a killer, unless you wear thick wool socks (or you're some genetic mutant that has been engineered with unusually durable skin) you'll probably end up with blistered heels. Cotton, lycra, acrylic, nylon, etc just won't cut it-- go with wool, thick squishy wool hunting socks.

After that its smooth sailing. They are comfy, tough, easy to care for (some linseed oil on...Read more

I have worn DMs for years but no longer. I bought a couple of pairs three years ago and later discovered that they are now made in various locations in the East and as a result they are without question sub standard. Further to this, surely it isn't ethical for an English standard like DMs to be taken away from the people who made it great, but then that's business...isn't it? I now wear Solovair 8 eyelet boots. These are made in Northampton, England by one of the companies that made the original Air Cushioned Soles for DMs, they also have the fully welted soles which DMs do not. In a nutshell, if you want honest, best quality made in England air cushioned soled boots like the original ones you can remember, then you need to buy Solovair.