The Frock Doctrine 21st November MMXI
Solovair are made by NPS Shoes Ltd the company that, according to wikipedia, made the original Doc Marten. Unlike Doc Martens, NPS Shoes still make all their boots in Northampton, England. The company website has some information on their history and products at this link.
One of the shoes they make is the monkey boot, an old favourite with a new twist, Goodyear welted DM style air soles. The boots are available in Black and Oxblood, we got ours from Jump The Gun in Brighton who have them specially made with their logo impressed into the leather. See the images. This also has the old fashioned advantage of being able to try before you buy.
At £80 they are maybe pricey but this compares quite favourably with Doc Martens made in the far east. The first thing you'll notice is the leather, it's thick and clearly high quality with a very smooth finish on the outside. The Air sole is a treat, seems thick and is stamped with Made in England. So hopefully lots of wear in them. If you like DM's you will probably enjoy these boots as well. I especially like the sturdy fabric loop at the top of the heel to help you slip them on. They feel solid as a rock as you pull on the loops. The stitching on ours (the black boot) is a very smart yellow, as you can hopefully see in the photos.
The downsides. These are tough to break-in. The toe box in particular is a very neat fit. Even after I soaked them in warm water for 2 minutes and wore them all day as they dried out the leather kept its shape and firmness. So far I've walked about about 20 miles in them (I counted - sad I know). Be warned you will have to look after your feet with plasters and carry a spare pair of comfy shoes for changing when you start to break these boots in.
All in all a very smart boot and worth the expense. I have just acquired a pair of their cherry red DM boots and will be posting a review in due course.
Posted by Ctrl.