Had a beloved pair of doc martens that lasted you 15+ years? Go on any online place that sells em and look at reviews sorted by most recent. *Everything* is like that now. "Wtf, my last pair lasted 15 years, this pair started falling apart in 3 months." is the norm. - ThreadSky

pookleblinky.bsky.social • 51 days ago

Had a beloved pair of doc martens that lasted you 15+ years?

Go on any online place that sells em and look at reviews sorted by most recent.

*Everything* is like that now.

"Wtf, my last pair lasted 15 years, this pair started falling apart in 3 months." is the norm.

Reposted from Pookleblinky

"Shit, they finally died. At least I have absolute proof this company doesn't suck"

*3 months later* how the FUCK are the soles already coming off.

Comments

noesmuertoescuela.bsky.social•51 days ago

Had a pair of New Balance sneakers that I wore for about a decade. Liked them so much, I got the exact same pair last year and they made it about 4 months before they began falling apart.

ivynyx.bsky.social•51 days ago

I've got multiple pairs of NB and they're holding up just fine, you might have just gotten a bad pair.

Though, I can't imagine how a pair of sneakers lasts a decade. You can't re-sole sneakers.

sr388.bsky.social•51 days ago

I had a real love of Shoes for Crews and then i got a pair that had sat in a box since the era where they were great and the foam inside turned into some horrible toxic crumble that made my feet turn red.

Right now my only trust is for two year old Steve Madden clones of known shoes.

sr388.bsky.social•51 days ago

https://www.stevemadden.com/products/rascal-black Their Docs are called "Rascal" and are probably a better build quality than what's fallen apart on you.

rhysshelmerdine.bsky.social•51 days ago

That will happen to any shoe with a foam sole and has done for a very long time. You see it all the time in sneaker collectors, if you dead stock a shoe for too long the foam dies. They need to be worn.

sr388.bsky.social•50 days ago

I just scooped the death crumble out and put Scholl's inserts in.

kategodart.bsky.social•51 days ago

i hated when this happened with converse shoes, went from awesome to crap so fast

kategodart.bsky.social•51 days ago

as for boots, redwing shoes still sells really really good quality boots last i looked but they will set you back many hundreds

apethiui.bsky.social•51 days ago

I have a pair of Red Wings that put up with 8 years of intense hiking. I've been sometimes literally holding my breath as I go through reviews of recent offerings. Exact same model as I have now appears to have a 10% failure rate in under a year.

collagenfailure.bsky.social•51 days ago

My 2 oldest pairs of doc’s are 33 and 30 years old.

itsallyourfoucault.bsky.social•51 days ago

Are you me? Still have the first pair from '91 on a trip to London, and the pair from '94 when I started college. They're both in pretty good shape.

elitistsemicolon.bsky.social•51 days ago

The only reason I don't still have the two pairs I bought in London in 1995 is that I lost them in a move. I hope someone's still getting good mileage from them.

itsallyourfoucault.bsky.social•51 days ago

You *know* some punk kid is still wearing the fuck out of them. With love, of course.

elitistsemicolon.bsky.social•50 days ago

Oh man, I hope so! One pair was lime green with little fruits painted all over.

collagenfailure.bsky.social•50 days ago

These are my pride and joy. 8 eye antiqued wine with speed lace eyes. Currently rocking some terrible laces.

ithinkyouknow.bsky.social•51 days ago

Solovair is the better option over Docs and it's the exact same design.

mapp.bsky.social•51 days ago

Isn't it who made the original uppers for Docs?

ithinkyouknow.bsky.social•51 days ago

Don't know the exact story. I thought they were like a secondary supplier when doc's were still made only in UK.

michaelvirks.bsky.social•50 days ago

Got your docs from the original factory that is still selling them under their own brand (minus yellow stitching) after DM moved their production to China.

Same quality and durability you're used to!

https://nps-solovair.com

michaelvirks.bsky.social•50 days ago

*get

insavga.bsky.social•50 days ago

When I rescued my Chihuahua, I got an amazing backpack carrier for her that lasted 6 years. In the meantime PE bought the company and now the backpack sucks and doesn't last a full year before straps start coming off. 🤬

ncsujen.bsky.social•51 days ago

This is so true. I bought a pair of Rainbows this past summer and they lasted exactly 6 months or so before the soles detached. Previously they were 10-summer sandals, at least.

truemetis.bsky.social•51 days ago

Story as old as time, company makes good product, gets a reputation that causes it to do well, company decides to save money by reducing quality, company coasts on reputation for a while management even getting bonuses for increasing profit, companies reputation collapses. Seems worse now though.

truemetis.bsky.social•51 days ago

Anyway, this is a great time period to get to know your local cobbler.

rhysshelmerdine.bsky.social•51 days ago

Cobblers, watchmakers, jewellers. They’re almost impossible to find these days. Have to though.

wingofbenu.bsky.social•51 days ago

you forgot the part where at some point private equity gets involved and decides the company can run on string and tape while also having 500 million in debts added onto the company

brokencaveman.bsky.social•51 days ago

I had 3 Pyrex measuing cups: 2 that were made before they were vultured and one that was purchased after. The newer one dripped when pouring water and couldn't be used in the microwave because it might explode. Good job investor class, may you butts be forever itchy.

orpach.bsky.social•50 days ago

"borosilicate glass" is the specific thing you're looking for here.
If it's that, they'll advertise it, no matter what brand name is on it.
I have seen pyrex that's both that, and worse glass sold beside each other.

Glass with Boron in it, low thermal expansion, famously used for lab glassware.

erinbiba.bsky.social•51 days ago

Enshittification is real!!

crispycrise.bsky.social•50 days ago

Clogmaker troentorp makes boots in the same price range - maybe a bit cheaper - as docs and they last, even through snow and ice. Sorry to give advice but these shoes have saved my poor shoulders and I want that for you (all, plural)!

acekatana.bsky.social•51 days ago

Docs went downhill when they closed their English factories in 2003, but particularly after a private equity buyout in 2013. Bad enough that there have been news stories about it

Buy Solovair instead!

jcreek.bsky.social•51 days ago

PE kills everything it touches.

mocando.bsky.social•48 days ago

Private Equity is Evil & are the epitome of what America has become. Late stage capitalism is real & in a few short weeks it will be fully in control in America. They take and use and destroy all in the name of profit. The stock market is a shell game with idiots calling the shots. We are doomed.

mocando.bsky.social•48 days ago

Craftsman used to be the gold standard in tools but some ASSWIPE bought Sears and sold it off for parts. Now the name is owned by Black and Decker and everything they make fails within months. There is NO customer service.

smartvpants.bsky.social•51 days ago

They never had the styles I needed in my sizes and so I went with the Thursday boot company for American made quality. They have a metal arch so they won't fall which is the kind of support I need.

jenstone.bsky.social•51 days ago

Private equity enshittification cannibalizes yet another formerly storied brand. 🤬

tpshea.bsky.social•51 days ago

"You know that lightbulbs only die
To maximize demand..."

https://music.apple.com/ca/song/lightbulb/1712371470

gemcityexpat.bsky.social•50 days ago

I have Docs for Life and last time I used it they told me the specific boot from the program was no longer being made and I'd have to get a shitty version instead. For the same price.

I talked them into one-offing me a different one but WHAT THE HELL.

mrmunchertoyou.bsky.social•50 days ago

Not so bad, I know several people who just had their Docs For Life unceremoniously ended with a note to the effect "This is your last fix-up" thrown in on repair or replacement.

I'm sure it amounts to breach of contract, but they're sure enough no one will go to court for a couple of hundred quid

terminusverge.bsky.social•50 days ago

I had this very conversation last month. I have a pair of Docs from 1992 that are still going. It is unreal to hear them not lasting more than 3 months new.

cocorooboy.bsky.social•51 days ago

It’s rough. I work in boots everyday I like https://www.carolinashoe.com/. Maybe not the best looking but the quality is good and half the price of red wing, I personally think they last longer to but not looking for a argument with red wing heads lol good luck

lealeander.bsky.social•51 days ago

Add Dansk to that list.

amagire.bsky.social•51 days ago

my black and decker coffee maker lasted 40 fucking years and everything I've replaced it with since it died the true death has lasted 2-4. fully prepared to die mad about this

inclementivy.bsky.social•51 days ago

I was using my mom's old deep freeze until it died during the pandemic. That thing must have been 40 years old at least. Worked perfectly. Now the replacement is already having issues. It's MADDENING.

pathost.bsky.social•50 days ago

I have a Black and Decker toaster oven and i break the pan from use every few years. The supplier company has the pans on months long back order, meaning i can't use the oven. They want me to but a whole new oven instead of simply sending me a new pan. Outrageous

fortydollarcandles.bsky.social•50 days ago

This is how I got into making pour over for my coffee 😑

raptornx01.bsky.social•50 days ago

Me to customer buying a printer: honestly, HP would be the last brand i would ever buy. literally every other brand is better.

Customer: out old printer was HP, it lasted 10 years, so i'm sticking with them.

*Me wanting to tell them that was 10 years ago, but shut up & let consumer darwinism work*

jpeghotdog77.bsky.social•51 days ago

Couldn’t tell you, my dog ate my last pair within about a month of getting them, gave up hope.

vindicasean.bsky.social•51 days ago

FWIW, the original manufacturing facility's workers bought the rights to keep making boots in the same old way DM used to do it before leaving the UK-- Solovair. *Slight* differences in method, but everything I've read about them seems to point to quality

mslenakay.bsky.social•51 days ago

This might be what contributed to me buying $90 worth of Christmas lights that are from at least 20 years ago. My original ones are still working 30 years later and I know I’ll be devastated when they stop working so I paid too much for old bulbs in order to replace them.

mrmunchertoyou.bsky.social•50 days ago

I wore doc safety brogues in kitchens for years. I'm hard on shoes in general, and the job doesn't help, but I'd usually get maybe 18 months from a pair.

After a few years doing other stuff, I went back to cooking. My brand new Docs lasted six. Weeks.

sharonz.bsky.social•51 days ago

Planned obsolescence can suck it!

t1b0.bsky.social•50 days ago

still BIFL 2025 boots brands: BLKBRD, Jim Green, Thursday Boot, White's, Nick's, Sanders, Parkhurst, Cordobes, Drew's, Bright's ... but you're looking at 250-700$ range

xanindigo.bsky.social•50 days ago

If boots last a long time, people won’t buy as many, and then the line won’t go up as much.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply