Post

Aaron Ross Powell
@aaronrosspowell.com

The important thing to know about boots is that Dr. Martens was bought by a private equity firm a while back, the boots are now garbage in terms of construction quality, but Solovair set up to make similar boots on the old equipment in the old factory and their versions are much better quality.

Will Wilkinson@wlknsn.xyz

My take on boots discourse is that we face a lemons problem with many consumer goods, given the acquisition of many storied brands by companies aggressively milking accumulated brand equity for higher profits, such that price and reputation for durability does not reliably predict higher roi.

53 reposts137 likes

Aaron Ross Powell
@aaronrosspowell.com

Solovair boots also only cost about $50 more than the comparable Dr. Martens. So this isn't a "quality means paying an arm and a leg thing." And the Solovair will definitely last a lot longer, and look good for longer, too.

Kim
@kimoco.bsky.social

I had a pair of Birkenstocks for like 15 years before they wore out. I bought a new pair in 2022 since they got bought by private equity and they are already falling apart and need to be replaced. I will not buy another pair of them, but choose another brand for my house sandals.

Jack Kliever
@silverhorseman.bsky.social

I learned (the hard way) that Muck Boots are now overpriced low-quality Chinese boots. So, I buy cheap off brand low-quality Chinese boots instead. They are exactly the same. How long can they harvest the value of their declining reputation? Hard to say.