I know that the aesthetic speaks to a lot of people but I gotta say itвЂ™s pretty cheap-looking leather and it certainly doesnвЂ™t look like it can withstand a lot of damage. If youвЂ™re looking for water-resistance youвЂ™ll want to treat them with a product that has beeswax вЂ“ the company is known for their вЂњ Wonder BalsamвЂќ which includes beeswax, lanolin, and coconut oil. People sometimes call that вЂњcorrected grainвЂќ and itвЂ™s definitely a big part of why these look pretty plasticky, in my opinion.Д¬are-wise, these are easier to keep clean than the Timberlands: just an occasional polish will do it. ItвЂ™s super, super smooth and doesnвЂ™t have any trace of grain on the skin. This semi-bright leather comes from either South America or Asia, which is a very large swath of the globe but thatвЂ™s all they would tell me when I called the Doc Marten helpline. If youвЂ™re down to commit to the regular care they need to keep clean, youвЂ™ll want to get a pencil eraser and a stiff brush and maybe some Renewbuck, which is a care product sold by Timberland. Even though theyвЂ™re waterproof, they pick up little stains all the time and itвЂ™s really the most frustrating part of owning them. Be warned: the big downside of this material is that itвЂ™s super hard to keep it clean. Obviously itвЂ™s quite brightly colored so the boots really stand out from any outfit and are a nice break from plain brown or black. This nubuck comes treated for waterproofness, which is nice. Functionally, nubuck is stronger and more durable than suede. The main difference between nubuck and suede is that nubuck is a top grain leather (which means that itвЂ™s made from the top layer of the animalвЂ™s hide), while suede is made from the inside of the animalвЂ™s hide. A lot of people assume itвЂ™s suede, which is understandable because suede also has a raised texture, but itвЂ™s not. Like I mentioned before, these boots are actually made with nubuck, which is a kind of buffed leather. The biggest difference between Timberlands and Docs at first glance is in the leather - thin, plasticky leather vs insulated nubuck - the thing they have in common is that neither of these are sophisticated boots. I think the sole is one of the best parts about this boot: it doesnвЂ™t have the stickiness that you can get with new Timberlands, and itвЂ™s a little more streamlined, too. The sole is made from an inorganic rubber thatвЂ™s super soft, and attached to the upper with bright yellow stitching, one of the most iconic aspects of the boot. But, they are slightly more streamlined than Timberlands and look better with skinny jeans and slim pants, if thatвЂ™s your thing.

The toe is rather snubby and overall the profile is a little blobby it doesnвЂ™t contour the foot that well. TheyвЂ™re also not insulated at all and, at well over 7 inches, are a pretty tall boot so youвЂ™ll want to get yourself some nice long, warm socks if youвЂ™re gonna wear them around in the winter. Unlike the Timberland, these Docs are mostly single stitched. The grain has been fully corrected out, making for a shiny, plasticky, relatively thin leather. This is a pretty uncomplicated boot: while Doc Martens calls this вЂњfull grainвЂќ leather itвЂ™s super slippery and smooth. In fact, only around 1% of their boots are still made in Britain, according to Business Insider. I didnвЂ™t go with the British-made Doc because IвЂ™m focusing on the brandsвЂ™ most popular boots, and we live in the era where that boot is made in Asia.

Doc MartensДЇirst things first: this is Doc MartensвЂ™ standard issue 1460, which is their most popular boot and is manufactured in Asia. Worth mentioning though you canвЂ™t see it, this boot is fully insulated with Primaloft and about half the insulation comes from recycled water bottles, which is pretty cool.

Other signature features of the boot are the chunky, grippy rubber lug sole (called Gripstick - Timberland really wants you to know that these boots have a good grip, and they do), the iconic Taslan nylon laces, and the leather collar for added insulation.

Despite all that, theyвЂ™re still pretty versatile and can be worn with a variety of different styles. TheyвЂ™re certainly not dressy by any stretch of the imagination. TheyвЂ™re about six inches high and pretty bulky at that, so they donвЂ™t look great with slim pants or skinny jeans. (TheyвЂ™re available in a bunch of colors but this is the best known.) The nubuck is characterized by a slightly fuzzy texture from the protein fibers, and this one comes treated so that it is, as the name says, waterproof. IвЂ™m looking at the wheat nubuck Timberland 6вЂ™вЂ™ waterproof boot.

Doc martens jadon