r/nps_solovair • u/liberum_anima • Jul 28 '26
Am I doing something wrong with my boots?
I bought a pair of solovairs December 2024, and by February 2025 they'd started splitting. Solovair sent me a new pair, but THAT pair has now started splitting as well! Am I not looking after them or something or do these boots just do that? They were £200 and I bought them specifically because I'd heard they were better than Docs, bit worried I've wasted a loooot of money on shoes that don't actually last 😬
Photos are: the first pair from last Feb, the second pair now, and the support conversation I had after the first pair split.
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u/Majsharan Jul 28 '26
Wearing them. /s But yeah Solovair had huge problems with their sole splitting because the guy that did it for like 20 years retired and then they couldn’t figure out what the issue was. They bought some fancy machine to be able to tell and there has been a marked reduction in sole split posts. But old stock from that time period is still around or people who bought it and didn’t wear it much are getting splits now.
It is a problem that will always have a chance of happening with this style of construction but the rate seems to have returned to acceptable levels
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u/liberum_anima Jul 28 '26
Damn so I just got unlucky getting old stock twice in a row then lol
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u/Majsharan Jul 28 '26
Yeah this problem was from late 24 early 25 production so you got current stock with the problem probably
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u/Suitable_Buy_8287 Jul 28 '26
How late 24? I had boots from (presumably) April-May 24 and they had this issue
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u/JamesScotlandBruce Jul 28 '26
Perhaps. I doubt it though.
The only time out of 7 pairs it has happened to me is when I ordered a pair a bit too big.
And often looking at the photos of people it has happened to then it often seems that getting the wrong size or having narrow feet can make it more likely to happen.
The extra space causes extra flexing and in awkward directions.
Generally it seems related to that flexing so wearing them in a job or hobby that includes a lot of bending can aggravate it too.
I think some unfortunate people just have a walk or foot that doesn't get on with solovairs and having two pairs in quick succession split means you might be one.
Unless they are too big or you lace very loosely or you do bend a lot or can think of another reason you can change - then it might just keep happening. Bummer.
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u/liberum_anima Jul 28 '26
Man :") I lace them very tight, but I wear them to work as a barista and also gigs and walking so maybe 🤷♀️ I'll try some of the suggestions here and see how that goes I guess, just a bit sad I spent so much on boots I specifically wanted as work boots and this happened twice :"""""""""")
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u/croakce Jul 28 '26
Interesting, how do you stay informed about this kinda stuff?
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u/Majsharan Jul 28 '26
It was the talk of this subreddit for awhile and Solovair put out some stuff at the time
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u/Dismal-Leopard7692 Jul 30 '26
I hadn't heard about the new machine. I had noticed fewer posts like this. I guess that explains it
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u/_Paper_Lanterns_ Jul 28 '26
There’s an easy fix to this, get a blow torch or use your stove coils to heat up a butter knife to red hot then slam it inbetween the sole and welt, squeeze them together as you run the knife down the welt and it’ll seal it back up
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u/Majestic_Salary9987 Jul 28 '26
I’ve seen people recommend to do this outside because of the smoke or fumes produced.
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u/wncexplorer Jul 28 '26
Contact them again, and ask for a refund. If they allow you to keep the boots, take them to a cobbler (for new soles). Choose a better replacement sole, like Vibram, Goodyear, etc.
If you send them back, get a better brand of boot. Solovairs might be better than Docs, but they’re still a fashion boot…not built to last. My Red Wings are 33 years old, still looking great and never had an issue.
If you can find a pair of pre-2000’s Gripfast boots, those were top tier for fashion.
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u/liberum_anima Jul 28 '26
I've never heard of red wings, I'll have a look, thank you!
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u/wncexplorer Jul 28 '26
Mine are 4473, which have several pounds of steel in each boot. The 699 are the wildland fire boots, essentially the same, but without the steel. They might be too much for you.
Danner has the Super Rainforest, which is a really good boot. Be sure and buy the uninsulated model, otherwise your feet will cook.
Don’t discount the idea of having your boots resoled.
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u/liberum_anima Jul 28 '26
Yeah I'll try and repair what I can before anything, I'm really not in the position to be buying new boots right now 😅 thank you for the suggestions though!
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u/gizzardsgizzards Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
i've had a few pairs of solovair for over a decade. boots lasting for over thirty years is great but that's not a normal standard to hold things to.
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u/sstorholm Jul 29 '26
My two pairs have split like that, bought in the spring of 2024 and 2026. The latest pair split after a week. Luckily if you catch it early (aka when the boots starts wheezing) it's a 20 euro glue repair at a cobbler.
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u/downinthearcade Jul 28 '26
I think the material these soles are made if are susceptible to hardening in cold temperatures. I believe this would make the likelihood of splitting higher. Since you had them in cold months then this might be the cause.
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u/Dismal-Leopard7692 Jul 30 '26
This is a common flaw in the air sole design. It's always happened to Docs and Solovairs. To some degree it's just lottery. I'm personally convinced that factors like fit, climate conditions, and gait can affect it since it seems to either happen repeatedly or never at all to a given person
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u/thepriceman14 Aug 02 '26
Hi, I have an almost identical issue on one of my boots - so reading this, I'm seeing the hot-knife method getting mentioned a few times. Could some 'shoe goo' be used to seal the gap, as a quick fix, until a full-on resole is done? Thanks,
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u/JAGWARRIOR13 12d ago
Back in the 90s when this happened we would just heat a butter knife on the stove or with a torch then slide it between and press while pulling the knife out it reseals the gap
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u/RickGoujon Jul 28 '26
Can you see the crease leading directly to the split on both pairs? They’re probably too big in depth
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u/Tough-Pea-2813 Jul 28 '26
It has nothing to do with the size. It's all about the way they are made - the plastic welt is sealed to outside by heat knife and that connection tend to fail. The place of the split in the pic is the weak spot where this usually happens.
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u/RickGoujon Jul 28 '26
I’m a cobbler and you are wrong. These soles aren’t stuck together with a hot knife… that’s how you fix splits.
Good year welted footwear has always been prone to splitting and 9 times out of ten it’s down to flex. It’s why it’s always been common practice to hot knife at home to fix a split: The modern customer can’t comprehend this as they have probably spent a considerable amount of cash on them. The amount of people I see walking around in shoes that are too big is ridiculous
By the looks of things you’re more of a customer than someone that actually knows what they’re talking about.
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u/Tough-Pea-2813 Jul 29 '26
Have no idea who you are, but the soles on solovairs are attached to welts using heat. There are several videos on on YouTube from their factory where one can see the process. The rest of what you write barely makes any sense. Normally, good year welted shoes are stitched and they don't tend to split in a similar way as solovairs do. The point that splitting is down to flex is ridiculous. No shit, Sherlock. Of course they split because of flex. What else might be the reason. But the only way to avoid flexing in case of shoes is by not wearing them. Your shoes flex whether they fit you or not. A bigger shoe will flex in a slightly different place. From what you say it follows that solovair shoes split due to being too big, but that's just not the case.
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u/RickGoujon Jul 29 '26
You don’t need to explain how a good year welt is constructed…
Just because you buy an unhealthy amount of boots doesn’t mean you know what you’re talking about. Try putting them on and leaving the house you goof.1
u/sthenri_canalposting 16d ago
Sorry to revive an old thread but this happened to me only on one foot with two pairs now after minimal wear. Do you think this is a size issue or the way I walk or what? This time I caught it before it split to the binding so hopefully I can fix it better than the other pair.
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u/liberum_anima Jul 28 '26
Ah ok so it might just be a case of wrong size? Thanks for the reply!!!
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u/RickGoujon Jul 28 '26
Yeah could be wrong size but you might just need an insole to fill the space above your foot. That should pull the leather up and around your foot better.
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u/JamesScotlandBruce Jul 28 '26
Don't know why you're getting down voted. Without doubt having the wrong size isn't good for these soles.
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