I have a lifetime supply of the Weinbrenner Borger Ultimate wading boot with studs so I have not used the Kold Cutters myself. I was boot tester for Weinbrenner when Jim Greenlee owned the company and he made sure I would never wear any other boot.
The Weinbrenner studs are carbide and I have never worn out the studs before the boot soles. I've posted these photos before but for those who are planning to stud their boots here is what I learned from being a boot tester.
Most wading boots have a one piece felt sole like on this pair of Patagonias. Note the one piece felt glued but not sewn felt sole.
If you buy a one piece felt boot, make sure the sole is both glued and sewn like the Orvis boot below. It has a sewn sole but the stud pattern is wrong with a carbide stud directly under the ball of the foot.
If you have a higher quality boot like this Weinbrenner Borger Boot that has a "stacked" heel made of separate stacked, glued and sewn pieces of felt, the corner of the heel forms an edge that "grabs" onto the surface of a rounded rock and gives you a stable hold on the top of the rock.
Also note that the felt of the Borger boot is not only glued to the welt but sewn to the welt.
When I tested wading boots for Weinbrenner and they were thinking of importing cheaper boots with one piece soles, and I fell wearing those boots on rounded rocks. I dinged up my new Ross Evo reel as well. I told them the boots were junk.
The boots even had studs but the stud pattern was wrong and they projected way too far out of the felt. The stud pattern must allow both felt and studs to contact the ground/rocks at all time. That way, when you are on a rock, you are not on just the tips of the studs.
As a boot tester I learned the hard way that the stud type and location is very important. Weinbrenner uses carbide studs because they are extremely hard. With carbide studs it is important for the stud pattern allow both felt and studs to contact the ground/rocks at all times. That way, when you are on a rock, you are not on just the tips of the studs. We also learned that with carbide studs, the studs cannot project out further than the felt for the same reason.
The bottom of the Borger boot shows that the area under the ball of the boot has no stud but as you rock your foot forward, the studs begin to grab. Also notice that on the side view of the boot above, you cannot even see the studs because only the tips project from the boot. As you step on the felt, the felt compresses and the tips of the studs contact the rock and river bottom.
I was a tester for the the prototypes of the Propex (ballistic nylon) boots above. I still have them and they are going on 20 years although the need new studs and soles. The boots are solid and have not blown out the sides or the toes.
The stud pattern is less critical if you use a soft metal like aluminum. Aluminum "grabs" onto rocks as owners of aluminum boats know. So they provide grip by conforming and leaving bits of aluminum on the rocks. This means aluminum, while a great metal for studs will need replacement.
They bite well but if you walk on a lot of cobble like I do on some rivers and creeks they will wear down like everything else.
