I bough a new pair of Simms G$4 wading shoes this past spring that supposedly have some type of proprietaary sticky rubber sole - sticky my eye! About the ONLY outstanding thing these boots have going for them is their price - at $220 a pair.
Did I say "outstanding"? I should have said "outlandish".
I live on the Yellowstone River during the summer, and as such I do lots of wading. Without studs, wading wiht these rubber soled boots will KILL you in no time flat.
Rubber soled boots surely have a place, if they are studded. However, studded rubber soles have limited applications. (Nobody, for example, fishes from my boat with studded boots on.)
I hope that common sense prevails and the fishing community and industry revert to selling felt soles again soon.