I don't have any experience of the Boa steel laces, none of my wading boots have them and I have avoided them to be honest.
There are two pairs of wading boots in my current (see what I did there
) armoury, both Orvis, with a third pair of Orvis boots about to be binned after 15 years.
My 'seasoned' favourites are a pair of Orvis River Guard Ultralight wading boot with Vibram EcoTraX soles - added to these are a full set of Orvis Posigrip tungsten-carbide tipped screw-in studs. I'm not sure exactly how old these boots are, possibly ten years ??? They've done bloody well and I'd pay
good money to find another pair.
A recent acquisition has been a pair of new Orvis Access wading boots, these have an excellent Vibram and again I have fitted the Posigrip screw-in studs as invariably the rivers I fish feature 'challenging' wading. I have to say that although a wee bit nippy for my feet (being a US 14 and not the US 15 I really need - they'll stretch a bit) these are super comfy boots offering good ankle support and a nice cushioned insole, I have found them to be an excellent addition to my gear.
In my experience, better to buy quality rather than cheap and chuck.
H