whats the best ice cleats?

[Mancaveburnett]

I have a pair of ice cleats that go over my boots. They come off easy and when suited up they are not easy to get on. Anyone out there recommend any cleats

[3300]

kold kutters ice racing screws, 3/8". cheap and always on. easy to install and replace. 20$ on amazon for 250.

[Junkie4Ice]

Yaktrax pro, can wear them into stores without ruining the floor and they don't fall off with the Velcro strap over the front. Only had them one year so far but they've been my favorite ones I've tried.

[tbern]

3300, with your screws, are they slippery at all if you had to walk on a cement floor or hard tile?

[bart]

kahtoola microspikes!

[SLAYERFISH]

Been running the Eagle Claw spikes. $20/pair dont fall off, easy to put on or take off.

[3300]

3300, with your screws, are they slippery at all if you had to walk on a cement floor or hard tile?

yep, but they are not as dangerous to be on as ice. just walk flat footed when indoors. cement is fine because it is gritty surfaced. ceramic tile would be slick. any ice protection will be slick on ceramic tile even the coiled types. wet boots with no protection would be slick too.
i wear other shoes when going ice fishing so my feet aren't overheated getting to it. it's easier to drive in shoes also. they are great for outside chores or what have you. it's good to have other footwear in case you fall in anyway.
any thing other than ice will dull them with time depending on how you scuff your feet.

i own micro spikes too and they clog more and are not as sharp and i can't wear them in my suitcase shelter and are not as comfortable and change your walking stance and can fall off and get lost in pack snow. they are a hassle to line up with the grooves in my expensive cabelas boots on the heel mainly. they are easy to cut or get uv rot or get overheated next to a heater in close quarters. this has been talked about here a few times now.
they also lack a lot of important slip protection coverage such as heel and toes. they are too far away from those contact points for my stride and comfort being your toe pushes you and your heel catches you as you walk. that's when your pulling the most weight also. pay attention when your walking on ice and see if your toe of your boots don't slip while pushing off of them. and notice how your heel is catching all of your weight.

i tried lots types/brands and the screws are the best. they are in all of my boots except for my korkers tundra jack that have built-in spikes. those are not long enough and not aggressive enough and i slip a lot wearing them compared to the kold kutters. so a premade boot that has it built-in is a good option if you don't want to add screws to your boots. i have them in mickey mouse boots and sorels.
once you try the screws, you won't want any thing else.

[tbern]

Lots of good info there 3300, thanks.

[hardwater diehard]

Been running the Eagle Claw spikes. $20/pair dont fall off, easy to put on or take off.

I have the Kahtoola Micros love them ...but those Eagle Claws don't look bad either ...Dicks has them for $24 I believe ...free shipping no minimum last I checked

[FishDoc_1]

Kahtoola Micro spikes!

[Chris338378]

I've tried lots of different cleats and the ones I like the best by far are the HT Omni Tech Super Stud Sandal Cleat.  They come in different sizes, go on and off really easy.  One of the reasons I like them so much is the studs are all around the cleat and are replaceable.  One thing I did with mine is unscrewed the cleats and added a drop of removable lock-tight to keep them from coming loose.  You can see them on HT's site, just click on the safety category on the left and you'll get to them.  I tried to post a link but for some reason it doesn't work when I copied and pasted it.

[filetandrelease]

Micro spikes here , easy on and off , they are now working on their 8th year never them had fall off , Walking is normal   ,never had a snow build up problem  Best thing To date I’ve worn ,although the racing studs sound interesting  and there is loads of choices on the market

[KeukaZ71]

Microspikes. You can Sprint in them. The eagle claw version might be worth looking into as well

[kLuo]

+1 for the Kahtoola Microspikes

[mbart]

had stabilicer's on my predator extremes, replaced them with kathoola's what a difference in traction

[Sandcountrylivin]

3300, have you noticed any loss of warm or a coolness on the underside of your foot after all those screws? I had a pair of the Canadian bunny boots that I added several drywall screws in 3/8. The next time I wore them they had lost the beautiful heat that would radiate my feet. The only reason I can't blame the screws entirely is the boots developed a crack in the heavy stress bend on the top middle of the boots around the same time I added screws. I bought the bata brand this year and love them so far, the rubber is far more supple, I'm just nervous I could mess with the warmness of the boot. I have read one or two statements in the archives that someone lost warmness after screws but have read countless good reviews as well.

[Spider1]

Drywall screws? Did you screw them in from the inside out through the sole?

I used the several types, most of the rubber ones just fell apart after a while. The sheat metal screws worked but the heads are pretty soft and wore out pretty fast and didn't help much after that. Studs would work, but don't forget to take them off before going into a store or restaurant. Owners get pretty peeved. And DO NOT wear them into the house cuz the Mrs will never forget or forgive.... Then there's the time a buddy wore them into a gas station and slid across the floor into the chips, LOL!

[aquarium234]

Stabilizers are nice, I like that they also give you an extra layer between ice and boot which helps keep your feet warmer too :-), plus the Velcro lock keeps them on and you can replace the spikes :-) But there are lots of good ones out there just make sure you remember to pack them....

[Sandcountrylivin]

I was Half asleep!!! Hex head sheet metal screws are what I used. To the bottom of the boot

[Spider1]

gotcha. I was wondering. When I did mine, I didn't have any heat loss but the lugs are thick on my boots. But like I said, the sheet metal screws have soft heads so if you do much walking on pavement or concrete to get to the ice they can wear down. I'm pretty sure you can find hardened sheet metal screws but then again, why not just get studs? I never had the screws fall out but I've heard that the studs can come out sometimes.

[Zern]

another for the Kahtoola Microspikes.

[iceman260]

Kahtoolas here also, easy on and off.

[Chris338378]

I was Half asleep!!! Hex head sheet metal screws are what I used. To the bottom of the boot

Chez's told me once that his cousin Herman did that and ended up taking a flight lesson in a convenient store when he slid on the tile floor and landed on his back. 

[perch_stalker]

Absolutely the best purchase of last year for me was the Kahtoola Micro Spikes! Night and Day difference over other brands!

[ice dawg]

STABILicers MAXX work well for me.

[3300]

3300, have you noticed any loss of warm or a coolness on the underside of your foot after all those screws? I had a pair of the Canadian bunny boots that I added several drywall screws in 3/8. The next time I wore them they had lost the beautiful heat that would radiate my feet. The only reason I can't blame the screws entirely is the boots developed a crack in the heavy stress bend on the top middle of the boots around the same time I added screws. I bought the bata brand this year and love them so far, the rubber is far more supple, I'm just nervous I could mess with the warmness of the boot. I have read one or two statements in the archives that someone lost warmness after screws but have read countless good reviews as well.

no difference in heat retention at all. they are in my beta boots and sorel boots and cabela boots. they need replacing mostly in the beta boots being it is so soft of rubber like you pointed out. just don't strip out the hole it's making while installing them. you can add silicone/adhesive to the threads to hold better.

the ice racing screws are hardened steel. carbide i believe and super sharp when new. if you look closely at the shape of the racing screws, you'll see what makes them different from all other screws. you're supposed to line the slit 90 degrees away from the direction your moving in.

having them in the heels and toes makes a huge difference. my micro spikes are lacking in that area and the heel slip protection is only for the center of the heel and it hurts my heel bones because that pressure is too centralized and needs to be spread out much more. i think it only had 4 contact points on the extra large and only 2 contact points on the rest of their line up.

i know for a ready made product that people can buy, micro spikes are very aggressive compared to most, so that makes them popular, but until you try the racing screws, the micro spike platform will be the preferred product. there are others that come with the toe strap so you can't loose your investment. i added straps to my micro spikes. i have some ebay knock off's of them for 10$ with toe straps and carry bag that work the exact same way and save a lot of money and i hand them out to my wife and friends.

[geo315]

Yak trax for me.  duel purpose ice fishing, walk the dog.  G.

[perchslappinmy]

Just reading this made me go take a look at the $20 Eagle Claw spikes I bought. When I bought them I wondered if the rubber  would hold up or if it'd kinda dry rot. This will be the third winter with them and they look the same as they did when I bought them. A buddy had a pair of the Kahtoolas and they're great also, if memory serves me the Kahtoolas have an extra spike I think. But for the difference in price I'm more than happy with the Eagle Claws. They're almost identical.