So I wore my old Vissla high seas booties yesterday cause my newer ones were still wet. Remembering this thread, I looked at the toes, and sure enough they also have the neoprene- not hard rubber- between the toe split. Yes, a little water comes in, but I’ve never even noticed it before. My feet haven’t been cold the last 2 winters, and I really like that the booties are so thin-soled, flexible in the toes, and have great board feel. The current patagooch ones are obviously much stiffer.
Anyway, i guess it may not be such an uncommon design detail. But everyone’s different and if it bothers you, it bothers you. Hope you’re able to find another pair you like better.