I'm melting!!

9 big ones for feet?!  I'm in the wrong business.....we're all in the wrong business....

"...some sort of chemical..."?  I can't think of anything you'd expose your equipment to that would cause that reaction.  Heat, Maybe....but you'd have rode your gear hard and put it up wet to cause that.  That sort of heat would have stressed something else to fail.

That's the sort of thing that Spectral or Jolida should have replaced gratis.  Lousy pick on the part's compound, and that's their screw up.....IMHO....

Rubbers are noted to react to atmospheric 'additives'...note your car's wiper blades.   Even those are complex compounds...

I'll still stand pat on my observation; the mfr. should send a new set gratis.  They're feet, FGS.  How much can they spend on a set after all?  A 'chump change' item that should be able to be replaced without too much difficulty or a degree in engineering.  Especially when y'all drop that level of cash into the unit....

I'd be annoyed if told that replacements would be a 3 figure charge...light up someone's ear up the food chain over it with the WTF question....;(

But that's me...