My use of sock liners predates my kilt wearing era by at least two decades, having started doing so first while winter hiking, then while hiking at all, then while skiing or snowboarding, then basically anytime I had on a relatively thick pair of socks for any reason, and IMHO it is a more comfortable feeling and I get far less sores and blisters from prolonged use. When it came to kilts and wool hose I just naturally turned to my sock liners, and it is a rare day when I am kilted that I do not have them on.

In my experience the sock liners do precisely what I expect them to do---the do allow moisture to wick through to the outer sock, so my kilt hose do get damp if I am sweating. However, the liner traps the oils and salty portions of that sweat so that, yes, my good kilt hose are spared that exposure for the most part and require fewer and less frequent washings (great for the lazy among us like Ron and myself). The little extra cushioning, the little extra slip between layers, and the separation of my feet from potentially itchy wool hose (especially some of the hand knits and argylls and diced pairs I own) are also great benefits.

In my opinion, unless one is wearing their hose for rough duty while kilted---camping, bushwhacking, hunting, long distance heavy pack hiking, etc...---the most wear and tear my hose seem to suffer is when they go through the laundry, even if my wife sets it on extreme delicate/handwash cycle. My hose never look as good coming out of the washer as they did going in, even after a good wearing. So I tend to wear them at least a couple times between washings, facilitated by the use of liners.