Was in the same predicament as you about 6 years ago.
Found several excellent lightweight and super comfortable boots but they would usually be coming apart inside 12 months.
Instead of paying $100 or so per pair of these, I wanted something that would last AND be comfortable. Being dumb as a rock on such things, I hit up my gear nerd hiking buds and some SWAT TLs around the country. Came down to Salomon or Lowa.
Found out almost all of Salomon is out of China now. I know that doesn't automatically mean bad quality but if it comes to a tie-breaker, I'm not going to wear Chinese.
One of the suppliers ran a 20% off sale and I bought a pair of size 12 LOWA Zephyrs (Non GoreTex version) to see how the size ran and inspect.
This link is NOT one of the On Sale promotions but is here just to show what company and style I use.
www.lowaboots.com
Sizing was perfect so I laced them up and wore to work. Most of my day is on my feet. My feet were killing me at the end of Day 1 and I thought they were going to be too stiff even though they were light. Wore them again the next day and WAY better. After Day 3, it was like they were custom made for me. I became very impressed and ordered another pair before the sale ended.
Since then, I have bought a pair of the Zephyr GTX and Innox GTX for wet and/or cold.
I open up my boots when they come off every night and always rotate into the 2nd pair the next day.
When they have gotten totally nasty, I have washed them after removing the insoles and laces. After dry, spray a conditioner on the exterior and go again.
I wear these every day, all day. Zero issues with sewn seams or laminated layers. The sole material seems to be very well chosen to provide non-slip traction but not wear excessively. I am totally sold.
They make everything in the Slovenia / Germany area.
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