durable hiking/work shoes - Do they exist?

Hey All,
So I've been wearing hiking shoes from Merrill and Keen for years and the quality seems to drop with each new pair.  I like the hiking shoes because they breath and keep my feet cool.  I bought a new pair of Keens 7 months ago and they are trashed.  I had them for about 2 weeks and the heel blew out, I should have returned them but I didn't because I knew they would end up in the landfill; which they will anyway...

I looked long and hard for something better but came up short.  The frustration continues as I look for my next pair.  Turns out it's hard to tell if a shoe is gonna last just by looking at them.  Apparently the business model is to manufacture stuff that lasts less than a year; guaranteed sales.  

At this point I'd love to find something that would last 3-5 years.  Does this kind of shoe exist?  

So frustrated!

Thanks for reading
Rich

Brands I used to trust no longer get I second look from me.  I have run into hollow heels and heels made of rubber coated chipboard from brands that used to have a good reputation.  Currently my go to work shoes are leather Sketchers that last me about a year of hard use.  They cost in the 60 to 70 dollar range depending on how much I shop. To be clear, I am only addressing work shoes  … not boots.  I see hiking shoes as a different animal, but then, I used to be an avid backpacker.

I have always been partial to Vasque boots their Multisport shoe is a comfortable low hiking shoe. I opted for a Salewa Wildfire Edge after talking with a friend about his using their mountaineering boots. Danners have always been a durable boot for me. Columbia, Merrills haven't held up as well. One thing I hate about all of the  low shoes are the round worthless shoelaces they come with.

I am sympathetic to this thread.  Twenty plus years ago I used to have an outstanding pair of hiking boots from Cabella’s. They were some Italian boot that were made with Gore-Tex, and were lighter than my shoes!  They were great and I eventually walked them into oblivion, and walked those into oblivion.  Those two pairs of boots lasted me about 15ish years.  

Unfortunately, Cabella’s stopped carrying them.  I tried a variety of replacements over the years, all of which were miserable to one degree or another.  Finally, about two years ago I bought a pair from the brand “Rockies”.  They are not nearly so light as my old boots, but they are made of a durable leather, have Gore-Tex, and have held up to a lot of work and abuse.

I ended up buying these boots from Amazon simply because I could not find any local boots that had Gore-Tex in them.  Buying from Amazon really felt unnatural as I couldn’t even try them on first.  But they had great reviews and went ahead and bought them.  Fortunately they have worked out very well and I wear them all the time.

If you want a recommendation, I can definitely recommend these boots.  They are more of a work boot than a hiking boot, but they are working well for my purposes.

Eric

I'd recommend White's Boots out of Spokane, Washington.  I bought my first pair a little over 5 years ago-their packer model for everyday work boots.  They have had one set of heel caps and currently need another.  This when any other boot would last me 8-12 months before being thrown away.  I did buy another pair about 2 years later so I could switch off.
They cost more dollars than I've ever spent for boots.  ($500 or so)  However, they are the CHEAPEST boots I've ever bought!
Go online and ask for their catalog and order form.  If you decide to order, measure your feet with the form they send you and return it.  They were able to fit me perfectly and when I ordered the second pair all they needed was my name.  They have my measurements and the record of the lasts that fit my feet.
If I'm blessed with twenty  more productive years I expect to be wearing these boots when I quit.

The old name brands still have a few good models, IF they fit you and your use.  But a lot of trash.  I used to buy the heaviest strongest hiking boots I could find.  The ultralight bug bit a little bit and now I consider lighter less durable shoes to be an investment in COMFORT.