I'm of the opinion that a leather boot will always last longer than a full synthetic given care. I have a pair of Scarpa Wrangel gtx boots that have lasted more than 7 years and almost 1k miles but they are hot and heavy, not great on ice. It depends on what kind of hiking you do but I've heard great things about Meindl, Kennetrek, Crispi, Lowa, and Hanwag. Same with the made in USA Danner boots. I hear LaSportiva is kind of hit and miss. This is mostly from experience working on trails crews with the forest service. Most people I knew wore Scarpa.