Well, of course, that's an overstatement. But I recommend a different approach that seems to have worked for me.

Like you, I have had difficulty getting shoes of any sort-- much less hiking shoes -- that really seem to be right. I also have regrets about failing to stockpile certain shoes that happened to work . . .

I changed the equation. The logic is simple: keep the fit next to your foot and change the outside housing as needed. I started doing this with SuperFeet footbeds which happened to work very well for me. I started wearing them in as many of my shoes as I could and experienced constant fit over varying shoes. Then I invested in FeatherSprings. It is a one-piece stainless steel foot support perfectly matched to my foot which provides perfect support from shoe to shoe to shoe. I only have one pair and move them to whatever shoe I'm using for the day.

Initially, I didn't like the absence of a heel cup which the SuperFeet had provided so well. I sent them back and they put in what they call a bone spur releif -- which is, in fact, a heel cup. After that mod (no charge, BTW) I have a system that works better than anything else I have ever tried. It is superior because it flexes -- like helper springs for your feet -- rather than simply acting as a form-fitting block which doesn't really move or a mere cushion/pad without any real support.

Now, I still am picky about shoes -- particularly hiking shoes -- but it is so much easier. When I go to the store, I just remove the FeatherSpring from the shoe I arrived in and transfer it to whatever one I'm trying on. It's almost as if I were trying on perfectly fitting, broken in shoes -- at least as far as the footbed is concerned. That allows me to pay more attention to other aspects of fit like sloppiness of the heel or pinching on the sides of my feet -- which is now my major challenge.

They are a bit spendy at over $250, or whatever they are charging now, but they are a lifetime item and at close to 30 bucks each for multiple pairs of SuperFeet for each of my shoes every 6 months, I've long ago paid for the Feathersprings and will find that I only need to purchase the consumable accessories every 3 years or so (YMMV).

If you have more questions, feel free to ask away -- either here for everyone's benefit or by PM.