You'll find a lot of the folks here have switched to trail runners, or else lightweight boots with more fabric in the uppers than leather. These options do not hold up under heavy use as long as more traditional all-leather hiking boots, but they easily make up for that in terms of comfort (no breaking them in), weight (your legs don't have to work nearly so hard lifting heavy boots for every step you take), and for most of us blisters become a thing of the past, because the sweat and heat your foot generates doesn't get trapped inside a light fabric shoe as it does with a leather boot. The trail runners even cost less.

As OregonMouse observed, the most important thing about a shoe or boot is how well it fits your foot. A good brand or model for one person can be a disaster for another person. You just have to figure it out. Sometimes specialty shoe stores that serve runners can help you figure out your foot better than other shoe store clerks (including REI). It's a journey.