So far my list is:

1) Must be made of durable materials

2) Must fit comfortably

3) Manufacturer must have a reputation for good support if the boots need a tuneup (this eliminates 70% of all manufacturers sadly)

4) Should be Goodyearwelt construction

5) Specific model should be in production for a while

6) USA/Canada/Japan made gets priority, German 2nd, UK made 3rd, Indonesia/Italy 4th, China only in the under $100 range.

I really don't trust the Italians to make durable items. Seen a lot of shit Italian quality at my job. I think quality is a regional thing but I don't know what parts of Italy do a good job and what parts don't. So my default is that if its made in Italy its shit quality unless there is recent evidence to show otherwise.

That's why Whites, WESCO, and Dayton is on the top of my list. Unfortunately all are in the $400 range and difficult to find somewhere to try them on in my size. There is a pretty good subreddit for high end mens shoes https://www.reddit.com/r/goodyearwelt/ that I've been reading and trying to get a good idea on what to buy.