I have given this question 23 hours of thought. My answer is leather. I have a Schott Perfecto purchased used at an army surplus store in 1991. It remains in perfect shape despite being in a crash. I have a Hein Gericke Dakar, branded Victory Motorcycle Corp, purchased used on eBay for $80 in 2003. It remains in perfect shape despite being in a crash. Shit, I have a J Crew leather jacket gifted me new in 1995 that, despite being faded, despite being a piece of shit J Crew leather jacket, has been relined twice and remains in excellent shape. For that matter I have a hand-me-down Brooks Brothers nubuck suede leather trenchcoat from the '80s that looks new. My first pair of Carolina 116s were purchased new for $120 in 1991, resoled twice, and finally discarded after my utter and total lack of care over 20 years caused a crack big enough to push my thumb through. I tried filling it with shoe goo and it made a bump that hurt my toe. My second pair is still on their first soles. My $7800 leather sectional, which I bought for $1100 one year old in 2002, needs some refinishing but I know I could get the leather filled, get it restuffed and have a brand new couch for about $600. Leather. Leather, treated well, lasts forever. And the older it gets, the more it's worth. Unless it's Doc Martens. Docs fall apart in like 4 years. Fuck Doc Martens.
The boots they market as work boots last forever. They just figured out that some number of customers don't really need boots that last forever, they need boots that look like the ones on that one Agnostic Front album cover.Unless it's Doc Martens. Docs fall apart in like 4 years. Fuck Doc Martens.
I had two pair of 1461s, one in black, one in brown. They were my "I've been told not to spook the normies" work shoes, suitable for meetings and site visits. Two years. Two years I got out of those things. Split between the two of them. Work boots should last forever, and if you're going to wear work boots you can do better than Docs.
I'm late to the party, and I think I've said this before, but if you need disposable work boots, you could do a lot worse than Thorogoods. I've had mine for two and a half years. The soles are shot. I could resole them, but I've worn the leather through on the toes from kicking boxes. They look like hell, but I can still probably get another year out of them. They are comfy. Union made. And way cheaper than buying $60 shoes every five months. If you're poor, watch the spring/fall Amazon fashion sales. For whatever reason, they tend to get included in those.