Tried for an entire year to make it work, but every hike in those boots was miserable.

Those kind of shoes do need some time to become comfortable to wear but a year? That’s a long time, and showing a lot of patience. Hope they did not end-up hurting you.

Felt like having lead feet.

I know that feeling too. I had a painful experience with a pair a heavy duty hiking shoes similar to yours, once. After 2 weeks trying and failing to make them remotely comfortable/usable I ended up contacting the maker describing my issue as best as I could, we exchanged a little and they sent me a model a tad wider and half a size longer, that settled it for me. That said, like yours, they were heavy and stiff shoes and they remained so, but they also have done their job quite well every time I have needed them.

Also, one important thing to consider, at least for me, is the insoles one can put in their shoes. A few years ago, because of some health issue, I had to wear custom made orthopedic insoles. I was very skeptical at first but that was such a game changer, and so rapidly, my endurance skyrocketed. They’re not cheap and it take me a week or so to have a new pair made, but I would not want to wear any shoes without them.