What about Berghaus, are they a well respect brand? The Berghaus Supalite II are within budget as are the Scarpa Ranger II. Anyone have experience with these? Thanks.
Both Berghaus and Brasher used to be the market leaders back in the 80's and were both very well respected brands.
Since then I believe Berghaus have been bought out by the same group which also owns Blacks, Millets, Ultimate Outdoors and Go Outdoors and as usual in these cases the quality has taken a nosedive together with any respect they once had.
Prior to being bought out Berghaus bought the Brasher brand as they too went to the wall. At that time believe it or not the Brasher HillMaster was the best selling boot in the country and probably the main reason Berghaus bought Brasher. The Berghaus Supalite II is basically the Brasher Supalite with a slighly different design and sole unit stuck on it. In today's market it's a sub £100 boot with a build quality to match.
The bottom line with boots is that you really do get what you pay for in terms of build quality and expected life. In my opinion there really is a reason for the old saying "buy cheap, buy twice"
Assuming both boots fit your feet my personal choice between the Berghaus Supalite II and the Scarpa Ranger II would be the Scarpa Ranger II - it's a better quality boot.
As a guide to prices and what is possible I recently bought a pair of Altberg Malham for £130 and a pair of Altberg Nordkapp for £157 from Gaynor Sports in their 30% Off RRP Easter Offer. If you are not in a mad rush to buy it might be worth going somewhere to get measured and try some on and then wait patiently for the right online offer to come along. Once you know your size it's also worth keeping your eyes on eBay and Gumtree for second hand bargains.