>quietly raises hand:
I wish to bring you your attention http://www.herculesstands.com/mics/micstands.html
I bought one for kick and have been thrilled with its durability and functionality.
I gave away a trio of the fold out leaning tripod designs that I really liked. They went to a worthy cause, but I still wish I had them. Nice and heavy and very well built.
I'll second the DR Pro's from GC. I have 3 that are going on 10 years old and still hold up well.
I'll throw a curve in here - Tama stands (of drum fame)
The boom-pivot clutch is the best design I've seen.
They're all chrome, but Tama's MS205's are also one of my favorites. All steel, nice and solid, barely a plastic piece on them except for the part that tightens against the boom arm to keep it from spinning or sliding in the pivot.
K&M is hard to go wrong with, and the list above is all stuff that doesn't come cheap and isn't lightweight crap. That's really what it comes down to. Solid stands take metal to build. Metal costs money in materials and machining. Use lighter gauge tubes with plastic parts and you'll always end up with a disposable stand that won't hold up to pro use.