I have every foot problem you could imagine (high arches, over pronation, hammer toes, narrow size, the list goes on). Birkenstocks have never worked for me. I have not tried Keen or Teva, but I recently bought a pair of Earth Origins sandals from QVC when they were the Today's Special Value a few weeks ago and I have found them to be incredibly comfortable and friendly to my nasty feet. I didn't need to break them in at all--they were comfy right away. If I remember correctly, they are also a bit less expensive than the brands mentioned by the OP. Not the most fashion forward shoe you can find, but they feel good on my feet.
It's good to read other posters who have liked Orthaheel shoes. I've also seen those on QVC so I think I'll give those a try.
I've tried on and loved a pair of Naot brand sandals at Dillard's, but they are just so so so expensive that I couldn't bring myself to buy them. I guess a lot of it comes down not only to comfort, but how much money you want to spend on the shoes.
I bought a pair of Orthaheel sandals a couple years ago when Birkenstock ditched their spin-off line of cute sandals. I love them, although I will say they don't hold up like a Birk. The specialty show store down the road now carries Vionics and I actually plan on getting a pair tomorrow.
Wish I could have more shoes but when you have to have shoes that run $100+/pair it kind of puts a damper on that!
My daughter works outside all day hauling kayaks around. She ordered Keen "Whisper" in the color coffee from Zappos and right out of the box they were perfect. No breaking in. She loves them and will not buy anything else. She ordered 1/2 size up and they fit perfect. She can't recommend them enough!!!
It seems that in the last few years, all the comfort brand styles have been getting uglier. They're all clunky looking. I love sandals, but they have to be CUTE and COMFY. That's getting harder to find. I don't like the look of any Birkenstocks or Tevas or any of those.
In the past, Born has been my go-to for cute and comfy, but even Born is falling down on the job in the cute department. I wear an older pair of Born sandals that they no longer make. Thank goodness I bought an extra pair for when these wear out.
The last pair I bought was an Orthoaheel. They are very comfortable and okay looking. I'm not crazy about them, but I can certainly walk and walk in these!