Lone Peak makes some nice panniers for a decent price. Arkels have always struck me as heavy and expensive although they are apparently very high quality. If you can order from Detours (which is based in Seattle I think), they have some very reasonably priced panniers that seem high quality.

Personally, after shopping around for panniers for a long time, I settled on Ortlieb Back Roller Classics. The reviews are consistently outstanding for them and they are fully waterproof and easy to mount and remove. I plan to use mine for loaded touring and occasional commutes, so my needs are different than yours. For commuting, I mainly use a Carradice bag and plan to use the panniers only on days when I need to carry a lot of gear.