Honestly I'm more of a trek guy but that stems more from me liking the geometry of my Xcal over the specialized hard tail (I forget the model)

Trek also was the only company that had a bike specced the way I wanted when I was looking for an all weather commuter (700c, steel frame, upright position, disc brakes, rack/fender mounting)

However, recently I put a Specialized Roll on layaway. Kinda a cool machine, and I think there's one in your price range. Suspension seat post, 27.5x2.3 tires and is fairly light for what it is (the one I looked at was 29lb)

Both brands are fantastic, just gotta find the bike you prefer.

Also, +1 to keeping your current bike as a back up