It's not always hand-waving, I'd done lots of urban riding, gravel and day-tours on Compass tires with no issues. When it came time to set-up my loaded touring bike there was no reason not to use them, they did not seem delicate in any sense of the word. And so far they have not shown any issues, so I'd have no hesitation recommending someone else go the same route as I. I've done about a week and half of total touring spread over 1300 miles with about 10% gravel.

Conversely, I've had such bad luck with Continental tires I'd never recommend them for touring or even general riding.

So as always, it comes down to the OP reading about others who choose to share from experience or those who choose to share from lack of experience.