Well said, that pretty much sums up my opionion after almost a complete winter with them - and I wish I had run into a review like this before buying them.
I now have a pair of $150 shoes that are perfect for temps between 20 and 50 degrees F. I was expecting better.
Below that, I go with the sandals, lots of socks and a sealskinz sock as an outer layer. I've been pretty pleased with this approach, although it is a bit more time consuming than just throwing on the boots.
But if you do go the sandals route make sure that the straps expand enough to handle multi sock layers. On days when I go with 4 socks (below 0) I find that the small front strap on my Lake sandals has barely enough velcro to hang on, and I have to cinch them uncomfortably tight. 5 layers of socks would simply not fit.