FINALLY found myself a nice pair of black boots!  Most of the ones I've tried looked too juniors-y or too clunky (or are beautiful but WAAAY too expensive).  This is a nice classy, basic boot - I could see it easily dressed up or down depending on the outfit.  I've only had them out of the box for half an hour, but they feel comfy, and I bet I could go a day in them without complaint.  There's a heel, but it's the kind that's so low and stable that it feels like a flat.  The material doesn't feel too synthetic.  There's plenty of traction on the sole.  My biggest complaint is that they seem to bunch around the ankle more than I'd like (more so than the other black boots I bought for comparison shopping), but they're classy, versatile, and comfortable enough that they won!  plus, the price is very reasonable!)

(Also, these are best for narrow calves...you needn't be stick thin, but the margin between needing a wide calf and a normal calf is pretty small!  ie, my legs look the same to the naked eye, but after trying on many pairs of different brands of boots, I find that my left leg ends up being squeezed in normal boots, and my right leg is fine.  That held true for these boots, but I like them enough to keep them!)