While I agree saddle choice is highly personal, it’s good that you're asking around. No bike stores in my area seem to have any sort of try-before-you-buy program (barring a box of take-offs, which are all cheap junk). If you buy a higher end saddle from a local bike store and find out you don’t like it after your first 50 mile ride, good luck returning it...maybe some would do an exchange, but even then you’d be limited to the models they stock.
my best advice is to measure your sit bone width (google how...can be done with a hard bench, a piece of cardboard and a crayon) and then estimate your saddle-to-bar drop, and then scan the forums to see what people with similar measurements like. I personally found Selle Anatomica NSX fit me wonderfully, and is about as comfortable as a lazy boy even after 10 hours in the saddle. I researched it thoroughly before ordering, but otherwise had never tried it or even spoke personally with anyone that had...but it was exactly what I was looking for.