Check out the new Outpost Offroad / Metal Tech 4x4 bolt-ons. They're having a sale right now, they're normally $450, currently $300. They're a hybrid design with DOM outer tubing and a mild kickout. I just bought a set and the craftsmanship is top notch; they're even serialized and have a serial plate attached. I had them add mesh fill plates to mine to hopefully reduce the amount of rock chips I'm getting on my rocker panels.
They're definitely not for hardcore rock crawling since they only have 3 legs, but like you, that's not really my intended use. I'm in the middle of painting them so I can't comment on how well they work. They did fit perfectly when I fit them up to drill the 3 holes per side.
I'm in the Houston, TX area and the freight quote was $170 for a single set on a freight carrier, so I think you could probably get a set to NY within your $500 budget. I ended up finding 2 other people to split the freight with, and it was $250 total for all 3 sets on a single pallet. When I talked to the guy at Metal-Tech, he said they would look into using Fastenal instead of a freight carrier to reduce shipping costs.
http://www.metaltech4x4.com/ - the discount code is listed on the main page.
As for the 4xInnovations, I can't comment on the product, but I can say that Adam's customer service was great when I had several emails back and forth with him.
Edit: here's a crappy cell phone pic showing the standard sliders and ones with the fill plates added. Sorry for the gigantic pic, I can't resize it right now.
