Get a Kiwi knife!

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/004140.php

Oh gosh, yes, I got a Kiwi paring knife at the Wok Shop in SF, and I love it. I think it was like $2. I haven't tried their chef's knives yet though.

I've had my set of Victorinox knives (a wedding gift from my mom, who researched them extensively) for 6 years and they are GREAT. I would highly recommend them as an affordable set.

I have one of the Victorinox chef's knives, and love it, so I second that recommendation. I have also read good things about Mundial knives in Bon Appetit recently, but I haven't used one myself.

I have a Victorinox set too. I got them for Christmas this year and absolutely love them.

I am fifthing the Victorinox. Mine came with a cooking class I took a few years ago, and I have not been interested in another knife since. They look cheaper than many, but function better than most.

My vote is for the Wusthof Classic Wide 10" Cook's Knife. The Wide makes all the difference - it has great weight.

The one thing I would say is that no matter what kind of knife you get, you should make sure you know how to maintain the knives properly. If you don't sharpen them yourself, do get it done as frequently as you can afford/is appropriate with use, know how to use the knives well and clean them with minimal risk of damaging the blades. I can't tell you how many people have wasted a lot of money on really high quality knives only to treat them like they're plastic butter knives and can withstand any treatment. Good luck!

Just saw a decent collection of Wustof knives at a local Marshalls. They were priced at around 30% regular retail - seems like a decent deal.

i would love my victorinox chef's knife even if it had cost more than $35. it's not very sexy, but its quality is excellent.

I love my Global 8-inch. Love. If it were a man, I would marry it.

http://tinyurl.com/ybm8pn9

Also, I highly recommend you go to a store that carries multiple brands and lets you try them out. Everyone has a different hand, and your perfect knife will be impossible to find without playing a bit.

I get mine from flea markets. I've owned a large number of knives, and if it doesn't rust, it's probably not worth it. (sweeping generalization I know, but I calls them as I see them...) Stainless steel can be sharpened, but to do it well needs someone willing to spend the time (and money) to do it right. Carbon steel dulls faster, but sharpens much easier. Fwiw in the high end woodworking industry, carbon steel blades are making a comeback in plane irons for precisely this reason.

Stainless just never seems to achieve the edge that rustable steel can. Funnily I was given a couple of prize knives that the owner didt want because he thought they were ugly. not because they didn't cut well...

I love the Victorinox knives too. Take the money you save and find someplace to have them professionally sharpened once a year. I've seen the Kiwi knives too and want to give them a try. At that price why not, I could use a cleaver once a year.

I agree with circusboy - no stainless!

i have a collection of old forgecraft hi-carbon steel knives that are AMAZING. They are cheap and available, and my knife sharpener was floored by their quality.

I second the Global, meg_ues! I have the 7" santoku, and have never looked back! I love the lighter weight of Japanese knives. The European ones are too heavy and tire me out quickly.

Sur la Table is a fabulous place to start; their people are generally very knowledgeable and will let you try anything in the store.

My first good chef's knife was the 6" Wunsthof Classic and I still love it 12 years later. It is my go-to knife; and no, I don't prefer the 8" or 10" (now that we have those too). I recommend Bed Bath and Beyond -- get one of those 20% off coupons! (They say they're not applicable to certain brands, but I've never had one turned down for anything.)

Sorry -- Wusthof. I don't know why I always want to put an extra "n" in there.

Totally agree about holding different ones to see what feel you like. I have Calphalons and they're crazy bulky in my hands, but my Global fits perfect. Just see what you like.

As for how to find good ones, google. I searched for top rated chefs knives and got a ton of pages with comprehensive looks at what is good and bad and prices for a wide range of knives.

I believe the top rated knife from the list I saw for a low priced high end knife was Foreschner Rosewood (probably spelling that wrong) by Victorinox. Very pretty, lightweight and sharp. And most are like 30-40 bucks. I have the bread knife of that set and love it.

Like others have said though if you got about a hundred bucks to blow on a knife, Global rocks. Good for smaller hands.

The Shun line is awesome. I have the classic design and I love them. The slightly "D" shaped handle fits my hands perfectly and they're beautifully balanced, besides being super-sharp!

I got my Wusthofs at Macy's on rediculous sale. I believe they were 50% off then an additional 305 with a coupon. If you time it right and look in the paper for coupons you can get a real steal for a high end knife if you're so inclined.

Otherwise, I have heard great things about the Victorinox Forschner knives as well.

*30% ....sorry

teaches me not to preview

I got my first chef's knife from IKEA. I'm actually quite happy with it. It fits my hand well.

I needed a good knife and I went for the 6" Wusthof chef knife, and it made a world of difference. I've seen it on Amazon for around $45. Make sure you get a forged knife, I know there is a lot of debate about whether Forged or Stamped is better, but forged has a better weight and takes the strain off of your arm. You should let the knife do as much of the work as possible. And you really only need 3 knives to start: chef (I like the 10" wide), 3.5" pairing, and a bread knife (also used for thick-skinned fruits, etc.). Good luck!

I just bought Giada De Laurentiis' santoku knife from Target for $17.99 and I love it.

I've got a Wusthof 8" that I really really love, but... My next purchase will be from http://www.saberknifestore.com/ They're priced at a flat rate of $7/inch. Honestly- the best customer service I've ever come across. I had read something on a blog about their knives and sent them an email to find out when their knives would be ready to order as they were still in production. The owner has emailed back very promptly to every question. Then he sent me a free pairing knife when they were finished- just to check out. I don't use pairing knives to often- but I'm really impressed by the quality and really excited to check out the chefs knife.

Completely agree that Wusthof knives are the best for quality, reliability and affordability. Also, they just released this new line "Créme" that are elegantly functional (I never thought a knife could be so pretty). Forged carbon steel and some contemporary edge, I'm sold.

By the way, the Créme and the Wusthof Classic series are on sale at Koutáli.com.