knives... lately I've been buying about 1 a month.
I have several partial serrated folders (CRKT, mostly, various models) and a fixed blade CRKT with VEFF serrations.
I can't claim any great expertise, but the serrations seem to snag & shred anything I need to cut, whether it be rope, tape, cardboard or a sandwich.
A snagging knife is hazardous to your fingers, BTW, just like a dull knife is.

As I learn what I like, my definition of 'best' allround (call it survival if you prefer) knife is: fixed blade, plain edge, drop point, 0.125" thick, 154CM (or one of the good CS steels), blade about 3-1/2", OAL about 7-1/2", some choil or finger guard (not too pronounced) and a kydex multi-position sheath.
Landi MPS or Tre Kroner 5 is getting close to this spec.
I will buy the Landi 1st chance I get & the TK-5 when I win the lottery.
Be ready to gasp at the TK-5 pricetag:
http://www.workwearcanada.com/fallkniven/detail.cfm?product=3

Still looking for my perfect knife(to my wife's dismay), but have a couple customs that are very close.
BTW, a good custom knife costs much the same as the quality production knives discussed in this thread.

I've been looking at the Mora knives which get such great reviews.
I have to confess that they don't please my eye esthetically.
Not to dispute their function, but a good knife can be a thing of beauty & Mora doesn't cut it (excuse the bad pun).

As other have said, though, a good multi-tool is usually close to hand.
At work its a Leatherman Charge, at play it's a Leatherman Skeletool, both with the good 154CM steel blade.

I have been trying to find the perfect field knife for more than forty years. For the most part, I mostly succeeded as a collector, because I've kept every knife I've had. Over that time my knives have been folders and fixed blades made by Buck, Kershaw, CRKT, Kabar, Victorinox, Ontario, Camillus, Spyderco, Bark River, Zero Tolerance, Martindale, Becker, RAT, Swamp Rat, Frost's of Sweden and more than I can even remember. I have never found a single knife that is good for everything one may need or encounter. However, if I was forced to pick just one knife to take into the bush or for survival, I would pick the Bark River Canadian Special. It's about 9" long with a 0.17" x 4" full tang blade of A2 steel. It comes in a leather sheath that molds to the blade and covers the knife up to about 1" from the end of the handle. Out of the box, it's by far the sharpest I've ever seen. I paid about $125 for mine. I'd use it for everything except digging. It would not do anywhere near as well as a machete for clearing brush or chopping trees, but it would come nearer to being good for that than a machete would be for slicing meat for cooking. The Bark River knives are not cheap, though. If you feel the need for a big knife, look at the Cheaper Than Dirt DBA models. KnifeTest.com did a test on it - http://www.knifetests.com/CheaperThanDirtRoughUseKnifeDtest.html. $10 plus shipping. Should give you plenty of money left for a smaller blade such as Swiss
Army or nice mulitool so you have all bases covered.

Imagine you suck it up and purchase a Mora instead of the T-5. You are going to have an agonizing time, making tough decisions about what items you buy with all the money you save. You would probably go to the field with a superior all around kit rather than what is an admittedly fabulous knife.

I am pretty much convinced that most people worry way too much about what the perfect field knife is.

Get something adequate for $30 and put whatever you saved on some horrendously expensive knife you will be afraid to use to better uses.

I bought three CS Bushman knives for $39 shipped when they had a factory second sale. I would prefer a field knife thats a bit thicker for splitting wood, but I tried one of mine when it was close to zero and I was surprised how well it worked. I did not like the steel handle one bit, but wrapped with paracord it is not bad. The sheath is real basic, and badly needs some kind of strap to hold the knife in place (I keep meaning to buy some Velcro to make a strap, but never seem to get around to it).

Some time ago I bought a Glock field knife. I think it was under $30 shipped. Another imperfect but serviceable blade.

Somewhere I have a Kbar pilot's survival knife. I don't like the saw back on it, but its another serviceable knife. I have had it for many years. I might have paid $30 for it. You might have to go $50 for it these days.

Last fall I stopped by a garage sale. Guy had dozens of knives for sale, including some very nice looking butcher knives. Whats the difference between a solid butcher knife and a field knife? Not all that much. i am pretty much convinced the big difference is that field knives usually come with a sheath of some sort. I could have had my choice for $1 each. I wish now that I had bought some of the nicer ones.

Good advice. I know I will buy more knives (love knives!!!) at a later point in time, but sharpening a mora 511 from my tool box and putting that through some dirt time as my hip knife was a real eye opener.

Intellectually, your position makes perfect sense. I have an old Remington Hammersmith butcher knife that would make an excellent field blade. In fact, all field blades were similar to butcher knives until the early 1900's when one Webster Marbles of Gladstone Michigan introduced the Marbles Ideal knife. He also invented the compressed leather washer handles we still see today. His blade was much thicker than a butcher knife, was fullered to reduce weight and cutting friction, had a novel, comfortable, sturdy handle, and came with a nice sheath. An industry (and an eternal search) was born. My Hammersmith would do anything I would ever require of a field knife, but I admit to an insatiable fascination with mans oldest and best tool. A tool that can be used to fashion almost every other tool. The knife forms the basis for so many other inventions old and new: scissors, hair clipper, lawnmower, blender, sword, haybine, corn combine, razor, meat grinder, metal shears, lathe, scalpel, mill, buck saw, paper shredder, food processor, adze, nail clipper, router, band saw, planer, axe, veg-o-matic, chainsaw, drill, shovel, hoe, arrowheads, stump grinder, mattock, wedge, can opener, spear, scythe, and all manner of chippers, choppers, and chisels........ How can anyone stop at just one, no matter how practical?

I resurrected this old thread just to post a link to these knife pictures. No, that's not me, but I sure wish I owned some of those knives............ http://forestandstream.com/board/index.php?topic=832.0

I like a good mid-range knife - sheath or folding - so I can have several.

[drooling ... and crying while looking at meager back account]

My choice is a kukri. Big knife for all the graft and a little one for the intricate work. Whole thing is inexpensive enough not to care if it gets 'dented'. As a side note, I'm thinking of swapping the small knife in it for a buck hartsook. Quite taken by those little demons.