Steel doesn't have much to do with making an expensive knife expensive, and anyway edge retention isn't that big a deal since you can always re-sharpen the knife. You might want to carry a diamond plate or even a piece of sandpaper so you can resharpen. For serrated edges I guess you need a sharpening cone. Spyderco and Cold Steel will resharpen your knife for free if you send it back to them, so maybe Kershaw will do the same. Best knife deal IMO: the Frosts of Sweden 760 and related models, 4" fixed blade with Scandinavian grind, $10 or so with crummy plastic sheath.