That is a pretty good dose of perspective.

In choosing my knife tools, I look to folks who use their's on a regular basis and see what it is they grab. In my case, that was soldiers in Iraq, especially the mid-grade to senior enlisted fellows. These guys did use their knives daily. The most used tool was a multi-tool, which makes a lot of sense to me, and is corroborated well watching Old Man Stroud sporting his on nearly ever episode.

After that, what was carried depended on typical usage, ranging from the tough as nails Busse fixed blades, to Cold Steel SRKs, to Ka-Bar Desert Mule folders. You did not see many of the senior enlisted with issue Ka-Bar fixed blade knives. The Px would stock SRKs and they would sell out of them often. As I've no real civilian comparison for toting fixed blades in public, and only a limited amount for larger folders, I would say that for those two categories you find something you like, can afford, and makes you happy.

The higher priority, then is on obtaining a good multi tool as your primary carry/survival knife tool. In fact, I used to tote and use mine daily for the work I did prior to going to Iraq, and I would not want to be without it. That, from all I've observed and experienced, is my most unexpert recommendation. In a pinch, heck I'd settle for a good chunk of broken glass or cracked stone if that's all there was.