People get pretty emotional about knives. In a way it's funny to me but I'm not exempt. At the core they're just inert tools but something about them strikes a chord in us, perhaps on a primal level. I will say this though- just because I praise one knife doesn't mean I'm criticizing another. There are lots of good ones out there.

The cost of some knives also sends people into a tizzy. I know guys who think anything under a few hundred bucks is junk and guys that won't buy anthing that's not custom. At the other end of the spectrum, lots of people think it's insane to spend over $125-$150, especially given the plethora of great blades in that price range. I'm in between. Since I'm not a rich man I must ackowledge the Law of Diminishing Returns. I'm not critical of a guy spending $2k on a knife, but I can't afford that.

Working as chef I've found the "sweet spot" is around $200 per knife. I'll spend more than that for something exceptional, and I have a few that were less than that, but the blend of quality and value at that price level suits my needs. For outdoor knives I generally don't need as many nor will I generally spend as much since I'll use them less. That said, eventually I will cave and get a couple of Busses. Yeah, they're expensive but experience has proved they're worth it.

One thing I generally avoid is the personally branded blades, be it kitchen (eg Alton' Angle from Shun) or the Grylls Gerber. Same goes for clothes- I feel like a dumb@ss paying extra money to be a walking billboard. I find it kind of tacky. My taste runs to clean lines and simplicity, and any adornment better either be beautiful wood or elegant engraved Kanji.