Some people prefer the Rambo-sized knives like the K-Bar. I don't. I'm not saying that the K-Bar is a bad knife. I just have no desire for something that large personally. I think a 4" inch blade is best for general utility for a fixed blade. So that's what I stick with (no pun intended!) But everybody has differing opinions. You probably don't want to get an el-cheapo $3 knife, but you don't need a $200+ "designer handmade wonder steel" model either. Plenty of good things out there for under $100, many are far below that.