As has been discussed before, I am very tough on knives. To me they are tools, not decorations. As Chaosmagnet says, they must work, last, hold an edge, and not be too hard to sharpen. I have broken military issue K-Bars like they were nothing. If you are only using the knife to cut and skin, the Mora is great.

I do have to confess to owning a few hand made knives that did cost a lot, but they are used and they are all great, durable knives. Most of them were also made by friends of mine that I served with, so there is also a personal connection.