A legend and available for around $30 is the Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife. Everyone recommends it and the word is you cannot get more bang for the buck. The claim is that you get 90 percent of what a more expensive knife gives you for 1/10 the cost. 6000 reviews on Amazon and 84 percent of them give 5 stars. Amazing.
The Henckels classic is another amazing bargain at just over $40. It has the look of a conventional kitchen knife with a riveted handle and gets great reviews. Made in Spain.If you are willing to spend over $100, lots of possibilities open up. I have always said that I want the Wusthof Classic, but have never forked over the money.
Tom's Knife Info / tom@mmto.org