That's a very personal choice. I prefer Santoku style knifes for general purpose use. Allegedly they are best suited for women and people with small hands, but I am a big guy with hands like shovels and like them anyhow.
I am German and like to support the German economy, but with German knifes you tend to pay a lot for the name.
Here is the way I got my favorite chefs knife. I was at a friend's place who is really into kitchen gadgets, as is his wife. They are definitely both more in the collector category. They were working with a nice looking Santoku knife, and knowing them, I figured several hundred dollars. When I admired the knife, they let me work with it, and I fell in love!
Heavy hearted - because I figured it would be way out of my price range - I asked where they got it. They gave me a big smile and said: Bed, Bath & Beyond, $10!
The next day I bought the identical knife, and it has been my main kitchen tool for well over 10 years now. It doesn't even mind the daily ride in the dishwasher!
Generally Bed, Bath & Beyond is a good place to shop for knifes. They have a good selection covering a wide price range, and you can hold the knifes to see how they feel in your hand. But don't be suckered into buying one of those big knife blocks. 90% of what's in there you will never need. Personally I don't even use a paring knife. With the Santoku and a big Chinese meat cleaver I picked up for a song in Hong Kong, I've always got the job done. But again, knife's are a very subjective affair!
Farberware Pro Forged 7-Inch Santoku after well over 10 years of daily service. Looks like they changed the handle somewhat, but
still available.
