I looooooove my Wusthof knives. They'll have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands. I insist on them being handwashed, handdried, and then put in the knife block IMMEDIATELY after they're used. I'll bring them with me if I'm cooking at someone else's house, even! Even if you can only afford the chef's knife, you'll never regret it!

LOL, I was helping my sister with a family gathering Sunday, and saw her MIL wash and drop her Wusthof in a drawer with other utensils! I grabbed it and put it into its sleeve for her.

Another fan of Cutcos - we have the steak knives, meat slicing set, and the bread knife - and I'd swear there's nothing these things won't go through. For the major kitchen experiences, our Head Chef (DH) loves our Messermeisters. They are heavy, well-balanced, and re-sharpen like a dream. Not exactly budget stuff ... but there are factory seconds available with blemishes in the handle that can make them quite reasonable.