Although I have knives from various companies, Spyderco is in my opinion the best bang for the buck company out there. You can find something in their line-up that will meet your needs. Anything from hard user to collectable, to just good EDC. They will not break the bank, and they have one of the best customer service in the business. Benchmade, Kershaw/Zt and Spyderco were always my big three, but over the last year or so, I have found myself selling off the others and grabbing up the Spyderco's. And for my last bit of personal 2 cents. Benchmade is a great company with great knives, but their prices have gone up and the good deals have become scarce. Their line-up selection has some cool stuff, but prices are hard to swallow. They now sit in the number 2 slot for me. Kershaw used to be tied for number 1 with Spyderco for me, but their selection this year does nothing for me. Seems bland with very little flavor. Their new attempts at older, successful folders has fallen short for me. Poor job at trying to resurrect past successes. ZT has fallen right off their pedestal in my eyes. They came out of the gate strong, but wow, this years line-up is awful. At least for me. Kershaw/ZT are no longer even in the running. Maybe things will change down the road.
Spyderco is king for me. Very practical designs, that are well tested and well thought out. They seem to focus more on actual use than flash. They do some awesome work with other knife designers, and their line just seems to keep getting better. They listen to their customers, and interact with those that love their knives better than any company I have seen to date. Do not let the new catalog fool you, as it did me. They have been surfacing sprint runs, and surprises already, and it is only February.
Give Spyderco a try and you will find yourself spending a lot of time on the Spyderco page here.
Good Luck, and remember that these are just my opinions, it comes down to what you like.
. Spyderco blades really meet my daily cutting needs like no other production knife ever has. But I admire many production knife companies. I've always had a special place in my heart for Buck & Ka-bar because those were the knives that I hunted and fished with as a kid. 
