New general purpose knife

[Tekno_Cowboy]

I'm looking for a new santoku or similar general purpose kitchen knife for chopping of vegetables and such.
I've been using a 5-6" santoku made by Analon I got at Herberger's years ago, but since I started taking a stronger interest in cooking, I'm finding that it's a bit small.
I like the looks of the Ken Onion Rain Santility knife, but the 160 dollar price makes me hesitant to order it. There is an almost identical cascade Santility I can get for 40 dollars, but the 420HC blade material makes me hesitate.
What I would like to know is this: Are there other similar knives of higher quality at a sub-$100 price point, and are there any knives sub-$200 that would be significantly higher quality than the Rain Santility?

 

[cwebsterlusk]

As far as sub $100 santoku knives go you really can't beat the Victorinox Forschner Fibrox for $40 in my opinion. Zwilling J.A. Henckels and Wusthof are the best in the sub-$200 range and great santoku blades under those brands can be had for around $120 if you shop around.

But again, just my opinion. I still use my old Farberware knives for some jobs in the kitchen. If it works, you're comfortable with it, and it'll last then go for it. It all boils down to what feels great for you.

 

[Skeptikos]

Under $100, check the tojiro dp and fujiwara fkm santokus. Good value for the money. If you are willing to go a bit over $100, check the Hiromoto AS 190mm santoku. It costs $120 or so and the aogami super steel core should outperform anything made out of 420HC