1. Well thought-out blade grind for my uses (This eliminates probably at least 50% of modern knives for me)
2. Comfy handle
3. Low cost
4. Easy to sharpen
Not very strict requirements. I'm not picky with blade length, I'll use wood scales or G10, it can weigh under an ounce or over 8. Just needs to feel good in the hand, have a slim and efficient cutting edge and not cost much. I buy my knives to use, not to look at. If I can get an Opinel for 10$ and have it excel over most 100$ knives out there in every task I use a knife for, I see little reason to go with the latter. Especially considering how comfy my modified Opinel is and how well the blade suites me. I don't really give a damn about blade steel. I take care of my knives so rust has never been an issue for me once since I picked up my first knife, and as long as I can sharpen it I won't have issues with edge retention. Woodworking and food chores, the bulk of what my knives are used for, don't degrade the edge very quickly. I rarely use a stone except to re-profile, I just use steels or the backs of my knives to re-align the edge and that's all it takes. I have SAKs I've been using for over a year that haven't ever been put to a stone and are beyond shaving sharp. I'm content with some properly heat-treated 420 or 440 series steel.
The bottom is my EDC, sometimes paired with a VIC Classic attatched to an LED.
2. Comfy handle
3. Low cost
4. Easy to sharpen
Not very strict requirements. I'm not picky with blade length, I'll use wood scales or G10, it can weigh under an ounce or over 8. Just needs to feel good in the hand, have a slim and efficient cutting edge and not cost much. I buy my knives to use, not to look at. If I can get an Opinel for 10$ and have it excel over most 100$ knives out there in every task I use a knife for, I see little reason to go with the latter. Especially considering how comfy my modified Opinel is and how well the blade suites me. I don't really give a damn about blade steel. I take care of my knives so rust has never been an issue for me once since I picked up my first knife, and as long as I can sharpen it I won't have issues with edge retention. Woodworking and food chores, the bulk of what my knives are used for, don't degrade the edge very quickly. I rarely use a stone except to re-profile, I just use steels or the backs of my knives to re-align the edge and that's all it takes. I have SAKs I've been using for over a year that haven't ever been put to a stone and are beyond shaving sharp. I'm content with some properly heat-treated 420 or 440 series steel.
The bottom is my EDC, sometimes paired with a VIC Classic attatched to an LED.