Pertinent thread is pertinent.
I've got a nice set of knives but the big knives in it are a santoku and a utility knife which are fine for just about everything (except my fiance who uses the pairing knife for every single job!!!) but I do want a nice chef's knife and have been looking at them for after the wedding.
Anything to keep in mind or look out for?
Your first choice is whether you want a Japanese or Euro style knife. Japanese-style knives are generally made of a harder steel, are thinner, and have a wicked sharp edge at a lower grind angle, but need more maintenance on a stone and need sharpened at least monthly. FWIW, I have to sharpen mine every other week, but it's used hours every day. Euro-style have softer steel, are thicker, can't get quite as sharp but will hold their edge far longer, and need less maintenance. With regular home use and a honing steel you can easily get six months to a year of use out of it before needing to sharpen, but I do mine every three months.
A pic of my work knife roll:
Left is a Tojiro DP guyto... it's a 9" blade Japanese style chef knife, with a western handle. It had a really knife pointed tip, but it broke at work last week and I need to reshape it.
Next is a Tojiro DP nakiri, or vegetable cleaver. Honestly, this is my favourite knife at work since I work the cold line and prep a lot of veg.
Next is a Wusthof Classic paring knife. Holds an edge, it's not razor sharp, but it'll last a lifetime of use and get the job done.
Next is an ICEL serrated paring knife. It doesn't get much use, but I'll pop it out for crostini or the occasional tomato.
Finally is the Tojiro Big Almight... a 13" blade designed pretty much for watermelon and squash. It's absurd and almost has to be used like one of those handled paper cutters you have in school, but it was $11 on Amazon and I couldn't resist.
Tojiro DP is an affordable intro to Japanese knives, and since they have the western handle, it feels familiar. You can pick a gyuto off Amazon for around $60. If the maintenance on it sounds like too much, buy a Messermeister chef's knife (I prefer 9-10" over 8", but for home use 8" is probably fine) and get it sharpened... they're cheap enough that when it needs resharpened you can either buy a new one, or go get a a Wusthof Classic for about $80-100. I don't know exchange rates for you guys, so pricing may vary. I also recommend checking out
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/ if you're even a little interested in Japanese blades. They have some nice starter rolls for $124-150 that are designed for kitchen use, so they'd be fine at home.