Global all the way. Worth the money to also get the Global stone.

I have a couple of more expensive Japanese style knives from Korin but the one I tend to use all the time is a 30 dollar Forschner Fibrox (now owned by Victorinox I think) that I bought after it was highly recommended by Cook's Illustrated. Amazing knife at any price.

My friend has Globals - they feel really weird to me though.

Also I should mention I'm considering taking a trip to Gifu prefecture to the famous knife making district to get them too.

I just got a few Shun knives, goddamn they are the best thing ever. Folded steel, and they fit well in my hand. Knives are one of those things I won't buy online unless I've been able to hold them and feel the fit in person (see also: bras). The Shun handles just work great in my hand and in my fiancé's.

I have an old set of Sabatier knives, that have lasted me over 25 years, supplemented with a few extras. If I were starting now, I'd buy a decent wood block (to store the knives) and fill it with:
* Two Victorinox Fibrox Chef's Knives:the 8" version and the 10" version, recommended year on year as the best cook's knife by America's Test Kitchen. These are the two sizes I use most;
* A bread knife with large serrations;
* A paring knife (this set of 3 looks decent quality and has a variety of useful designs);
* A Kitchen Saw/Frozen Food Knife (be careful with your fingers as both sides are sharp - but this is one of my most used knives);
* An AccuSharp Knife Sharpener. This won't fit in the knife block (I have an old butcher's steel), but they are recommended by everyone I know.

I've got a MAC 8" chef, a Shun 7" santoku, a CCK #2 Vegetable Slicer, a fibrox serrated bread knife, several misc cheap paring knives, a very cheap single-bevel usuba, and two fantasy knives - a hammered Kumagoro guyuto and a santoku, both made from carbon steel that sharpens beyond belief. The daily drivers live on a benchmade.com MagBlok, and the occasional-use knives live in cardboard protectors in a drawer. I use a MAC ceramic rod to keep 'em honed, and an array of waterstones for actual sharpening. I'm not a fan of knife blocks mostly because I don't have the countertop space. If you do use a block, put 'em in with the spine down, edge up.

The MAC and the CCK get twice the mileage of any other knives. I recommend the MAC to anyone who wants something a bit more presentable than the univerally praised but very utilitarian Forschner; I love my MAC! (even though it bit me within five minutes of getting it home, when washing the factory off. Sharp!)

The next knife I have my eye on is a Honesuki - a boning knife. Watching this guy, he seems to have some sort of magical wand for dismantling chicken. (Sure, do anything 10,000 times and it looks easy... I still want one of those knives)