Zwilling Sale: 3" Zwilling Vegetable Knife $3, 5-Qt Staub Tall Round Cocotte

Better is really a subjective term. Buy the knife you need for the job you need. Something like an 8" chefs knife is a workhorse in the kitchen as it can do almost everything and is 1 of the 3-4 types you really need. It can chop, dice, cut through small bones, trim and shape, slice through large sections of meat to make steaks from roast, can carve roasted and cooked meats, etc. What it doesn't do well is fine work around bones and make sharp curves when trying to filet...think of trying to remove the bone of a pork shoulder or T-bone steak. For that you'd want a filet knife, which is another of the types I'd say you need. The 3rd would be a serrated bread knife or offset slicer. Something that can go through more delicate objects without squishing them. Lastly would be a paring knife.

Now that the basics are out of the way, cost comes down to a variety of factors. Cheap knives are made of stamped steel or stainless steel. They can be very sharp out of the box and these blades are usually listed as flexible or semi-flexible. These types of blades are ideal for something like a filet knife where you want some give and be able to trim around bone or make curved cuts, or have a tight area when you need flexibilty in the blade. They tend to dull more quickly than forged blades and don't hold an edge as well. Because of that they are sharpened more often and this removes a lot of material from the blade over time. These are meant to be replaceable knives.

Forged blades are much stronger and hold an edge longer. High carbon steel blades, sometimes referred to as German steel as they are home to several prominent blade manufacturers, are ideal for chef knives because they hold an edge longer. The carbon in the steel makes them more rugged and forgiving. You could cut through a chicken leg by smacking your palm on the spine of the blade and make a clean cut through. Chef knives are meant to be more of a lifetime item or last for years and years. Other chef knives have Japanese steel and it's low carbon. These have incredible sharpness but they can be brittle as a result and they are rigid knives too. If you are doing lots of work with seafood/fish you'd want these possibly. If you tried cutting through a chicken bone or tried removing an avocado pit by smacking it with the blade of a Japanese VG10 steel knife, it's very likely you'll chip the knife, possibly to the point where it permanently damages it. I've seen pictures posted of this before.

Stamped steel is the least expensive, then German/carbon steel, then Japanese as a generalization.

Pressed on/glued handles are less expensive to manufacture than are riveted handles, which are sturdier. Wood handles are usually for show/to make the knife look and feel better, etc. and are often found on higher end knives. Polymer handles are cheaper and are great if you need to soak them in the sink to sanitize them.

You are also paying for the brand name and services. Some may offer replacement if damaged, some may offer free sharpening services, etc.

I'd encourage you to look mainly at the characteristics that the knives have that you need, rather than the cost. You may find a highly rated 8" chef knife for $50 only to find out it's slightly too heavy or long or doesn't feel right in your hand as the handle is uncomfortable or the knife doesn't feel balanced. You may prefer a 6" chef knife instead. What I'd recommend to you is the following:

Chefs knife: 8", carbon steel, bolster on the blade as you seem new to knives and it could save a chunk of your finger...it has for me. Wooden handle. I'd target $50-125 here from a reputable brand.

Filet knife: 6" flexible or semi-flexible blade. Polymer handle. Stamped steel is fine from a reputable brand. Price range probably $10-25.

Bread knife: Serrated and possibly offset blade depending on your preference. Something 10-14" long as you can use it to slice roasts if needed. If you never forsee yourself doing that, lean towards the shorter end of the range. Stamped steel is fine here as it will be serrated and you won't be able to easily sharpen it anyway. I believe I got a Mercer 14" polymer handle 5 years ago for $15. Should be able to find something along those lines today.

Paring knives: You may want to have both stamped and forged here. I only have 2 wooden handled forged paring knives but it's often all I need. I find the stamped steel feels too flimsy in my larger hands. Whatever you decide, 4" length should be about ideal. I believe I got each of mine for $6-7 a couple of years ago and I'm honestly kicking myself sometimes for not getting 6-8 as I sometimes use them as my steak knives. $10 is likely a reasonable price point here.

Anyway, I hope that information helped a bit. There's lots more out there if you care to look around.

I won't buy from Zwilling.com anymore because of their horrendous customer service. Mistakes can happen but when it comes to fixing them all you get is lip service broken promises and a whole lot of wasted time.