Moving beyond the crowd of 420-stainless knives, you will really start to get what you pay for, even if a lot of what you're paying for may be style. My theory on the matter is that $80-100 is about what you will pay to get a knife (8 inch chef's) that will perform excellently in all areas but isn't likely to get the casual observer's pulse racing or strike envy into the hearts of your contemporaries.
Personal taste does play a big role in selection as well. Globals are uniformly well-made knives, but if you don't really like yours and are never going to use it, it's a waste of money. If you can, make friends with someone who has one and will let you help chop vegetables with it. If not, go to a reputable dealer and get a feel for the knife in person. Get a feel for several brands.
Victorinox Forschners were brought up a high-quality, low-cost alternative, and that they are. My younger brother just moved into an apartment off-campus and that's what I got him for Christmas. I'm not sure how experienced you are with cooking knives, but Forschners makes an excellent entry-level knife in the world of good kitchen cutlery! The plastic handle and stamped blade may not appeal to many people, but they are well made, well heat-treated (more important than steel selection, in some cases), and almost impossibly inexpensive.
