Basically anything short of a stamped metal boning knife is "buy for life" if you actually know how to sharpen it. No, not the grinders but a whetstone. And then just hone it (optimally every time you use it... so like once every other month).

Different metals will dull/misalign faster but basically no home chef will really have to worry about that. It is only really an issue when you are dicing dozens of pounds of veg a day (so restaraunt and some recipe developers). And the big difference there is just that you are sharpening once or twice a week instead of two or three times a year.

The real benefit to a more expensive knife is almost always balance and ergonomics of the handle. And unless you know what you want, you are just going to waste a lot of money.

Saying "this knife is buy it for life" is like saying "this hammer is buy it for life".

One other caveat. A lot of people will see a youtube chef cut through the joint of a chicken leg or carve out the spine or something similar. Unless you know what you are doing, that is where those cheap stamped metal boning knives come in handy. THAT is how you chip and break a blade because you weren't actually cutting through the cartilage (?) connecting the joints and were instead hacking through the bones themselves.

I have a Kershaw Shun 10" chef and 4" paring knife set that has lasted longer than all of my relationships put together (~20 years). I sharpen them on a 1000 grit stone. The wood handle still sits seamless with the pommel, and they will cut through paper loosely held. I keep them in simple leather sheaves that I crafted myself.

Point being, I think any good quality Japanese chef knife has the potential to be BIFL.

Maybe I'm not using my knives enough and/or I don't care about dullness, but my cheapo knives are lasting a long time too. Haven't had to throw one out yet.

Love Global knifes. Wish I could afford a full set.

Victorinox Fibrox boning knife for the win. If you know you know. Cheap, excellent oversized handle. Multiple certifications. Great knife. It's my go to kitchen knife. I Home cook everyday from raw and base resources.

My wustof is rolling up on 10 years. Loving it.

I've had my set of Henkels Professional S knives for over 20 years. Non-stop use.

I'm 90% sure this whole fancy chefs knife thing is a scam. My knife is the cheapest one I could find. Been 15 years and it still does the job. I mean you have to sharpen it but that's about it. Granted I'm also not a chef so this is for daily cooking

I'll stick with my affordable Nikiri knife thanks.

Friends don't let friends buy knives with bolsters.

I have a carbon steel knife a buddy of mine made, has lasted 10+ years. Holds a decent edge, so I can even shave my arm hair with it when it's freshly sharpened.

Also have some cheap ass Kiwi brand paring knives made from kind of extremely soft stainless steel. Very easy to sharpen. They get used as steak knives, for cutting cheese, apples, etc.

Paywalled, but that's a picture of a global knife. I have a few - not a full set. People really hate to hear this, but the reason I love them is that since they are one piece and all steel, they hold up really well in the dishwasher. Yes it accelerates dulling, but I have a knife rack in the machine and I sharpen them every six months.

Yeh I had a cheap Japanese one. One piece of steel. It always felt so balanced to use, the weight on one end made it feel like deliberate actions, with little bounceback. Again the smooth one piece of steel made it hygienic and quick to clean. Was less than 10 USD. Someone cadged it off me I always wanna ask for it back. 🤣

I do also see the Victorinox Fibrox boning at so many food service places, i will likely buy one of them at some point.

Never bought an expensive pan or knife yet. Nothing of mine matches though.