Newbie seeking advice for pocket knife purchase
Let me clarify: I'm new to quality knives. I've been using cheap knives all my life, as did my father and his father before him. Then recently I had forgotten to bring my $5 Barlow with me, and someone let me borrow their Buck 110 with ebony handle and brass bolsters, and Oh. My. Goodness. I need a quality knife. Is that Buck 110 as good as it gets, or are there better options? My first impulse was to rush out and get a 110 exactly like my friend's knife. My second impulse is to get some advice first. My friend has some advice, but pretty much only about Buck, so...
Purpose: Multi-purpose, indoor and outdoor. Opening, cutting, clearing, whittling, prepping. A tool for when I'm in a hurry and the right tool isn't nearby.
Size: I DON'T want ultra-light, or an ultra-thin handle. OTOH, a non-folding knife like a Buck 120 would probably be too big. That 110 was about the right size.
Price Range: I can go very high (up to... $500??) for something very high function. But I'm not interested in paying extra for exotic handles or engraving or collector's items.
Blade Type: Uhhhh... Don't really know. Sharp on one side. Don't need serrated. I don't THINK I need serrated.
Blade Steel (optional): Stainless. Low-maintenance, able to take lot of abuse and last a while between sharpenings.
Anything else: I'm basically asking what brands compete with Buck, or are better than Buck, even if they're more expensive. Some people are very loyal to one brand of phone or car or truck or shirt or whatever. I am NOT one of those people.