Like many of you I have a lot of knives. The ones I use predominately are a 10" chef's knife by Mercer given to me by my son in law the chef, a boning knife by Victorinox the make of Swiss Army knives, and a paring knife. The other day I was watching a chef and he was using a 6" chef's knife to dice onions. That looked pretty good so I decided to get one.
I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and bought a 6" Victorinox chef's knife for about $35. Boy, was that a smart thing to do. I find myself using that knife as much as any other and it is extremely useful and wish I had done it long ago. So, if you don't have a 6" chef's knife I recommend you get one. It will make things much easier.
I really like the Victorinox knifes and they are recommended by Cook's Country.
I prefer to buy my knives from open stock rather than in sets because there are some in sets I would not use.
Don't laugh at the Miracle Blade II knives. I gave my daughter a set over ten years ago and she gave me one that's sort of like a small cleaver and a scraper. It is serrated and great for cheese and potatoes and is exceedingly sharper.
So, there's some info on knives. If you want a great sharpener don't forget that Chef's Choice XV that I recommended back in September. It changes your knives from 20* to 15* for sharper knives. Somewhere here is a thread on that.
Knives are perhaps the most often used piece of equipment we cooks use. Research and get the best and remember, highest price does not always equal the best.
Dee