otherwise than the shape and comfort for grip, what is the difference in terms of the material used between a cheap (e.g. $1 or $10) and an expensive (e.g. $100) stainless steel knife?
there are a couple details that (traditionally) make for a "quality" knife:
- forged, not stamped out of flat sheet
- full tang, with rivet attachment
- good steel
with the higher quality steels more prevalent, the "stamped" issue has been been less emphasized - except to note the 'dollar store variety' is usually much thinner and usually unacceptably flexible for (example) a chef's knife.