We have a set of Henckels that we bought almost 20 years ago on a half price sale, and they work well enough. I donate knife sharpening at local fund raisers, end up sharpening quite a few knives, and based on what I've seen would get a set of Wustof tridents if I wanted German steel. Some older 'cheap Japanese' knives actually have good steel, as do some current offerings, cheap or expensive.
My best paring knife is a wood handled carbon steel Dexter, which was about $6 at a local supply store. The blade is nice and thin and the steel takes an excellent edge, which for some reason slices thru meat and fat better than any of the similar stainless knives that I have. In a bit larger knife I like the French carbon steel Nogent, they're evidently the original French cooking knives, but they won't take abuse like more modern designs as they have a 'rat tail tang' with ebony handles. Still, they have a hard carbon steel that takes an excellent edge.
We have one 4in serrated Cutco that we bought from a neighbor's kid who selling them, and although they seem to be much aligned I find that the steel holds an edge better than some more popular makes. They're expensive for what you get, but they're still decent quality.
If you look around you can find excellent used kitchen knives at Goodwill, antique stores, etc., sometimes for a few bucks a knife.
