I love my Puma lieutenant pocket knife but I paid about $75. This is my second Puma, the first one is at the bottom of a lake.
In my 62 years I have had Buck, Case, Old Timer and several others and none have kept an edge like the Pumas. JMO

TB

Gerber. I have 3 and love them all.

CRKT knives Clean hooked me up with one for my bday and I love it, im not big into knives but this is the best one I ever had

I really like my Buck 55, little brother to the famous 110 folding hunter.

Check out spyderco, Benchmade, for more modern folders. If you like traditional style knives check out the queen knives in D2 steel, they hold a real good edge. GraigB here on the forum makes some really sweet pocket knives also.

I carry a Buck 442 everyday. It's light and works like Buck 110.
about $17 at Academy. I one I carry now, has gutted 5 deer in the last 2 years. Easy to sharpen.

I like Case trappers, use one for just about everything. At work I carry a Benchmade. Don't laugh but I've also been known to carry a swiss army knife....

Moore Maker Matador TX. I carry the 3 blade stockman daily and I use the fixed blade with a gut hook for hunting. Great steel they hold an edge well. The best thing about them is they are a quality knife made right here in the Lone Star State.

Anything made with 1095, D2, 440C or their Japanese counterparts will do the trick. Finding them will be the hard part. Most if not all production knives are made from straight 440 stainless blanks now. Older EYE BRAND were made by Carl Schlieper Co of a custom hammer forged carbon steel that has been a favorite of ranchers and outdoors men in Texas for nearly a century. Moore Maker knives have some of the old EYE BRAND patterns that are top notch.

Listen to Francisco - he know his stuff! The best production folder IMO is the Benchmade Mel Pardue design with D2 steel. You can get it at Cabela's in green Micarta (i think) and a black blade. Very nice. If you want a quality custom knife, ask Frank. Not sure if he does folders though. (Shameless plug!)

Look at benchmades. I have two and I'll be getting another this month. Definitely the best knives I've ever used. I've tried bucks, gerbers, and a few other brands (can't think of them off the top of my head), and the benchmade is tops. I remember the first time i picked up a benchmade. It had a good weight, not too heavy, buy not light, easy to open with one hand, well balanced, good sharp thick blade, and felt good in my hand. I've never put anything else in my pocket since then. They're kind of pricey, but worth it for something you'll keep for many years.

I carry a benchmade mel pardue in my front pocket at all times, had it for 5 or 6 years.

Find a good local knifemaker. Most store bought will not be of the highest quality. There are lots of good knife steels out there and there's some junk too. I know several makers. Visit some of the knife forums and make some friends. What you learn will be priceless. You spend lots of money on guns and ammo, right? Spend a few bucks on a quality knife and never look back.

Hen&Rooster or Kissing Crane

Kershaw Black Out or CRKT

Moore Maker not made in lone star state.Folding pocket knives made by Queen larger ones made by Bear now that camilus went under.

No problem.