Well this depends on personal preference. Some people simply must have a forged knife.. the kind with a thick bolster . They like a heavy knife. Forged knives are really expensive. A 10inch forge chef;s knife is usually 100 buck or more. Since you said affordable I would steer you towards stamped knives... the kind with no bolster, though some have bolsters brazed onto the blade to make the knife looked forged. The most popular knives used by cooking professional are stamped. I prefer the Forschner brand with the nylon molded handles. I have a 12 " and a 10" chefs as well as a serated bread and utility knife form Forschner. They 're cheap, usually under 30 bucks but stay reasonably sharp. Be sure to get a steel rod to help keep the edge straight. I sharpen my own knives with a sharpener that uses ceramic rods set in a "V" and when they get super dull I bring em back with a two sided japanese water stone.

Anything Cold Steel is quality.

Wustof Tridents are nice, I have a couple, but they are not cheap, forged!
J.