Knives are always a good topic & a lot of what you have said is spot on
I've had a lot of knives for fishing - & spent some reasonable coin only to be disappointed (Swibo comes to mind)
Currently my roll contains Dexter , F Dick & 2 x Victorinox . ..... All are pretty good but if I had to go out on a limb & hang my hat on one - Dexter . I know a lot of commercial guys use them as well as butchers. ( you should be able to buy all of these for under $60 each)
I do carry a couple of Victory's on the boat for bait ...... These are doing a bloody good job & good value when on special at Anaconda ($35ish)
I did like Frost knives but the grip would end up going tacky well before the blade did ....... I actually had one for over 25 years.
One thing stands true with all of them ..... they need to be washed in fresh water & dried.
Chris