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20 years ago my sister gave me a set of Henkel knives. The set was prob about $100. The handles started to break apart so we went shopping for a new chef and boning knife a few years ago and splurged on the Shun brand. Think the Chef knife was about $200. You can still go a lot more expensive.
I could feel the difference in quality and balance.
I ended up taking a class on sharpening them too as I got tired of dropping them off at the local kitchen store to do it. The instructor said German steel tends to be softer than Japanese steel and based on my Henkels and Shuns, I agree.
If you're not breaking the bank by doing so then I'd say go for a nice knife. A very good one lasts a life time.
If you think she'd like it, maybe she'd like a class on sharpening as well. Could lead to getting a stone, holder and lapping plate though - that can be quite a few extra bucks. But if she loves to cook then a razor sharp knife in the kitchen is a must for a serious chef. Sometimes these shops that offer the services just contract it out to someone with a machine that ruins the knives.
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