What are some recommended knife makers who produce a great product for the money?
The Hunting knives and Crafters forum on this site has a wealth of info on it djanko. We have a lot of members here who make incredible knives & you would probably be wrapped up in answers over there. You may have already looked there, but in case you hadn't... For a non custom knife, the Helle knife series offers a lot of knife for the money. Dryad bows (wingnut) sells them on their website. :)