http://www.bladeforums.com is a great place to find out about knives, from fixed blades to autos. I've been a member there alot longer than I've been a member here and its a great community.
I've got a pretty large collection myself, and like Nathan, my beater is a Cammilus EDC, but mine looks horrible from year of use in a body shop. As for being unable to justify $145 for a knife, most of those guys will tell you that you get what you pay for. I've got knives that I paid alot more for than that, and you can tell it in the details.
If you're anywhere near mechanically inclined, check out
http://www.knifekits.com They have great quality kits, the prices are pretty low, and you get to put them together the way you want. I've got close to 6 knife kits and have been totally satisfied with all of them.