Looking around for a 10" Chef knife

I already have an 8" Zwilling (JA Henckels) Four-Star Chef's knife which I use for overall general every where use and I have little problem with it being shared around the kitchen.

What I'm looking for is a 10" Chef knife before my apprenticeship starts; a personal use one, one 'only' I can use at home or work. A 'Dream Knife' of sorts, one to dominate my knife collection, but I'll also get a Victorinox (I can't find a better value good-quality knife than their's) as a spare to use or lend to others.

The short list so far is as goes:
- Zwilling Professional S (31021-261)
- Wusthof Trident Classic (4582)
- Messermeister San Moritz Elite (E/2686-10)
- Thiers-Issard Sabatier ('Four-Star Elephant')

... for me the Zwilling is the 'safe' option, I've got a 6" from a model series I can't quite put a name on but it's similar to a Pro S in a narrower German blade. The Wusthof Trident seems to be the most expensive of the bunch and the Sabatier, the one that needs a bit of hunting for.

I'd prefer a knife with a riveted handle with a squarer profile, it somehow feels better, fits my hands just right and firm. The more curvy moulded style handles are quite varying, one model might fit someone else's hands perfectly but not so in mine.
I'm leaning towards more of a French blade for a Chef's knife this size since I have the 6" Zwilling for tighter jobs.
The carbon steel Sabatier kinda worries me a bit if I get a water spot or something, how to get the knife shiny again. I mean would health inspectors frown on a non-shiny knife.
I've tried a few Global knives at work including the G-2 and another large knife G-17 I think it was, while the one piece design is nice, wonderfully sharp when honed perfectly and lightweight. But the handles just don't feel right except the GS-7 which a rather unconventional shaped paring knife but it feel 'perfect' for all the jobs I've used it for (I'm trying to get one for myself). If I don't feel comfortable with the Cook's knives, so Global isn't on the cards for my 10" knife search.

Opinions welcome to help me learn and find the right knife for me. Oh and another thing is my budget range is AUD$100-300 (USD$80-240).

[I wonder whether the forum administer can move my thread to the "Cooking Equipment Reviews" section because it seems a more spot to put.?]

Wow johnarmr, a Japanese knife that doesn't cost like 400 bucks... sweet!
I did some exploring on that website, the prices don't seem too bad. I might consider one very interesting DP Clad knife into my collection.

Sorry about the late reply, came back from my first holiday in two years and didn't realised there were more replies for my thread....

Well most of my experience is with European style knives so I'm used to them but Japanese knives lose my confidence with their usually too narrow handles and 'weird' balance (difficult to proper judge balance because of their lightweightness). More often than not it's those two comfort issue that shy me of Japanese knives.

Yet I loved to have a Japanese knife from what I've experienced like wonderful alloys (stays bloody sharp), thin blade, lightweight and I find food tends to stick less.
I'm lucky my Dad have a nice handful of Japanese knives (no 'showy' Global in sight) which I'm not exactly sure what brand they are but a little Googling. The indentation on the blade matches that of Masamoto's Yanagi and Deba knives which I very rarely use because they're so specialised for their task and the one I use the most of his Japanese knives is a Gyuto-type knife with a wooden handle but the markings are more or less faded on the double bevel but Japanese grind style blade.
Well for that Gyuto knife while sharp, thin blade, stick-less and good but has a narrow handle which is strange because the smaller 6" Henckels Twin Gourmet has a similar width handle but it feels more comfortable to hold. Sadly the Gyuto profile of the edge doesn't suit my cutting style, so that explains why I prefer the French bladed knives.

So more research to be done.

Any ideas on a 10" Cook's knife with:
- Japanese blade (stay-sharp alloys and cladding, thin blade)
... but with a...
- French cook's knife profile for the blade (top slopes down gently from midway out and edge tapers up slightly then quite alot at the tip)
... with a...
- European handle (pronounced 'pinky-knotch' at the end of the lower side of the handle and 'bulged' center of the handle)