narrowed my selection down

The trend with skilled cutters using western style knives is away from heavy German style knives and towards lighter, more agile, Japanese made, western-style blades. 

"Heft" and "balance" are two characteristics which almost everyone overrates when "testing" (aka "waving around") knives in the store.  Light and agile are far more important when you actually use the knife for more than a minute or two.  Generally, hands on doesn't mean much unless you know knives and know what to look for.

Yes, Globals are weird.  If it's any comfort they have issues other than handles; and as a "serious" or "professional" knife their time has passed.  They're kind of goofy, though and I like them.  Just not enough to buy or recommend.

Forschners are huge bang for the buck, especially in every other knife shape other than the chef's.  I don't like the chef for its German profile and for it's tendency to roll or ding out of true when used to chop.  Still a good value.

Shun Kramers are incredibly overpriced.  If you can afford it, and LOVE the looks, knock yourself out.  But you're buying looks, the performance/price ratio sucks.

What's a "blend knife?"  You might be referring to Wusthof's Ikon line, which we can discuss if you like. 

Masamoto is THE prestige maker in Japan; somewhat analogous to Wusthof in that way but otherwise very different.  As far as I know there's no relationship between the two makers.  Masamoto makes great knives.

Good knives are all about sharpening.  How much of a commitment are you willing to make to maintaining whatever it is you'll eventually buy?

BDL

Miyabi is Henckels' Japanese company.  They make some interesting knives that are widely distributed and well supported.  I think you can get better bang for buck for knives typical of any of their lines; but buying something from a brick and mortar which will let you visit the knives before you buy, and take care of returns and repairs without question may be worth it to you.  Comfort and reassurance shouldn't be underestimated.

When it comes down to it the biggest things are sharpening and knife skills.  A very sharp Miyabi in the hands of someone who knows how to use it will be more productive than anything dull and/or poorly used. 

Learning to sharpen can change the way you use knives by allowing you to use techniques which rely more on edge than power.  Good sharpening can make prep fun for a home cook, and much less of a burden for a pro.  

The biggest choice is whether you're going to sharpen freehand on bench stones, or use some sort of "gag" to control angle holding.  There are a couple of really good gags made by Edge Pro and Wicked Edge respectively.  There's not much to learning them, so you'll be doing very good sharpening in no time.  You lose some versatility perhaps compared to freehanding, but the biggest drawback is initial expense.  Entry level is around $200.  One of my sharpening kits is an Edge Pro Chosera, and it's great. 

Other sharpening systems like the Mino Sharp 3 stage, and Chef's Choice Electrics aren't nearly as flexible, but you can get adequate results for $80 -- with an even flatter learning curve.   Something very simple and convenient like one of these is the best choice for a lot of people, who don't want a lot of trouble.  I bought my daughter a Mino Sharp 3 stage for her MAC Pros and she's extremely happy with it.  I've had plenty of Chef's Choice electric experience -- my own and vicarious -- and think that even though they're not perfect, they're a great solution for someone who really wants "fast and easy." 

You can spend a lot of money on stones, but it doesn't take much to get started.  Figure $60, or so for a decent "combi" water stone.  I've got about $125 in my oil stones, and close to $300 (if they'd been purchased retail) in my water stones.  You'll probably want to go water stones, but it depends on which knives you decide to buy.

I'll be happy to answer any questions you have, but don't want to recommend one system over another until I have a better sense of which will work better for you.