denisl, please be advised that I did not find Korin carrying the Tojiro brand. However, Amazon does carry the Tojiro DP in various lengths, including the 210 mm, the 240 mm and the 270 mm.
What I find in terms of importance are: 1) the shape of the blade (I prefer an edge profile with little "belly"; i.e., a not-so-curved profile with a low tip); 2) the length of the blade (for a gyuto, a 240 mm); 3) a generally conventional handle which is easy to pinch grip; 4) non-decorated steel (i.e., no Damascus); and 5) a steel which is easy to sharpen.
As noted, I prefer a handle which is easy to pinch grip. I usually have found that, with the exception of ergonomic handles, most western-style or traditional-Japanese-style handles are irrelevant as to feel with a pinch grip. Ergo handles are just uncomfortable and difficult to use with a pinch grip.
I tend to seek out knives which are tools, not showpieces. However, if you want Damascus, that's up to you. Just be aware that once scratched up, it becomes a Royal PITA to restore. You need to polish out the scratches, then apply etching fluid to restore the Damascus effect. Not for the faint of heart.
I myself don't recommend VG-10 steel (Damascus or otherwise). It can be difficult to sharpen, in that you need to use multiple sharpening grits and carefully abrade off each bead after raising that bead. If the bead is just snapped off, then it has a tendency to knock off the edge, and then you have to begin the process all over again.
Length is critical. If you are going to be doing a big cooking session, then I would strongly recommend a blade length of 240 mm or 270 mm. 210 mm is a bit too short for production work, while 300 mm is unwieldly, while the additional length can put unwanted leverage on the tip of the blade.
For a workhorse, you might also want to consider a MAC BK-100. This is MAC's web page on it:
http://www.macknife.com/kitchen/pro...es/42-bk-100-chef-series-10q-chefs-knife.html It's a knife mostly marketed to line cooks, but will be big enough (at 255 mm) to do production work. The steel in the blade is the same as the Professional series MAC gyuto's, and is the same stiffness as the MAC Professional gyutos (at least to my personal comparison).
I do understand that, at $135, it is more than your initial budget of $100, but you can find it on eBay discounted down to $110. You can also check out the MAC retailers as listed here:
http://www.macknife.com/kitchen/about-mac-knives/locations.html
You can also consider an Idahone 12 inch fine ceramic hone. They run about $30 or so.
Hope that helps.
Galley Swiller