Reread your post and then really consider if that rhetoric would get >50% of the vote. It’s just more academic jibberish that falls flat outside coastal cities.

I’d also recommend scrapping all those options and look at Civivi, Kershaw, Spyderco’s budget line, or Kizer. Civivi and Kizer are Chinese-made knives that punch above their weight class, especially compared to the brands you mention. I’d also recommend using BladeHQ’s awesome search features to really figure out what you want. Then try to find it cheaper elsewhere.