Knife for my Birthday - advice?

My birthday is upcoming in several month and as usual I've been asked what do I want. A new knife seems to be an obvious choice. :laugh:

The thing is, I am not entirely sure what do I want. The budget is somewhere from $300-500
I definitely want a good performer with decent F&F. I am thinking about 210 gyuto or perhaps a chinese cleaver. I can not think about another type of knife that will see use in the kitchen any time soon.
So far I was thinking this makers:
Shigefusa - Has a very good reviews here
Artisugu - One of the Oldest Japanese knife makers and has good fame
Takeda - F&F not being the best, but his AS is getting praised
Carter - As on option

What do you think, any other suggestions? It does not matter carbon or SS, I take good care of the knifes. I would prefer Aogami to Shirogami given a choice.

Out of all those makers I would without doubt go Shigefusa. I've owned two Shig gyutos and despite having to sell them both, they are the only knives that I regret "letting go".

When I free up some funds I will be looking to permanently acquire another one. Most likely a gyuto though I've been flirting with the idea of a nakiri.

mike Davis 210 gyuto in Koa, muskox and cocobolo. just saying

If I had the money I'd go for a 210 shig from JNS. I haven't used one myself, but the reviews should be good for a reason.
http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/shigefusa-kasumi-210-mm-wa-gyuto/?setCurrencyId=3
But I must point you to this one as well. Kono Fujiyama in blue 2. I have a 240 in white2, the FF is great and it performs even better.
http://sharpandshinyshop.com/products/konosuke-fujiyama-210mm-blue-2-gyuto

Both are great vendors and I have nothing but good things to say about both of them.
You should send Maxim at JNS and Tom at Sharpandshiny an email if you're interested and I'm sure they'll help you out.
Good luck and happy birthday in advance!

I'd second the Kono Fuji rec.

Never handled a Shig, but there seems to be widespread love for them.