Pricing for Western makers has quite a bit more variance. It can depend on when it was made and who is selling it. A custom piece or semi-custom sold first or secondhand will likely cost less than retail at ModernCooking, Eating Tools, etc. BST and patience are your best friends. Sign up for every newsletter you can. Follow them all on instagram. PM a few you are most interested in and see if they are accepting custom orders.
Knives I purchased for around 1k that I would absolutely purchase again are Dan Bidinger B-grind gyuto (Retail - Crocker Cutlery), Robert Trimarchi aka the.9 western gyuto in Aogami 2 (Newsletter ballot knife), Halcyon Forge wrought iron gyuto with 1.2519 core (BST), Mark Tsourkan gyuto in AEBL (BST). 1.5k should open the door to all but the most exclusive stuff on BST. A 1k knife a year ago might be a 1.2k knife now as prices creep up to compensate for inflation.
Certain makers are famous for different things. Some cliff notes on some of the big names below.
Kamon: walkschliff grinds, unique aesthetics / easily identifiable profiles, complex handles, use of 1.2519 and ApexUltra
Milan, Yanick, and MerionForge: remarkable stone polished bevels on various san-mai constructions
Dan Bidinger and Kippington: masters of stock removal with great attention paid to convex / food release grinds (b-grind, hook grind). DB has one of the nicer western handles I've laid my hands on.
Halcyon Forge and Isasmedjan: is there anything these guys don't do superbly well? masters of all and lean towards WH grinds
Marko Tsourkan: monster truck convex grinds that make you question the laws of physics, immaculate F&F, AEBL and 52100
Bryan Raquin: Jokingly / endearingly the TF of the West. Legendary for 145sc steel and a kitchen tractor grind that Brraapps
.
Martin Huber: Man can draw a penis like you've never seen. Rectangle royalty. Instagram/YT full of serious / excellent work. Have a rectangle pending for "All Rectangle March."
Harbeer HSC: Have some work pending with him, impeccable convex grinds, strong proponent of CruWear high toughness steel
Tobi at MetalMonkey: Crazy damascus patterns, high-performance convex grinds, excellent F&F
Too many smiths to comment on. Have some fun experimenting. Buy / re-sell through BST to limit some of the $ outflow.