Ok, reading some of the comments about sharpening knives i was almost brought to tears! Lets back track a bit though and ask- Why would you want an expensive knife when you can buy a set for ?20?
The answer is simple- a knife made of cheap steel wont have the edge retention of a knife made of better steel. A Damascus steel knife will have a solid core so hard it would be to brittle and unusable on its own- the pretty patterns are where its clad with a softer steel to stop it shattering. These knifes are wonderful to use at home, but they are designed primarily for professional use. Some of my colleagues would have to steel their knives before each use- that was not the case with mine- i could pick it up and it was almost always sharp enough for use
Running a knife along a steel is supposed to HONE the blade- i.e straiten the edge.
Picture this- on a sharp knife, after use, a very fine blade will start to bend over. You can feel this, if you hold the knife, with the blade pointing towards your body and the spine pointing away, then place the blade on your finger nail and move it back- over across your nail. You should feel that one side will scratch your nail.
To hone a knife correctly, you need to use a steel and run the knife along it at a 20 degree angle (18 for your Japanese blade as these are sharpened to a more acute angle).
Any steeper angle will take the fine edge off the blade and create whats known as a double-beveled edge- an edge on an edge so to speak. There are reasons why people would create a double beveled edge (I have such a knife that was almost useless, which i have worked extensively on to make usable), but using a steel to do this is highly inaccurate, will leave an un-uniform edge, and will damage the blade.
Don't buy expensive knives you cant maintain- you need to know how to use a whet stone or know somebody who does. If you need to learn, get a cheep stone and knife to practice. I'me sure there are people on here who think they know what a sharp knife is, but the truth is until you have handled a knife where the blade has been sharpened to such a degree there is a mirror finish on the cutting edge- quite simply you haven't.

You're right 100%! I still stand by what I'v said mind, but i do appreciate its probably not as direct or to the point, i should have understood that what i said was going to cause ambiguity in a beginners forum.
I was trying to add a more "out of the box" view on the subject- which is neither direct nor generally helpful in this sort of environment.
Point taken

Haha not odd, but i do get the feeling i'm a bit over-keen to get stuck in! This as a far cry from the french/modern British food i usually deal with!

haha no, just another student failed by the English education system! (all though trying to make a amends a little too late in life!)
I cant give away ALL my secrets so early on, but i do hold a few excellent recipes I'm willing to give away (with some minor scaling from catering quantity's!).
My sticky-toffee pudding is a winner, and a lot less daunting than making a fresh curd over a bain-marie, perhaps i'll post that when i get the chance!

I agree, but it depends on the ingredient in question! again, it boils down to refining the dish, applying experience to come to an agreeable conclusion, and learning how to treat each ingredient as an individual component in its own right!
Perhaps i should revise how i make my comments, i agree with all of thee above, yet i have managed to convey it in a way that has caused ambiguity!