Thanks and sorry for the bit of a derail. I know they don't fit into the OP's original request for a skinning knife under $200, so thought I would add the following.
I've quite enjoyed this thread and all the comments and opinions.
It's very clear that everyone has their personal preference and opinion as to what they need and like in a knife, what suits their purpose and what they can afford or want to spend on one. It was interesting, but not unexpected to see such a wide variance of choices and opinions.
In the end, a person can spend very little or absolute gobs of money on a knife, but again it boils down to personal preference.
For a general purpose hunting or skinning knife, I like one that feels comfortable in my hand, don't have to fight to hold it in position, is suited to the task at hand, holds an edge till the job is done and doesn't take hours to put an edge back on it. Until you've tried to put an edge on a S30V blade that tests out at Rc 61.5, you won't truly appreciate one that tests out at 59 to 60. Also, so much about a knifes edge retention is about edge geometry and steel toughness, not just hardness alone.
I used to use paring knives for caping deer, moose, elk and bears, skinning bear paws, splitting lips and turning ears. I still have and use them occasionally, but have added a couple of my own caping knives to my kit.
Some of my favorite commercial knives that I carried on my belt for decades, before I started making my own, were a Schrade PH1, and a selection of different handled Grohmann #1's & 3's. These knives all fit nicely into the OP's under $200 criteria and I would strongly recommend either style of the Grohmans or their #103 skinner. I have the complete collection of Grohmann hunting knives, used everyone and have never had an issue with edge retention or durability with any.
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