If you want to stick to that budget, buy several. What I like and what you like are 2 different things.
What I will caution, based on your list, is blade thickness and weight. Weight for backpacking and thickness because it hinders cutting, generally speaking.
What knives have you used? What did you like about them? Think about that in the kitchen too. Does a chef's knife feel unwieldy? Do you prefer a small pairing knife or something in between?
Even though you used bushcraft and camping in the description, what do you plan to use it for? Will it really see a lot of wood processing?
Here's what I like as a "do it all" type of knife:
- 4-6" blade, 4 for ease of carry, 6" for ease of knee lever grip if I'm processing a lot of wood (I have big legs), many of my knives are 4.25-5" for this type of use.
- A handle at least 4" long and mostly round with light contouring. Handle shape is as important as the blade for bushcraft because you'll use it a lot.
- Balance of the knife to be in the hand, not blade heavy but not excessively nimble like a fighting knife
- Blade point nearly inline with the center of the knife. If processing game is called for then a higher tip is fine.
- It comes with a nice sheath or it's cheap enough that getting a sheath made is affordable.
From your list, here's how I respond to each
-Benchmade 162 Bushcraft - Don't know, it's interested me but I've not tried this one. I think you could get something similar for less money but this is supposed to be nice
-Esee 5P NO, too heavy and thick Go esee 4 or 6 instead. Or the PR4, even better
-Tops BOB in CPM154 - maybe, I've heard the grind is thick on these but I've never used one
-Bark River Aurora CPM 3V - no too expensive if you don't know what you want. Nice knife but you're likely to end up trying a few.
-Bark River Trakker Companion - no, see above for other bark river
-Buck 863 Selkirk - I've not tried this but it could be decent. I don't care for the looks of the sheath.
-SOG Pillar - I avoid SOG's because I think they're over-priced for what you get, there are too many other good options
-Ontario Knife Company SK-5 Blackbird - YES
-LT Wright Bushcrafter - No/yes, I love LT wright knives but they are a little pricey if it doesn't work out for you. I have 3 of them, bushbaby (3"), genesis (4.25"), and bushcrafter Mark II (5") and really like them all. The bushcrafter HC would be a good option
-Cold Steel 3V Master Hunter - I think this has a lot of potential but not one I've looked at in a while. I would probably get the lower priced one though
-Gerber LMFII - no, only comes in combo edge, that i've seen. Serrations suck on wood compared to plain edge
-Bradford Guardian 5 - I've read the longer guardians aren't comfortable in hand but I've not tried one myself and I don't know anyone who has. I know the smaller guardians are very nice.
-Swamp Rat - Swamp rat is a brand, not a knife, but I'll assume you're talking about the ratmandu since that's a bit of the poster child. It's an amazing knife and a favorite of mine for it's size but it's expensive and won't come with a sheath so you'll need to account for that. I don't own one anymore because of the LT Wright bushcrafter mark II, if that says anything. Both are amazingly capable and comfortable in hand.
If i had to pick one, and you really wanted stainless, I would go
ontario blackbird. The Kephart design it is modeled after is time proven, very nice, and the blade isn't excessively priced. I feel this is one that will get a lot done and last for a long time.
If you want to stay on the cheap side and plan to do a lot of woodcrafting, get a stainless mora companion. It's worth having one anyway just to try. Great knife, outstanding for the price. I don't personally like the scandi grind for anything except wood processing but it will still cut fine. It's super light so it will treat you well as a lightweight hiking knife too.
Side note: If you happen to be located in SE Michigan, let's meet up and I'll show you what I have and we can cut some wood and see what you like. The best way to know what's best is to try some stuff. Unfortunately, stores aren't going to let you do that but some of the forum members here will. Additionally, enjoy this time as it's awesome trying out new things and finding what you like and don't like if you tend to be a gear junkie.
I do more wood processing and woodcrafting than hiking and camping these days but I do give my tools a workout regularly still.
