I'm mainly looking at this from a civilian, emergency SHTF sort of scenario. I'm not a cop or military, so I don't have a unit or team to communicate with, but some of the radios I've looked at can be tuned for information gathering, listening to dispatch, NOAA, etc. The most is my girlfriend, maybe close family or friends if they're close by. Plus, having a radio makes you look cooler for the hardcore, badass beret seal civilian operators on here.

I've looked at some of the baofeng radios, I'm a noob when it comes to comms but I've heard that other than cost savings, they aren't that amazing. Any recommendations? Price is a consideration, but not the most important factor.