i just got this set for my new apartment, and overall, i'm really happy with it. the knives are very sharp, ergonomically well designed, and look pretty on the counter. that being said, you should know that this set is not one of the higher quality henckels sets - a fact betrayed by the price. they are very light and somewhat delicate, so a bit difficult to weild with control, and poorly suited to cutting through tougher material such as bones. of course, some may find light knives convenient, but i would have preferred heavier blades and handles, especially on the bigger knives. the santoku knife was the most disappointing because it was thin and very light. the rest are fine as they are, and cut with great precision, especially given the price. there are a few of extra slots in the block, which, while strange, came in handy for my old homeless knives. also, the set pretty muuch covers the range of needs and preferences for cutting absolutely anything (except bone-in chicken/fish, since the knives are a bit delicate). if you're not looking for a lifetime keeper set, then this is a great set for you. i really love mine, and plan on keeping it until i can splurge on a $$$$ set. J.A. Henckels International 15707-000 Fine Edge Synergy 17-Piece Knife Block Set
I've had these knives for several weeks now and have to say I'm impressed. I did quite alot of searching before settling on these-and I'm glad I did. The quality is excellent,they are sharp and easy to use, and the set-though there are a few empty slots to add to it later-came with every type of knife I need. I pride myself in my cooking-I make everything possible from scratch and cook several meals a day, and I can't imagine a scenario where I'd say "if I only had another knife".
I see myself getting many years of use out of these. They come with a rod sharpener so that I never have to see them dull, or send them in anywhere to be sharpened. The block is sturdy and looks good with my kitchen decor.
I was leaning toward cutco brand before I decided on these, but I just couldn't justify the price of cutco. I'm not disappointed, I think I got more than my money's worth out of these.
One thing I have to add about other reviews I read before I bought these....I almost didn't get these because so many people complained until I saw that most negative comments were about the rust factor. ANY chef's quality knife is going to rust if you don't take care of it, it's actually a sign of the type of metal that good knives are made of.
If you are looking for a set of knives that you can throw haphazardly into the dishwasher, or leave lying around in the sink-these are not for you!!!
These must be hand washed after use and dried completely by hand with a cloth-that's why you see professional cooks constantly wiping their knives on an apron or towel as they work.
For best results, you're going to have to sharpen these about every half dozen uses, especially if you are cutting something like tomatoes-world's worst wear on any knife-of if you're cutting board is made of anything besides wood. It doesn't hurt them to sharpen them as needed, and better safe than sorry-a dull knife is a dangerous knife.
About six months ago, I was walking through the discount knife section of a local department store when I saw this line's santoku and vegetable petty knife on sale for $20. In the world of cutlery, $20 is nothing, so I bought them just to see what it was like. It quickly became one of my favorite knives in my kitchen. The factory cutting edge is a little lame and overall the line feels too light to do much heavy cutting work (i.e. frozen meats, chicken bones, or thick vegetables). On a positive note, with some time and love, the edge can be ground down to be extremely sharp (enough so that I use it to cut tuna for sushi in my restaurant). Like any knife that I like, I take it to my restaurants kitchen and try it out to see how many days it can go before I need to regrind the edge. Surprisingly, it held up for an entire week without needing to be resharpened. In short, for the money, you would be hard-pressed to find a better knife.
I bought this set to replace a set of bargain knives i had that were rusting. I never put this set in the washing machine, hand washed only. Didn't matter. Started with small rust spots on even unused knives within a few weeks. Now i have to scrub knives to remove the large rust spots, small ones don't come off.
Aside from the aesthetic looks, this is just as bad as the $30 or cheaper sets. I live in Hawaii, so perhaps humidity had something to do with this. But i see no difference from this set and the bargain ones.
things that i wish i had known about this knife set:
1) the steak knives ARE NOT SERRATED. I cant recall ever using non-serrated steak knives, and what's more this set does not come with a serrated knife besides the bread knife, which is not proper for cutting, for instance, tomatoes.
2) the 8-inch utility knife, paring knife, and 8 steak knives all have a lip on the handle that sticks out forwards further than the blade.
3) the knife block is not the one shown in this product picture. it is black, rather than wood. it has extra slots when filled, and looks kinda cheap.
4) a chefs knife is typically a little wider (from the blade, to the back) than this one but that's mostly a subtle preference.
however...
5) the santoku knife is excellent. I learned to cook using them, and I'm glad to see that they are being put into typical knife sets these days.
I can't give a pro's take on the knives but I can def give a college student's view.
The knives are lightweight and they've cut everything I've needed to cut so far. I haven't sharpened them since I've had them and they still cut my veggies and other random foods. If you're a professional chef then you're probably not looking at these knives anyways.
If you're a college student with a budget then these are the best looking knives for sure. I have a condo that's decked out in modern motif and they fit right in. I love finding products that are sleek yet functional. There's no shame in wanting functionality AND style.
I hand wash them and that's just my preference so I couldn't say if they're dishwasher safe or not. I've had no rust or water spots on them.
The blades are sharp enough to cut your household groceries.
The only thing that bugs me is that there are 4 open holes in the block. I haven't the slighest idea what knives are missing. The middle block is square so I'm thinking that's for a pair of scissors. I emailed Henckels and asked so if I get a response I'll let people know what knives will fit what slots.
That's another problem I had. I couldn't figure out which knife went to which slot. The slots aren't contoured so some of the knifes are loose in their slot.
Again, this isn't a pro's view...it's just an average consumers. - Henckels - Cutlery - Knife Sets - Knife'
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