The Good:
Excellent knives for $119. Good weight and balance of handle and blade. It feels great in your hand. Razor sharp but sharpening is a must before each use (or at least every other use). It may not have the prestige presence of a Wusthof or Henckels set on the kitchen counter, but it DOES NOT look cheap. Its Japanese design and bamboo block make it more of a resemblance of a Shun knives set. And Shun is actually more expensive than the two more popular brands.
The Bad:
Handle's finish becomes very flat and dull after wash. Dab a little oil on a paper towel and rub it on the handle and it will look fantastic without being slippery.
The Ugly:
The Ginsu name seems to make it sounds like a cheap TV offer knives set. But believe me it looks and performs like a $500 set.
***Best knives set for your money. You will not find a better knives set for $120 unless you find a set of high end Shun, Wusthof or Henckels for 85% off at a closeout sale somewhere. Ginsu 7112 Chikara 12-Piece Stainless Steel Knife Set with Block
Don't let the name Ginsu fool you: This is a beautiful, professional-level knife set that screams quality--at an exceptionally low price (list price = $169.95). Ginsu has really upped its game (note that there are a lot of cheap knock-off knives out there that call themselves Ginsu, especially Ginsu 2000 and 3000, which are total junk). Several other points: 1. This set recently won a best in category Housewares Design Award; 2. The knives and block are made in China (just an fyi); 3. The company is actually owned by Berkshire Hathaway, i.e., Warren Buffet; 4. You should not run these through the dishwasher; 5. You will need to think about a sharpening system in addition to usual honing steel that comes with the set (I suggest the Edgemaker Pro system, which, if you search hard enough on the 'net, can be had for as little as $22.95 with free shipping). Shipping was very fast from this merchant.
I have been a professional chef for over twenty years and have always reserved my good quality knives for use at work. I have had a few budget sets for home use over the years (since I worked a lot I didn't do enough cooking at home to justify spending $200-$300 for a high quality block set for the house). When I saw this set on Amazon, I was very skeptical; and as a chef, I really didn't want a set of "Ginsu" knives sitting on my counter. So I researched these knives on several different sites and decided to give them a try.
I am extremely satisfied with the performance of these knives and I am recommending them to all of my aquaitances. I was truly shocked to get such a high quality set of knives with great such great weight, strength, and balance for under $120.
Buy these knives.
I first bought just the santoku knive and absolutely fell in love with it, so I decided to buy the full set, figuring an extra santoku knife certainly couldn't hurt considering how useful it is.
First, if you are a fan of Japanese knives like Shun, these give you an equally handsome and *far, far less* expensive option. I am not saying the blades have the same beauty and quality of Shun Damascus steel, but they are sharp, keep their edges well, and are easily sharpened. More importantly, they work very well, so well that I have stopped using my other knives.
This set would also make an excellent graduation or wedding present. And the Ginsu name also gives a fun, kitsch quality.
Excellent product at a very good price. Have previously owned knives costing much, much more, and these are just as good--if not better. Definitely worth considering. Check out Consumer Reports--that's what gave me the idea. They compared very favorably with knives costing $100's more.
All i have to say is WOW! These knifes really cut professionally and they look like they cost about $500 sitting in my kitchen. I think thses Knifes are the second best Ginsu has to offer and they are amazing. I used the biggest knife to cut up a watermelon seamlessly, and the smallest paring knife to make and orange "fall" apart. To get them for a lil over [...] is a steal. Well worth it and its actually fun to wash and take care of them!
The pro:
1) They are really sharp. I have a 8" Wusthof classic chef knife which is a great knife. But in terms of sharpness, the chef knife from this set exceeds my Wusthof.
2) The balance of the knives are also excellent.
3) The whole set looks beautiful on the countertop.
The con:
1) the material and detail finish of the handle is not top quality and the color is dull
2) the vertical opening of the knife block is not convenient in the limited space between kitchen cabinet and countertop.
Overall, it is a great buy in its price range especially for those who focus on the knife functionalities.
OK, this knife set is excellent, in this price range it's almost impossible to find anything better. Very sharp like razor (I mean real razor), very good quality, beautiful design, well balanced. Do not leave them in the water overnight or they will rust, I actually done that they did rust just a little. Well just a little care for your goods is always a good choice. I love this set a lot. I would give it 10 stars if I could:)
I'm an extremely obsessive buyer; I research all my purchases to make sure I get the best product possible that fits in my price range. When I was shopping for knives I had a few qualities in mind that I wanted the set to have. I wanted forged (these are); I wanted a chef's knife, paring, utility, and honing steel (this set has it); I wanted them to be very sharp (this set is!); I wanted them to look stylish (this set looks great); I wanted a block (this set has a decent block); and I wanted to spend less than 250 (this set was only 90 bucks!).
When shopping for knives I discovered that I really like the Japanese style. I was going to either buy shun or global and piece my set together. Shun is a higher quality knife than these, but for every day use in the kitchen, there is really no difference in functionality between the shun and ginsu chikara (some elitist chefs are going to kill me for saying that). The main difference is that one knife from shun will cost more than this entire set. The Ginsu chikara knives also look very similar to the shun (they probably copied the design) and are much sharper than the wusthof knife my roommate has.
I really like the santuku knife and the steak knives. I find myself cutting my food more because they are so much fun to use. I picture myself as a samurai and try to cut my meat with one stroke (cheesy I know) Anyway, I recommend these if you are looking for an awesome quality knife for a low price. Yes, you could spend 5 times as much and get a slightly better set but the knives will only be one notch better.
Take care of the knives. I read some reviews about rust yet mine haven't rusted at all. I wash them by hand and dry them off after. Also the top loading block could have been improved. I need to put the set at the end of my counter so I have enough room to pull the knives up. At least the thing looks good, especially with my bamboo floor.
I recommend this set. - Knife Block Sets - Bamboo Block - Knife Set - Knife'
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