Guys:
Any recommendations on a good and affordable set of kitchen knives?
I’m no expert on the subject of what constitutes a good knife in terms of material, wear, and such.
But, I don’t want to go into Sears or Macy’s and drop a good chunk of change and ‘hope’ I’m getting something good.
Can any of you from experience, point me toward a good all-around set of kitchen knives?
Thanks in advance!!
ET
Chicago Cutlery
Last forever…well as long as the FW and I have been married anyway.
Like many things in life, with knives you get what you pay for. You can spend $50 on a set and you can be 100% assured you just got a junk set.
Or, you can spend $30-$50/knife and get a set that actually cut stuff without requiring your entire bodyweight to get the knife to cut.
Henckels are very good knives and well worth the investment. If you like to cook, a good set of knives are absolutely necessary.
I love my Wusthof Classics. Not the cheapest option out there, but they make cutting and chopping enjoyable. 
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I love my Wusthof Classics. Not the cheapest option out there, but they make cutting and chopping enjoyable.
X2
This in a 8″ version is my go to knife.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/wusthof-classic-ikon-chefs-knife/?pkey=cwusthof-classic-ikon
Al
I have a knife set but only use 3 of them.
One for chopping veggies, one for meat and a pairing knife.
Instead of a whole set I’d spend a little more money on just a few knives you’d use all the time.
This will be my next knife:
Chicago Cutlery.
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Chicago Cutlery
x2
Wusthof Classics for me too, I have a Chiefs knife, a paring knife & a fillet knife. Hit em with a steel once in a while and they stay shart for a very long time.
http://www.eversharpknives.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_4
My vote goes to Chicago Cutlery. Our set is 26 years old and still easy to keep razor sharp!
We have JA Henckels, which is going to be similar to the Wustof line. My wife is a nut about her knives and these seems to work well for her.
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I love my Wusthof Classics. Not the cheapest option out there, but they make cutting and chopping enjoyable.
Same here. Definetly get what you pay for. I have the chef’s, pairing, carving and a sandwich knife. We also purchased a Sandoku knife for chopping as well.
I love the Santuko! Just an awesome knife.
for a little extra, CutCo gets my vote 
Wusthof Classics
What? No love for the Ronco 6 Star knives? Their serrated! They cut through a tomato like a hot knife through butter, even after cutting a tin can.
I agree with the other poster who said instead of a brand, decide which knives you use the most.
Knife sets are usually a compormise. I don’t buy sets because sets never include the knives I really want. It does no good to have an 18 piece knife set hogging counter space if you only use 4 of the 18.
Personally, I avoid wood-handled knives like the ones Chicago Cutlery offers. What I found is that even if you hand wash, the handles eventually give out from being wet and then drying too many times. The diswasher will destroy them. Good knives should last forever, so why buy ones with handles that won’t?
I do all the cooking at Grouse Manor, and I’ve settled on:
– 7 inch small chef’s knife. Far and away the one I use most.
– 8 inch and 5 inch Santoku-style knives. Very versatile knifes for straight slicing chores.
– Boning knife.
– Paring knife.
– Straight blade utility knife.
– Bread knife.
I have a mix of Global knives and other brands. To be honest, the brand is not really that important. There are lots of good brands out there, the most imporant thing is feel and function.
Probably more important than the knife is to have a good sharpener and a steel and know how to use them. I go old school about 2 times a year and hand sharpen all my knives on wet stones. In between, I have a ceramic sharpener and a steel, which work great as long as they are used frequently before the edge is too far gone.
Grouse
I did some looking today and the range I found on knife sets in the 11-19 knife category is from $15.99 at Target to over $1200 through Chicago Cutlery on some high end stuff.
I like the idea of buying just what you need vs. a set.
I definitely want 6-8 steak knives, and I can buy those as a set in the price range I want.
But, when looking at a knife, what sets them apart? Right now I can only see that price sets them apart. Is it a type of metal or whether its been ‘forged’ or not? What else is one to look for to determine true quality?
ET
Probably a safe bet to say any major brand knife at a $100 or more is going to last you for many years and stay reasonably sharp, so with out getting into blade composition, forging, etc, I’d find one of these that fit your hand and feels comfortable when using.
Al
I have a shun knife and hope to be adding more to my collection. It’s well balanced and razer sharp. Due to price, I defintley won’t be buying a set, but rather what I need.
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I have a shun knife and hope to be adding more to my collection. It’s well balanced and razer sharp. Due to price, I defintley won’t be buying a set, but rather what I need.
Shun was one of the others I looked at, very nice knife, but I liked the feel of the Wustoff better in my hands.
Pretty exotic looking stuff Shun makes..:)
Al
Cutco – guaranteed for life and they come to your door to sharpen them. Warning – they aren’t cheap. Kinda like St. Croix rods. Buy them once and be done with it….
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The diswasher will destroy them.
My wife and most chefs would remove my left n^t if I EVER ran their knives in the dishwasher. It is the quickest and most efficient way to dull them.
Cutco. My son used to sell these.
I like my Kitchen aid ones. But have been looking at buying a couple Shun’s in the 3 I use most.
I like my shun, but I would be happy with any of the good brands listed here. My last good all round kitchen knife was my rapala fillet knife. So you can see why I love it…
Consumer Reports best buy is this set: http://www.amazon.com/Ginsu-7112-Chikara-12-Piece-Stainless/dp/B0011TRO80/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1321984157&sr=8-4
Check out the reviews. We spent $100 a couple years ago for this set and we are super satisfied. The wife was so happy I got to spend the savings from a higher priced set on some more cranksbaits, rods, reels, etc.
I should also note a good quality sharpener to keep them sharp is a must have: http://www.amazon.com/AccuSharp-1-001-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B00004VWKQ
I have some friends that have the Cut Co brand. I bought a large set and also purchased the cutco fillet fisherman knife for filliting fish.
last year at the state fair my FW purchased the cheese knife for cutting block cheese and what a knife it is.
Forever warranty on the knives. No, not lifetime, you can hand them down to your kids and they will also enjoy the knives.
I almost got shot as I used one as a screwdriver and broke the tip and wife caught me. I said don’t worry, they will send mer a new one when I send this one back. She said oh sure, they did.
if one were to get a bit dull, free forever sharpening.
last set of knives you will ever need to buy or for that matter, anyone you hand them down too.
They are a bit pricey but I have not found a better brand of knife.
I believe they make a special knife for every option.
I do not know how one could beat these knives, warranty or free sharpening service.
A buddies Daughter sells them and he said she would come to the house and give us a demo. He sent a pamphlet home with us. I told me FW there was no way we would spend that much on a big set of knives.
She came over, showed us the knives and I was the one that said yea first, we should get the bigger set.
I do not remember what we spent as it was some years ago but it was a sum of money. I would never go back.
X2+ CutCo
Same story – maybe the same young sales gal… 
They even followed up a few years after and asked if we were satisfied with the knives and wanted to know if we wanted them to stop by and sharpen them up.
barc
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X2+ CutCo
Same story – maybe the same young sales gal…
They even followed up a few years after and asked if we were satisfied with the knives and wanted to know if we wanted them to stop by and sharpen them up.
barc
So they will stop by your house and sharpen them when needed?
Nice feature.
Al
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