decent knife set?

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,856
4,974
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I gotta buy a decent knife set for my wife before she kills me. Don't want to break the bank on anything. Will $100-$200 get me something decent enough? Suggestions?
 

pete6032

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2010
7,443
3,004
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You don't need a "set." 99% of all slicing, dicing, and chopping can be done with two knives - a chef's knife and a paring knife. If you have $100 to spend that will get you a good Henckel's chef's knife and pairing knife. If you want to spend more get a Wusthoff chef's knife and pairing knife ($150-$200). If you go with Henckels be sure to educate yourself on what their different lines of products are. They have a number of different lines each with different quality.

https://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Clas...1543939353&sr=8-6&keywords=wusthof+chef+knife
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,364
7,516
126
Seconding Pete. I'm probably getting my daughter a couple good knives for jul. Probably Henkel, and probably a 3" parer, and a santoku.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,513
29,099
146
You don't need a "set." 99% of all slicing, dicing, and chopping can be done with two knives - a chef's knife and a paring knife. If you have $100 to spend that will get you a good Henckel's chef's knife and pairing knife. If you want to spend more get a Wusthoff chef's knife and pairing knife ($150-$200). If you go with Henckels be sure to educate yourself on what their different lines of products are. They have a number of different lines each with different quality.

https://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Clas...1543939353&sr=8-6&keywords=wusthof+chef+knife

This. It doesn't hurt to have a simple bread knife, too (long and serrated), but you really only need 2 knives. If you butcher a lot of meat (like processing whole chickens or lamb or beef or whatever), then you would want a cleaver, because that kind of work can seriously damage your good knives. Cleaver just needs to be ~heavyish on the blunt end and sharp enough to get the job done, imo. These can be relatively cheap.
 

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,856
4,974
126
You don't need a "set." 99% of all slicing, dicing, and chopping can be done with two knives - a chef's knife and a paring knife. If you have $100 to spend that will get you a good Henckel's chef's knife and pairing knife. If you want to spend more get a Wusthoff chef's knife and pairing knife ($150-$200). If you go with Henckels be sure to educate yourself on what their different lines of products are. They have a number of different lines each with different quality.

https://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Clas...1543939353&sr=8-6&keywords=wusthof+chef+knife

Yeah - that's what I figured. Need a good serrated knife as well as we do cut a lot of bread.
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,067
1,550
126
I got an 18 piece Chicago Cutlery set for the wife and I back in Feb of 2015 for around $100.
https://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Cutl...keywords=Chicago+Cutlery+1119644+Fusion&psc=1

I use the large Santoku knife like 80% of the time. It's great for cutting all the veggies, crushing garlic with the side, and cutting/slicing meat.

I'm sure there are better options in the price range, but, I wanted a simple full set with a block, and, my grandma has been using Chicago Cutlery since the 1940s without any complaints about them.

EDIT: Chicago Cutlery of the current era are Forged in China.
 
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quikah

Diamond Member
Apr 7, 2003
4,068
649
126
I disagree about not getting a set. Yes, I mostly use 2 knives, but also get the block, a steel, a bread knife and the shears which I also use. Have had a set for the past 10 yrs (cannot remember brand), has worked well.
 

kage69

Lifer
Jul 17, 2003
26,971
35,586
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I'd say skip the pricey collection and block w/honing steel. Get a bread knife, a chef or santoku, a ceramic honing rod, and a wood clad magnetic strip for the kitchen wall.

Done. All the functionality you need without spending unnecessarily and it won't take up any counter space.

If you are a whiz in the kitchen, a flexible boning knife might be a worthy addition to the above mentioned pieces, but things like slicers and paring knives you can skip for the most part.

Don't buy Chinese! Plenty of good German and Japanese choices out there, for American made check out the Virginia Boys line. Very reasonable. https://www.amazon.com/Inch-Chef-Kn...947834&sr=8-4&keywords=virginia+boys+kitchens
 
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MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
21,004
19,445
136
I use a Santoku or Chef's knife for 90% of everything in the kitchen. Sometimes I use my utility or paring knife but that's it. Go with getting a nice high quality pair of knives vs spending money on a set for sure.
 

blackangst1

Lifer
Feb 23, 2005
22,914
2,359
126
A note about Henckels (which I also recommend). Zwilling (Twin) Henckels knives have a sign of two men on the knives. They are made in Germany and are made with better steel. The Henckels International knives have a sign of a single man with a pol. These knives are made in non-German countries with lower quality steel. Always get the two man.
 
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DigDog

Lifer
Jun 3, 2011
13,444
2,084
126
Maybe he needs a "set" ??
Like, a dining room set?? 12 of each spoon, knife, fork ...

My mom uses victorinox.

I use chopsticks.
 

kn51

Senior member
Aug 16, 2012
695
111
106
Victorinox

Pretty much this to fill out "things".

About every post has been good advice and knives are a personal preference...and shall we say a personal journey. It is like asking what is the best shoe to wear.

Focus on the chef's knife. Then build from there.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
94,690
14,936
126
One clever, one french chef, one sandoku. Done. Tramontina is a good value brand, global is too ugly.
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,736
447
126
Love my Shun Classic knives. Don't get a set, get like a Santoku or Chef's knife
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,364
7,516
126
Just grabbed a deal on a Zwilling J.A. Henckels Pro 7" Rocking Santoku Pro Knife for $35 from Macy's yesterday. What budget option would you recommend to keep it sharp?

https://www.zwilling.com/us/zwilling-pro-7-inch-rocking-santoku-knife/38417-182.html
Hard Arkansas whetstone. If you keep it sharp, you never really have to sharpen it. If you let it get dull, it's harder to make it right. Couple strokes on a stone every few times you use it will keep it in new condition.
 

pete6032

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2010
7,443
3,004
136
Just grabbed a deal on a Zwilling J.A. Henckels Pro 7" Rocking Santoku Pro Knife for $35 from Macy's yesterday. What budget option would you recommend to keep it sharp?

https://www.zwilling.com/us/zwilling-pro-7-inch-rocking-santoku-knife/38417-182.html
Not sure where you live but there is a kitchen store near me that sharpens knives for $2 each. Takes about 30 seconds since they are professionals. I find that to be easier than buying a sharpener personally.
 

Ken g6

Programming Moderator, Elite Member
Moderator
Dec 11, 1999
16,220
3,801
75
I gotta buy a decent knife set for my wife before she kills me.
Nothing worse than forcing your wife to use a dull knife to kill you, right? :p

Be safe out there! :eek:
 

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,856
4,974
126
Nothing worse than forcing your wife to use a dull knife to kill you, right? :p

Be safe out there! :eek:

Funny story - one time I was pissing my wife off so much (just giving her a hard time and joking around) while we were in the kitchen that she picked up an uncooked russet potato and chucked it at me from about 5ft feet away. Hit me dead in the sternum. It hurt - BAD. Like a brick hitting you in the chest. I deserved it though.
 

balloonshark

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2008
6,288
2,682
136
Hard Arkansas whetstone. If you keep it sharp, you never really have to sharpen it. If you let it get dull, it's harder to make it right. Couple strokes on a stone every few times you use it will keep it in new condition.
Thanks for the suggestion. I definitely want to keep it sharp rather than deal with the tedious process of sharpening the blade.

Not sure where you live but there is a kitchen store near me that sharpens knives for $2 each. Takes about 30 seconds since they are professionals. I find that to be easier than buying a sharpener personally.
I live in a small rural town so no kitchen shops that I know about. I'll ask around though because $2 sounds like a bargain. Thank you.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,364
7,516
126
Thanks for the suggestion. I definitely want to keep it sharp rather than deal with the tedious process of sharpening the blade.


I live in a small rural town so no kitchen shops that I know about. I'll ask around though because $2 sounds like a bargain. Thank you.
The ability to sharpen knives is a valuable skill. My suggestion would be getting a pos from a thrift shop, and make it sharp enough to shave with. A triple stone set mounted on a triangle is affordable, and is more than enough for the task. You use the synthetic stone to regrind the edge if it's a disaster, follow with the medium Arkansas to get it right. then finish with a hard Arkansas for a nice edge. That'll give you a new skill, self sufficiency, and satisfaction of a job well done. Practice on the junk so you don't mess up your good blades.