Kiso by GINSU 14-Piece Black Knife Set with Natural Block - Always Sharp and Dishwasher Safe, Perfect for Any Kitchen - Stainless Steel Blades and Ergonomic Handles

They are a super nice set & we are enjoying them.

Amazing knives... very sharp, easy on the hand. Greta tools for any job!! Very affordable!

All of the foodie knife snobs told me to go with Heinkels or Wüstof. That was about a dozen years ago. Since then, my Made in Germany Wüstof Chinese cleaver is still going strong (with regular sharpening and honing), my Made in China Wüstof chef's knive is as dull as the day I've bought it (never holds an edge for more than a few days), and my Made in China Heinkels sits in the back of the drawer unused. Picked up a cheap sankotu knife (also made in China) at Bed Bath and Beyond Outlet for $15 and the thing keeps an edge better than either of my $90 "German" knives. So to make a long story longer, I decide I need to break down and get a proper set of knives with a block. I remember those stupid Ginsu commercials from the '70s (the one where the dude in the karate outfit cuts a nail with a steak knife then cuts a tomato) and I figure, hell, $37 for 14 knives and a block and 600+ 4-star reviews? Free shipping with Prime and my Amazon benefits knocked the price down to $19. Kinda worried about the whole rust thing, but read the instructions (I know! Crazy, right?) and it clearly says HAND WASH ONLY. Might be problem with lazy or stupid people, but I want to get mileage outta these so, hand wash it is. No biggie. I gotta hand wash my Lodge Ironware so a couple knives won't kill me, unless someone stabs me with these. Which reminds me: DON'T STAB YOURSELF WITH THESE. And if you do, you're certain to get a good clean cut. Nothing worse than slicing yourself with a dull knife. These are razor sharp. They tear through vegetables like ca-ca through a loose goose. The larger knives are a bit thin and flexible, but I'm not stripping a carcass down. The serrated knives should stay sharp a while; the straight edge knives will need a good monthly sharpening (either a stone or one of those handheld dealies should suffice) along with a good honing steel. The steak knives are the icing on the cake. I can finally toss out those old 1950s era hand-me-downs. So if you're considering blowing $300+ on a "professional" set of knives because they're more expensive and therefor the "best," save your money. Most of those elite German knives are made in the same damn Chinese factories cheap-o knives like these are made in. You're paying for a label. If you want to cut meat, fish, and vegetables with ease, you can do a lot worse than these at five times the price.

These knives are great -- very sharp. I'm just a little disappointed that the one non-serrated edge knife seems a little flimsy compared to the thickness of the serrated one that's the same size. It cuts well, just feels like it won't last.

We bought this unit to replace an old knife holder works great.

Bought this set for my niece. She loves it. A variety of knives, super sharp, and the color makes them stand out in her kitchen.

...so I'll give you my honest feedback:I was really surprised that all of the knives have a weird hybrid edge. I didn't know Ginsu was known for this odd shape. But who cares how it looks - how do they work? Short Version:These work really well when cutting everything BUT meat, cheese and bread. A small sampling of what I've cut easily and quickly with these knives: Olives, Tomatoes, Grapes, Potatoes, Carrots, Celery and Onions. The smaller knives work really well for this.These do NOT work well when cutting meats, cheese and bread. Examples:BREAD: The "Bread" knife included doesn't have the sharp points to really rip into the bread while slicing. Leads to a knife that's gummy with bread, and a smushed loaf of bread.MEAT: The larger and smaller knives in this set all get gummed up with meat - especially raw meat in the pork loin, steak and chicken categories. I had to go back to my old rusted set to trim fat off of chicken breasts. It almost becomes dangerous to be pushing so hard, readjusting, cleaning the knife off, etc...CHEESE: Good luck and godspeed to you when cutting cheese. I never had much success. The odd hybrid shape seems to pack in the cheese, rendering the slicing action into nothing more than a brute force, dull guillotine.3 stars. Just OK. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have gotten these. I'll give them a year then move on to a better set.

Suddenly, I feel like cooking again. Chopping onions, dicing carrots, making perfect juliennes with red peppers and mincing the garlic fine for my famous (!) vegetable medley is...effortless. All because of these knives. Ooh they are sharp! So be careful or you may end cutting yourself!I love the fact that the knives are sharp right out the box. Many people swear by their forged knife blades but that makes the knives heavier. I have another set from Pinzon (Amazon's brand) and yet another from Cuisinart that I barely use as they are heavier and not as sharp as these knives. I think stamped blades are great as they are lighter and thinner like these Ginsu knives. If you cut vegetables more than meat then you need knives like these. For meat you need heavier blades with more balance and "brute force". For slicing a tomato so fine that you can see through it you need a Ginsu. With a Ginsu in your hand you'll end up sculpting roses from your radishes!Update 11/5/08: I have been using these knives for 1.5 years now. They're still doing fine and are still very sharp. I regularly throw them in the dishwasher and they have not shown any signs of rusting. I love these knives and miss them if I am cooking somewhere else. I use the steak knives as everyday knives for slicing veggies and they work very well. If I ever purchase another set I will go with Ginsu again.Update: 8/27/2013: Still using these knives after 6 years. Still going strong and are pretty sharp. Although we took to using some as box cutters and for other reasons and lost a few of the steak knives. Luckily, Amazon sells steak knives separately in packs of 4 Ginsu Essential Series 4-Piece 4.5-Inch Stainless Steel Steak Knife Set with Triple Riveted Polymer Handles 4805 so I ordered more.