Victorinox Swiss Classic Knife Block - Kitchen Knife Set with Block for Home Essentials - Includes Chef's Knife, Kitchen Shears & More - Black Handles, 22-Piece Set

Summary: The Victorinox Swiss Classic 22-Piece Cutlery Block Set is an amazing buy for what you get and the quality of the knives. Executive summary: I started out looking to get a "good" and yet inexpensive knife set. Cooking had quickly become a favorite hobby of mine and well the old knives were just not cutting it (pun intended). I went to cooking stores to checkout various knives, and tested similar more economic lines like the Wusthof classic even up to their top of the line forged models, as well as Henkles. However I was unable to test Victorinox knives in person which did arise some doubt, but the next episode of Americas test Kitchen contained their knife test which quickly quelled any of my fears the Victorinox knives had been rated either the best or best value. Overall this knife set is great, all of the knives are extremely sharp out of the box. Initially after testing them compared to the sort of soft touch rubberized grip on some of the Wusthof knives, the Fibrox handles seemed poor, but after using them a bit you couldn't ask for a better grip. The grips are made in such a way that they will naturally slip into the proper position which is great, the Fibrox also provides excellent grip even with soapy or oily hands (yes I actually put some cooking oil on my hand to test the grip). The blades themselves have a decent mirror finish and vary in thickness based on knife, they aren't as thick as stamped knives, but are plenty sturdy and are by no means flimsy. There are a few redundant knives mainly the 6" chefs, 8" slicer, and 2 of the paring/utility knives, but still for the price I don't think anyone could ask for a better set. A note on care: you should try and always try to hand wash and dry your knives (even though they are dishwasher safe), and don't let them sit in water. Don't ever use a glass cutting board, and steel your knife before you use it (don't know how there are several good youtube videos on it). Folowing these simple tips will help you prolong your knifes sharpness and integrity. Detailed Review: The Set contains 22 pieces; 8" chef, 7" Santoku, 6" chef, 10.25" Slicer, 8" Slicer, bread knife, boning knife, set of 4 paring knives, Kitchen Shears, Steel, 8 Steak knives, Block. I will rate each individually (not as a set) below. *8" Chef: 5 out of 5, The chef's knife is always the most important knife in the kitchen and Victorinox does not disappoint offering an extremely sharp edge that cuts through everything I have thrown at it with ease. 8" is a great size, and the grip is perfect allowing for several different grips perfectly. I actually like the fact that it is stamped and therefore a bit thinner than a forged knife, because it allows you to make more delicate cuts in task like mincing an onion. *7" Santoku: 4 out of 5 The Santoku is similar to a chef's knife in the variety of task it can perform, and once again this knife did not disappoint in terms of cutting ability. However the identifying feature of the santoku is its grantons (little indents) that let food that would normally stick to the blade fall off when cutting. Being stamped and a thinner blade the grantons are not as deep as what you would find on a forged model, and as a result some of the more juicy foods (IE a juicy tomato) will often still stick. Other than that it's a great knife and works how its supposed to. 6" chef: 5 out of 5 the 6" chefs as expected is just a smaller version of the 8" chefs and performs just as well. This is arguably a redundant knife in the set but for more delicate task, I do find myself reaching for it Instead of the 8"chefs. Do you really need it probably not, will you use it if you have it? Probably. 10.25" Slicer: 5 out of 5 the 10.25" slicer is an amazing slicer, and was the top pick of Cooks Country / Americas Test Kitchen. It slices clean and evenly through even fatty meats (like a pork roast) thanks to its grantons. You can also get very thin cuts of meat, it's just simply great. 8" Slicer: 4.5 out of 5 This is another arguably redundant piece in the set, it maintains the same great blade. However this is more suited to a "universal" slicer which is why I drop its rating a bit. On cooked meat the 10.25" slicer is going to perform better because its specialized and cooked meat is one of the primary uses of a slicer. While this knife still can and will cut through cooked meat its curved blade and pointed tip make it better suited for use with uncooked meat. Bread knife: 5 out of 5 this knife is utterly amazing, I have never had a bread knife cut so clean. I've used it on your normal loaf of hearty homemade multigrain bread, loaves of Italian, and even gluten free bread (which is notorious for crumbling). You can also easily use it to cube bread for making croutons etc. My only reservation with this knife is its length, when making diagonal cuts on Italian bread the blade can be just a bit short and can catch on the tip if you aren't watching closely, but still overall a great knife. Boning Knife: 5 out of 5 This is once again a top pick of Cooks Country / Americas Test Kitchen. The blade is great and the slight flex is perfect for getting up against bones. 4 Paring Knives: 4 out of 5 The standard paring knife is one of most important knifes next to the chefs and bread knives. Once again this was a top pick of Cooks Country / Americas Test Kitchen. The standard spear point is great and is the one primarily use. The birds' beak (curved one) is also very useful especially with peeling and close cuts on smaller items. The other 2 serrated knives are more or less redundant with a steak knife and are not used often. Kitchen Shears: 4 out of 5 these shears function well providing much the functionality one would need flawlessly, cutting fresh herbs, trimming pie dough etc. Where they start to lack is cutting meat, these shears are not the greatest for cutting up a chicken. If you don't need this functionality they are great, if not I would recommend a pair of shun shears. Steel: 5 out of 5 a sharpening steel is a necessity for any cook it helps keep the blades sharp longer, it matches the rest of the set and gets the job done. Steak Knives: 5 out of 5 while being stamped these knives are still plenty rigid, yes they are not forged but they don't bend and cut quite well. Block: 4 out of 5 it's not the most attractive block, nor the best wood, and there are some small burrs in the slots, but overall it holds all the knives with room to spare and functions quite well considering the price.

Very nice and sharp knives

Was really surprised at the quality and sharpness I’ve been using them for 2 months and not one complaint. Would definitely purchase again

As far as the knives go, they are awesome. I spent multiple hours doing AI researching on types of steel used with professional level knives that are also sold as home knife sets. I narrowed it down to this one and 1 other. Although the other had a higher hardness rating, the thinness of these blades were suppose to lower drag and improve the cut. They do cut well and they are easily held and manipulated by hand. Although some people complain about how flimsy they feel, that is also their selling point: It just takes a more gentle touch rather than muscle. All that said, lets discuss the point that bothers me. I contacted Victorinox about the fact that 3 of the knives were not stamped as having been made by them. They did not respond to me until after Amazon asked if they had and I replied that they did not. Even the scissors and steel rod are marked n the steel, but the 3 smaller knives were not. They asked if the handles were marked. My last email to them was, “Yes, they are marked on the handles. I noticed all the blades were stamped while initially washing them, except for these three. I tend to notice when things are different like that and the fact that all steel blades were stamped except these made me question if the blades were made in house, or if they were subcontracted out. I don't blindly trust things that seem out of place and the missing markings seemed out of place. If you are saying that the steel blades are manufactured by Victorinox, even though they are not stamped, then I will accept that as a satisfactory answer.” That was a few days ago and they have chosen not to answer. I’ve decided that I can live with the question on the 3 smaller blades for now. Although I like the knives, my fear is that if I ever have an issue with them, then there is no real customer support. If they are avoiding correspondence with me or answering my question honestly and directly, then I have no trust in the company. I have a couple more weeks to decide if I like them enough to risk keeping them or not, which gives me a bit more time to see just how much I like them over that risk. I’ll update this review if there are any big changes in what I have learned.

Gave this set to my daughter for Christmas and she LOVES them. Best knife set she's ever had!!!

Good quality kitchen knives with nice edges, blades well shaped for their purposes and with well designed handles. The only very minor negative: the "utilitarian" nature of the handles (which should take years of use); wife thinks the old knives with polished wood handles looked better than flat black plastic but admits these knives perform much better. The storage block is large and takes up more counter space than I anticipated. If you have a smaller kitchen area you might want to measure to make sure it will fit. Also, the smaller steak knives along the bottom cut well but feel a little small in my hands. A good purchase if you want knives to use for cooking. I am happy with the purchase.

I bought these knives for myself 3 years ago and love them still today. I enjoy them so much that I bought another set to give to my daughter for Christmas this year. These knives are ridiculously sharp. I mean "take fingers off" sharp. So sharp that I warn newcomers to my kitchen. So sharp that when my Mom comes to visit she refuses to use them. So sharp that my daughter accidentally stabbed me with one and she felt it before me! So sharp that I purchased a cut resistant glove for those not so skilled wth knives. I'm not sure the glove would help much, and I'm not willing to test it, but I have it all the same. 3 years in and I'm still well pleased with these. I'd say they're well worth the price tag and then some and be it you purchased them for yourself or someone else, no one will be disappointed. Don't let the "plastic-y" look fool you; these knives are savage and can handle anything you put them to. Be careful!

Victorinox Knives are the best sharpest knives by far, i use these at work and at home. my job is cook and having used both Dexter and Victorinox I will say Victorinox stay sharper longer lighter wieght more flexable steel just better all around knife. you wil b e please to say you use Victorinox in your kitchen.

Worth the money very sharp and will last a lifetime.

love the knives....very very sharp and nice to use

Bought black Friday. Top notch knives. Stupid sharp!

Quality...

A1