WÜSTHOF Gourmet 7-Piece Knife Block Set

These knives are great for my arthritic hands. They have a good grip, and are so sharp I hardly need use any pressure. I'm delighted with them.

I'm not sure if this item is actually real or if it is an imitation. The scissors are of such poor quality (cheap plastic, separate with any minor cutting...) I've had to go out and buy some Fiskars ones (Finnish brand of good quality). I'm a little afraid to test out the knives... A real estate agent might suggest using these knives for house staging?

Good set for everyday needs. Good quality. Decent price.

At this price, I expected high quality and high performance, but got neither. True, it is stated to be a "starter" set, but anyone paying this price is expecting more than knives you might purchase in a supermarket "utensils" section, etc. The steel to sharpen fell apart after the first two months of use--the steel coming loose from the handle. Additionally, the hand guard on this steel is dangerously small. The steel itself--which must be used often, as any quality kitchen knife demands--is not very good, i.e. puts an edge back on too slowly. But no way is a portion of a set like this supposed to fall apart.

First, in case it isn’t clear from the photos,, the block has WAY more slots than knives, so while this is fine if you already own other knives or plan on quickly expanding your set, as it comes the set looks pretty terrible half empty and takes up way too much space for the number of knives you actually receive. I knew this when purchasing them, but the angle of the description photo doesn’t fully illustrate just how empty and strange the knife block actually appears. If I had kept them, I’m pretty certain that every time I’d glance at the block, I’d end up mildly freaking out for a second, wondering in alarm where all the “missing” knives had gone. ;) If you’re accustomed to seeing a half-full knife block on your counter, then this might not bother you, though.As far as knife quality, to be honest I thought that these could have been Wusthof dupes, instead of the real thing because the stamped blades are just so thin and flimsy feeling. They all came packaged in Wusthof branded packaging, all blades marked with Wusthof logos, etc., just FYI. But they felt like the cheap knives you find for sale at the grocery store. These do feel very sharp, but all of the knives were more like smaller, lighter weight and thinner versions of the heavier knives I’ve used before. And they weren’t comfortable for me to hold without a bolster and with a more cramped feeling handle. And FWIW I was replacing a worn down set of KitchenAid German steel knives (that were probably made in China) that felt much heavier than these.The Gourmet series is definitely an entry level product. If you don’t use knives often enough to justify spending more money on Wusthof’s Classic or Ikon series, then it might make sense. But you could most likely find a better set of Wusthof Legende or Grand Prix knives (better than Gourmet, but not as expensive or as good as the Classic or Ikon) for just a little bit more money than these. And you’d probably be much happier in the long run.Returned mine and purchased a very nice set of Wusthof Classic series knives in a beautiful walnut block. The forged Wusthof Classic knives are amazing, and so much better made than these cheap stamped Gourmet series knives. The difference is like night and day! Avoid these and anything else in the stamped Gourmet series if you can.