What do you guys have and recommend? I cook a lot and want a nice set that I don't have to sharpen every 10 minutes.

I like the Olivia's messermeister makes

https://www.messermeister.com/products/oliva-elite-magnet-block-set-8-piece-1?variant=31284594573389

Years ago I did some research and bought Mac knives. I love them. I've since had some custom knives made but still use those from time to time. I make my son use them since I don't trust him with to clean and dry the customs. Hell take the Macs to college with him. They've been great.

I would skip a set, because you end up paying for knives you will rarely use. Most home cooks only need three knives: a chef's knife, a paring knife, and a serrated knife. If you want to add another, go to a restaurant supply shop and get a boning knife.

For your chef's knife, you should go somewhere that you can pick up a knife and see how it fits your hand. A $60 knife that is comfortable is going to be exponentially better than a $200 knife that feels clunky and unwieldy. I would avoid anything with a bolster. As the knife wears, the bolster doesn't, so the back end of the knife ends up not making contact with the board, making chopping miserable. This is the one I have. The edge is beveled, so you need to know what you're doing when you sharpen it (I don't, so o have someone else do it). https://www.korin.com/HMI-SCGY-210?quantity=1&custcol_korin_addon_items=%257B%2522leftHanded%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522saya%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522freegift%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522premiumgift%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522engraving%2522%253A%2522%2522%257D&custcol_sca_line_id=mainItem%253Avbccf5sgt

I second not getting a set. You just don't use half of them. Most of us probably get a set as a wedding gift. I did. It wasn't high quality and it had several knives I just never used.

Over the years I replaced them with things I did use. I started with a Shun Santuko and Shun paring knife. I use them everyday. They are Damascus and hold an edge very well. I have added a large Chef, a boning and a serrated slicer from New West Knife Works in Jackson WY. Later I added a short paring knife that has a different shape and edge than my Shun. They are not Damascus and I don't care. The handles all work for me and I tried them in the store to make sure. The handles look nice but it's the steel and edge that I like.

I sharpen all my knives myself on a set of diamond stones. I know how to do it and I can keep them razor sharp. I use the same stones on my hunting knives.

I guess the main reason I was looking for a set is so that I can tell my wife and kids "do not touch any of the knives in the block". My wife recently put one of my Benchmade knives in the dishwasher and it will never be the same. Do you know if you can buy a block that most knives will fit and then I can buy the knives that I want to go in it?

Agree with no sets, as well. You don't necessarily need a block. I have a magnetic knife stand. It is Koa wood that was made in Hawaii but there are lots of cool ones out there. Some mount to the wall which I like (and had once upon a time). Just google magnetic knife holder and you'll see lots of options.

Depending on how old your kids are, I would think the slotless knife block that mathguy posted would be ideal for you, if anything just from a safety standpoint. The magnetic ones are nice, but not something I'd consider if you have small children due to the exposed edges.

Something to add: if you're wanting a boning knife, make sure it's a stamped blade. You want something with some flex in it, and forged knives are not that. Plus, stamped knives are cheaper. You can find a Dexter at any restaurant supply house. The Victorinox are good too (that's what my ANSC 307 Meat Science knives are, I still have them since when I took meats in 1998).

I bought a Wustof Classic knife set at an auction probably 20 years ago for around $100. I use the chef knife and pairing knife the most from the set but the tomato knife gets a fair amount of use, too. The carving knife gets used when I have a roast to carve and the bread knife whenever we do whole loaves. The steak knives that came with were garbage and have been replaced. I've added a cleaver to the block, which is handy in certain applications. I've been gifted two Shun knives - one poultry and one 10" kiritsuke, both blue steel. Out of all of my knives, I use the kiritsuke the most, followed by the pairing. If I had only 4 knives that I had to choose from, I'd go with the kiritsuke, pairing, cleaver and bread knives. You can accomplish pretty much anything you need to do in the kitchen with those 4. IMO

Disclaimer: I've been in or around kitchens most of my life (seriously, since like 5-6 years old) and spent 15 years in food service with a lot of that time in the kitchen. Bottom line is you need to find knives that feel good TO YOU, and the only way to do that is go and handle them. Also, I'm a firm believer in the buy once, cry once mantra. You don't have to drop a ton on really good knives but I know the Wustof's will be passed on the the next generation and so will the Shuns, if I maintain them.

ValleyRatAg said:

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I like the Olivia's messermeister makes

https://www.messermeister.com/products/oliva-elite-magnet-block-set-8-piece-1?variant=31284594573389

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but do they flip you off every 3 seconds???

Enso HD set with:

4" Paring Knife
6" Utility Knife
6.5" Santoku Knife
8" Chef's Knife
9" Bread Knife
And some scissors


Also when I was in Japan I bought a pretty nice Nakiri.

I was gifted 4 cutco serrated steak knives from a client. They are amazing quality as well as the Japanese stuff.

They should all last the rest of my life and probably whoever gets them when I'm gone.

Love are Warther's. Made in Ohio. Owned since '92. https://warthercutlery.com/

I pieced mine together from a company out of Japan. Ended up paying the same amount for the whole haul including the duties as I would have for just the chef's knife if I would have bought it in the U.S. I got a chef's knife paring knife, filet knife, boning knife, cheese knife and a sushi knife. I cut myself three times during the unboxing because I had never handled knives that sharp.

Not knowing much of anything about knives, I chose the Ken Onion by Shun knives for our registry years ago. I think we got 2 or 3 as gifts. But my wife luckily went back to Williams Sonoma and bought every remaining knife plus a block to fit them all. They fit my hand better than anything i've ever picked up. Love the balance and control. They hold the edge really well, and when needed they are sent off for sharpening. I know these are not available anymore, but there are some copy cats that i've handled, and they feel really good as far as balance goes, but no clue on the quality of the steel and how they hold an edge.