AsPrudent Reviews notes, it’s one of the first names to have emerged on the market of Japanese knives for Western countries. Wading through all of the options can be overwhelming and expensive if you pick the wrong one — so we’ve done it for you. Here are the top knife brands, ranked for affordability, quality, longevity, and sharpness. Partial-tang knives only extend the metal through half of the handle, or so. Some stamped blades have no tang and are simply welded onto the handle. While these are the lightest knives and usually least expensive, they also won’t last as long because the handle can detach from the blade.
No one single knife can perform every task with the same level of ease, so purchasing a knife set is an excellent way of preparing yourself and your kitchen for any possible dish. With Cuisinart, you can rest assured that your new set of knives is not only great quality but affordable as well. Check out the eight greatest early Prime Day offers on high quality knife sets under and store before the chaos begins subsequent week. Japanese knives are gorgeous and artistic, while German knives are solid and all business. The blades of these knives aren’t eye-catching with dressy Damascus or hammered steel like some of our beloved Japanese brands, but they make up for it in their hardiness.
Brighten up your kitchen now with this Cuisinart knife set for just $15. However, Cuisinart knives are some of the cheapest I’ve ever seen, especially the collections with stamped blades. If this assumption is true, Henckels knives are significantly sharper than Cuisinart knives. And due to the softness of Cuisinart’s steel, the edge will dull and require resharpening more often. I found retailers advertising their blades at a rating of 56, but 3CR13 stainless steel is rated between 52 and 55.
Plenty of great sets are available for $50-$80, with the only sacrifice being lower handle qualities. The most expensive Cuisinart knife sets, those with the best blades, handles and extras, can get close to the $200 mark though few, if any, hit or surpass it. Knives are made by heating metal and hammering it into the proper shape, then sharpening the edge. Forged knives start as a single piece of steel, which is formed into the knife blade as well as the bolster for the handle. They tend to be thicker and heavier than stamped blades, which are punched out or shaped using lasers.
Their color-coded design can also help you stay organized and avoid cross-contamination while cooking. This set includes four knives (a 7-inch santoku knife, a 10-inch carving knife, a 10-inch offset serrated bread knife, and a 3.5-inch gotham steel cookware sets paring knife) along with a honing steel and a large, wooden block. This set comes with a chef knife, a 7-inch Santoku knife, a utility knife, a 5-inch Santoku knife, a paring knife, utility scissors and a wooden knife block.
Shun also offers both double- and single-bevel collections. Several Shun knives are only offered as individuals and not sets, which can be seen as an inconvenience or an opportunity to mix and match. We’ve handled Shun and found it to be incredibly sharp out of the box, but prone to bending, chipping, and dullness as use continues, especially when frequently used for meat cutting. Even with wildly variable pricing from one blade or set to the next, these knives are not lacking in bells and whistles. This brand offers multiple levels of features and finishes to appeal to luxury or simplicity. One of the most unique features of the Schmidt Brothers brand is its universal magnetic storage blocks, where the blades are smartly displayed flat side-out.
The chef’s knife performs incredibly well, and the super minimalistic paring knife is one of our favorites in the group. The set only includes four knives, but its large, wooden block has 13 slots, cuisinart knife leaving you plenty of space for expansion. Here’s what sets this one apart from the rest, though — There’s ceramic self-sharpening technology inside each knife slot in the wooden block.
As a bonus, the kitchen shears are a highly-ranked pair that we already loved. This Wüsthof set is relatively lightweight for German-steel knives. These precision-forged knives are made from a single piece of continuous high-carbon stainless steel, so they’re super sharp and won’t rust easily. The full-tang blade is seamlessly attached to a comfortable polypropylene handle that didn’t slip in our hands, even when wet. We would have liked to see a smaller serrated knife included with this set. It ended up being our least favorite knife in the set because it’s large and we weren’t sure what to use it for.
It includes six different style knives with matching blade guards for safe storage in a drawer, and the primary colors add a fun pop of color to any kitchen. This set is an excellent option for dorm living, beginner kitchens, and second homes. The cooks in the family are undoubtedly busy ogling all the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday saleson their dream cookware and kitchen gear—and there are certainly plenty to shop. There’s one, in particular, that’s worth calling out, however—especially if you’re looking to upgrade your old, dull knife set for brand new blades during this savings extravaganza. Now’s your chance to nab a best-selling10-Piece Cuisinart knife seton sale for under $20.