Quality knife sets are crucial to home kitchens: They supply the tools you’ll regularly use in daily cooking, like a chef’s knife to suit most of your chopping needs and a paring knife for more intricate peeling and mincing. After months of testing 15 top-rated knife sets (almost 100 knives in total), we found that the Wüsthof Classic 7-Piece Slim Knife Block Set is the best knife set overall; it’s a sleek, professional-quality collection that aced our tests in sharpness and maneuverability. If you’re a beginner or have a smaller kitchen, we recommend Misen’s Essential Knives Set, which includes three exceptionally well-crafted knives that are among the sharpest and most balanced we’ve used. The best knife sets (like Misen’s Essential Knife Set) are sharp, comfortable to hold and built to last.
Why Invest in a Quality Kitchen Knife Set?
Nothing is more essential for a cook than a good knife set. Whether you’re prepping for dinner, grabbing a snack or carving a roast, you’ll need a sharp tool to get the job done quickly and neatly. When you go to shop, you’ll be confronted with knife sets with a variety of styles and knives and a wide range of prices. To help you cut through all the choices and find the knife set that’s best for you, we explain the differences and what to look for, and make knife set recommendations for all kinds of cooks with all kinds of budgets.
Key Benefits of a Good Knife Set
- A chef’s knife, which usually has an 8in or 10in blade, is by far the most popular in all types of kitchen, as it can be used for everything from chopping melons to carving roast chicken.
- The paring knife is small, sturdy and nimble with a sharp, angled point, which makes it best suited for deveining shrimp or segmenting citrus fruits for your gin and tonic.
- A good set of knives goes a long way to enjoyable food prep.
- The best knife sets come with useful styles of knives, a solid block and are easy to sharpen and maintain.
Top 10 Kitchen Knife Sets for 2023
Below, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 kitchen knife sets for 2023, highlighting their features, pros, cons, and testing scenarios to help you make an informed decision.
1. Wüsthof Classic 7-Piece Slim Knife Block Set
Composed of five professional-quality knives and a pair of kitchen shears with pull-apart blades, this sleek set leaves little to be desired in terms of sharpness, balance and maneuverability. Housed in a beautiful, slim acacia block that can fit on even the most crowded countertops, this set comes with six pieces: an 8-inch chef’s knife, 8-inch bread knife, 3.5-inch paring knife, 6-inch prep knife, 5-inch serrated utility knife and kitchen shears. Featuring full-tang blades that are fully forged from high-carbon stainless steel (which means the same piece of steel extends from the butt of the handle to the very tip), the blades are sharp, durable and easy to maneuver.
- Pros: Sharp, durable, easy to maneuver, slim block saves counter space, lifetime warranty.
- Cons: Higher price point compared to budget sets.
- Testing Scenario: The chef’s knife cut through onions easily, and a nice curve to its blade allowed for an easy rocking motion when we chopped. The serrated utility knife cleanly sliced through juicy tomatoes and citrus without making a total mess of our wooden cutting boards.
2. Misen Essential Knives Set
This 3-piece set is aptly named Essentials Knife Set because it contains the three knives we think you absolutely must have. The set includes an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 3.5-inch paring knife, and a 5-inch serrated knife. The blades are crafted from high-carbon stainless steel, offering exceptional sharpness and balance.
- Pros: Exceptionally sharp, well-balanced, affordable, ideal for small kitchens.
- Cons: Limited to three knives, no storage block included.
- Testing Scenario: The chef’s knife sliced through tomatoes and onions with ease, while the paring knife was perfect for peeling apples in one continuous spiral.
3. Zwilling Professional S 7-Piece Knife Block Set
The versatile Zwilling Professional S 7-Piece is our top choice for a well-balanced overall kitchen knife set. The set includes an 8-inch chef’s knife, 3.5-inch paring knife, 5-inch serrated utility knife, 7-inch santoku knife, kitchen shears, sharpening steel, and a 10-slot block.
- Pros: High-quality German steel, balanced, versatile assortment.
- Cons: Knives don’t sit perfectly straight in the block, slightly lopsided.
- Testing Scenario: The santoku knife showed off great, tall enough to chop well against your guiding hand, and held a good edge as did the other knives.
4. Mercer Culinary Genesis 6-Piece Knife Block Set
For those looking for a more affordable collection, this set from Mercer Culinary is a true kitchen workhorse. Featuring high-carbon stainless steel blades and thermoplastic handles that are ergonomic and nonslip, this collection includes an 8-inch chef’s knife, 3.5-inch paring knife, 6-inch boning knife, 5-inch utility knife and 8-inch bread knife, all of which are durable and easy to maneuver.
- Pros: Affordable, durable, ergonomic handles, attractive glass block.
- Cons: No santoku knife, slightly less sharp out of the box.
- Testing Scenario: The chef’s knife performed well in chopping vegetables, though it required more effort for crusty bread compared to higher-end models.
5. Miyabi Artisan 7-Piece Knife Block Set
Featuring hand-hammered steel blades and polished Cocobolo Rosewood Pakkawood handles, the knives included in the Miyabi Artisan 7-Piece Knife Block are absolutely gorgeous. More importantly, the blades are impossibly sharp, which made them a true pleasure to use in our tests. The set includes a chef’s knife, santoku knife, bread knife, paring knife, kitchen shears, sharpening steel, and a bamboo knife block.
- Pros: Razor-sharp, stunning design, excellent edge retention.
- Cons: Delicate blades prone to chipping, expensive.
- Testing Scenario: The chef’s knife sliced cleanly through a sheet of paper without catching and cut through a tomato with little to no effort.
6. Shun Classic 9-Piece Chef’s Choice Knife Block Set
The Shun Classic 10 Piece set is an excellent option if you are looking for a happy medium between quality and quantity in a Japanese knife set. The set includes an 8-inch chef’s knife, 8-inch bread knife, 7-inch santoku, 6-inch boning knife, 5-inch serrated utility knife, 3.5-inch paring knife, honing steel, kitchen shears, and six 5-inch steak knives.
- Pros: High-quality Japanese steel, comfortable D-shaped handles, versatile.
- Cons: D-shaped handles may not suit all users, high price.
- Testing Scenario: The chef’s knife performed well in precision tasks like dicing onions, though some testers found the handle less comfortable for long sessions.
7. HexClad Damascus Chef Knife Set
Those seeking an heirloom set that may very well last decades will find the HexClad Damascus chef knife set up to the task. The set comes priced with that in mind, but we consider this set an investment that’s worth the extra cost if you can swing it. Blade material: Japanese Damascus steel | Storage: Magnetic knife block | Includes: 8¡å chef’s knife, 7¡å Santoku knife, 5¡å utility knife, 3.5¡å inch paring knife, 8¡å serrated knife, 9¡å honing steel, magnetic walnut knife block.
- Pros: Durable, sharp, heirloom quality, stylish magnetic block.
- Cons: Expensive, requires regular sharpening.
- Testing Scenario: After months of near-daily use, the knives dulled a bit but remained fully functional, performing well after professional sharpening.
8. Victorinox 8-Piece Knife Block Set
If you still want a high-quality set on a budget, the Victorinox 8-Piece Set also includes a chef’s knife, paring, and bread knife, as well as an 8-inch filet, 10-inch slicing knife, and a honing rod. Although the build quality isn’t quite as high, the practicality and cutting performance are nearly on par with the knives in the Zwilling set.
- Pros: Budget-friendly, practical, good cutting performance.
- Cons: Inconsistent handle quality, no utility knife.
- Testing Scenario: The chef’s knife felt comfortable and sliced through vegetables well, though the paring knife’s handle felt awkward for some testers.
9. Global 3-Piece Knife Set
Global is known as the king of knives for a very good reason. This three-piece set includes an 8in carving knife, 6in bread knife and a 3in peeling knife, which are ideal for a range of everyday cooking tasks. The blades are crafted using ultra-sharp Japanese steel that is ice-hardened, meaning they stay sharp for years to come.
- Pros: Ultra-sharp, lightweight, durable.
- Cons: Limited to three knives, no storage block.
- Testing Scenario: The carving knife glided through roast chicken effortlessly, while the peeling knife was nimble for small tasks like segmenting citrus.
10. Viners 4-Piece Knife Set
Viners has proven you don’t need to spend a lot of money to enjoy good quality knives. This set of four has everything you could possibly need for everyday meal prep. It includes a chef’s knife, santoku knife, utility knife and pairing knife. Crafted from high-quality stainless steel, rust-resistant and covered in a black non-stick coating, to reduce cutting friction, these knives have been tempered to keep the edges super sharp, even after heavy use.
- Pros: Affordable, sharp, non-stick coating, ergonomic handles.
- Cons: No storage block, basic design.
- Testing Scenario: The chef’s knife handled hard fruits and vegetables like melon and celeriac with ease, and sharpening was straightforward.
Comparison Table of Top Kitchen Knife Sets
| Knife Set | Number of Pieces | Blade Material | Storage | Price Range | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wüsthof Classic 7-Piece | 7 | High-carbon stainless steel | Slim acacia wood block | $$$ | Sharp, durable, lifetime warranty |
| Misen Essential Knives | 3 | High-carbon stainless steel | None | $$ | Affordable, sharp, balanced |
| Zwilling Professional S | 7 | High-carbon stainless steel | 10-slot block | $$$ | Versatile, balanced |
| Mercer Culinary Genesis | 6 | High-carbon stainless steel | Glass and beechwood block | $ | Affordable, durable |
| Miyabi Artisan | 7 | Micro-carbide powder steel | Bamboo block | $$$$ | Razor-sharp, stunning design |
| Shun Classic | 9 | Japanese steel | Wood block | $$$$ | High-quality, versatile |
| HexClad Damascus | 7 | Japanese Damascus steel | Magnetic walnut block | $$$$ | Heirloom quality, stylish |
| Victorinox 8-Piece | 8 | Stainless steel | Wood block | $ | Budget-friendly, practical |
| Global 3-Piece | 3 | Japanese steel | None | $$ | Ultra-sharp, lightweight |
| Viners 4-Piece | 4 | Stainless steel | None | $ | Affordable, non-stick coating |
Buying Guide for Kitchen Knife Sets
Choose a set that will be useful for the way you cook: three to four will usually cover all bases, with larger sets having more specialised knives such as filleting, carving and more. A good starting set may include a chef’s knife ¨C potentially the most versatile knife ¨C or similar, plus a paring knife for fruit and vegetables and a serrated knife for tomatoes, cheese and soft fruits. Some also come with integrated sharpeners, though for those that don’t, you can refer our guide on the best knife sharpeners to buy.
Factors to Consider
- Blade Material: Virtually all high-quality knives are made from high-carbon stainless steel. The carbon makes them easy to sharpen and helps them keep their edge while the stainless prevents discoloration and rusting.
- Handle Comfort: The handles, whether made of wood, resin, or some kind of plastic, should be solidly constructed, without any gaps, damage, or other obvious shortcomings.
- Storage:
Many sets come with a beautiful storage block made of wood, stainless steel, or tempered glass, but you could also elect to store your set on a magnetic holder mounted on the wall, in a cloth knife roll, or sheathed in a special drawer. But no matter what, don’t store them loosely in a utensil drawer.
- Budget: Knife sets vary hugely in price and, at the top end, are expensive, but they are an investment that will last for years with care. And, as our test shows, buying knives on a budget does not always mean they will not perform well.
How to Maintain Your Knife Set
- Never throw unprotected knives into a drawer, where they will dull quickly. Wall-mounted magnetic strips are better and safer.
- Use your knife only on a wood, plastic, or rubber cutting board. Do not, by any means, let your edge hit glass, granite, marble, or ceramics.
- Maintain a sharp cutting edge with a honing rod. This tool doesn’t actually sharpen the blade-its sole purpose is to realign the microscopic teeth on the knife’s edge that get knocked out of alignment during use.
- At a minimum, your knives should be sharpened at least once a year. More, if you use them every day.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the most important knife in a set?
The chef’s knife is the most essential, as it’s versatile for chopping, slicing, and mincing vegetables, fruits, and meats. An 8-inch blade is ideal for most tasks.
Should I choose Japanese or German-style knives?
Japanese-style knives are thinner, lighter, and sharper for precision cuts but are more delicate. German-style knives are heavier, tougher, and better for heavy-duty tasks like cutting through bones or dense vegetables.
How often should I sharpen my knives?
Sharpen your knives at least once a year, or more frequently if used daily. Regular honing with a rod helps maintain the edge between sharpenings.
Do I need a knife block?
A knife block is convenient for counter storage, but magnetic strips or drawer inserts are space-saving alternatives. Avoid loose storage in drawers to prevent blade damage.
Are expensive knife sets worth it?
Expensive sets often offer superior sharpness, durability, and balance, making them a worthwhile investment for frequent cooks. Budget sets can perform well for casual use if maintained properly.
Conclusion
Investing in a quality kitchen knife set can transform your cooking experience, making prep work faster, safer, and more enjoyable. Whether you opt for the premium Wüsthof Classic 7-Piece Slim Knife Block Set or the budget-friendly Viners 4-Piece Knife Set, there’s a set for every home chef in 2023. Consider your cooking habits, budget, and storage preferences when choosing, and maintain your knives with regular honing and sharpening to ensure they last for years. For more kitchen tool recommendations, check out Serious Eats or Food & Wine.