Best kitchen knife sets of 2024, tried and tested

High-quality, super-sharp kitchen knives can make culinary tasks easier and safer. Although most home cooks would fare fine owning basic serrated, chef’s and paring knives, investing in one of the best kitchen knife sets offers a higher level of versatility to meal-making. Many of these sets are housed neatly in a handsome knife block and provide serious joy for real cooking nerds.

But it’s important to invest in the right kitchen knife set for your needs and cooking preferences. And since dull knives are more dangerous than sharp ones, we recommend buying a quality knife sharpener, too.

To help you choose the best, we spent several weeks testing 17 top-rated kitchen knife sets. We loaded our cutting board with fruit, veggies, herbs, bread, meat and cheese and chopped, diced and sliced them all to see which blades performed best. In the end, we found three winners any home chef would find to be … er … a cut above the rest.

First things first: Of the 17 knife sets we tested, this was one of the cheapest. For under $150, you might reasonably expect they’d be lower quality than their more expensive counterparts. But you’d be wrong. We were blown away by the sturdy construction, comfort of use and reliable execution that came with each piece in this all-inclusive set. True, there were sharper, higher-quality knives in several of the other sets we tested but the Chicago Cutlery Fusion 17-Piece Knife Block Set was the clear champion in overall rankings, performance and consideration of cost.

One big plus to this set is its whopping 17 included pieces. Besides the classic — and heavy — chestnut-stained wood block, you get a 7 3/4-inch chef’s knife, 7 3/4-inch serrated bread knife, 7-inch santoku knife, 5-inch santoku knife, 5-inch utility knife, 3 1/4-inch paring knife and eight — yes, eight! — 4 1/2-inch steak knives, plus a sharpening steel and chop assist. The only thing missing is kitchen shears, but you can add a pair like these OXO Good Grips Multipurpose Scissors to your utensil drawer later.

The blades are forged of high-carbon, rust-resistant stainless steel. The padded polyethylene handles are comfortable to grasp and don’t slip, even after being hand-washed. And, yes, tempting as it may be to throw your knives into the dishwasher, these knives, like pretty much all the ones we tested, should be carefully hand-washed to preserve their longevity.

Among the four core knives we tested, the chef’s, paring and utility knives got average points for slicing, dicing and mincing through onions, carrots, tomatoes, apples, herbs and everything else we threw at them. The Chicago Cutlery’s serrated knife is exceptionally sharp and took practically zero effort to drag through a few-days-old loaf of crusty bread and slice uber-thin pieces from a tender tomato or peach but it required some pressure to push through a cantaloupe.

Another bonus: These knives stay sharp. When we did the paper test — in which the ability of the knife to easily slice through a piece of basic printer paper without snagging or catching shows it’s properly sharpened — these knives passed with flying colors.

Also putting Chicago Cutlery over the top were its extras. The steak knives easily sliced through grilled filet mignon, and the two santoku knives were handy for cutting up beef and broccoli for a stir-fry, slicing cheese and scooping everything off the cutting board. Santoku knives are similar to chef’s knives but have thinner and wider blades with no tips and often have small divots on the edges to keep food from sticking to them. They’re great for slicing, chopping and dicing, and thanks to their wide surface, for transferring food from your cutting board to a pan or bowl.

If price point is as important to you as quality, add this knife set to your shopping cart immediately. Again, there are higher-performing individual knives on our list but as a whole, we were impressed by the completeness and overall execution of this wallet-friendly set.

When you’re seeking knives that are super sharp, durable, ergonomic and will last a lifetime, we highly suggest you stop and give this standout set a look. Complete with an 8-inch chef’s knife, 4-inch paring knife, 5 1/2-inch prep knife and 8-inch bread knife, plus shears, a sharpening steel and a 16-slot hardwood bamboo block, it received excellent scores on performance and quality.

This set was made in Germany by Zwilling J.A. Henckels, which was founded in 1731. We appreciated that the company provided a thorough use-and-care guide, including sharpening instructions and safety advice with the knives.

The chef’s knife, which has a wide curved blade, excelled at rocking back and forth for mincing parsley or garlic or slicing onions without lifting the blade off the cutting board between cuts. With its super-sharp edge, it rarely required any pressure to cut through foods and it practically dropped through a head of lettuce. The chef’s knife is typically the most used in a home cook’s block, so the fact that this was the standout piece in the set shows that Zwilling knows what matters most.

At 4 inches, the paring knife was bigger than most of its competitors, and the height of the blade seemed gigantic at nearly twice the width of other paring knives. It was more like a mini chef’s knife even. The chunky blade, while very sharp, made it difficult to core a tomato or hull a strawberry and less than ideal for removing the peel from an apple or a potato. However, it worked better than the smaller paring knives we tested for chopping small items like garlic cloves and shallots. The utility knife, meanwhile, easily sliced cheese and salami. And the serrated knife sailed through angel food cake and a loaf of crusty French bread.

The knives are designed with a sloped bolster to support the “professional pinch grip” — where the thumb and index finger rest on either side of the blade to give you more control over cutting. We found it helped make the knives comfortable when chopping and slicing onions and carrots and mincing parsley.

The factors that ultimately kept this set from being our winning pick are that it includes only four knives for its hefty price, a sharpening steel that we consider extraneous, and a pair of shears that were uncomfortable to use and seemed oddly mismatched with the rest of the set (read: different, lower quality). Still, the quality of the knives and handles makes the investment worth it.

Time and time again, when we picked up a knife from this set, we said, “Ah! This feels perfect in my hand.” Perfectly balanced with razor-sharp blades, each of the knives in this set was our favorite in its category. This German-made, handcrafted set includes the three basic knives every home cook needs: an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 3 1/2-inch paring knife and an 8-inch bread knife. It also includes kitchen shears, a 9-inch honing steel and an 11-slot acacia block that gives you room to add to your collection. Yes, this set is pricey, but it’s worth it if you can afford it and are serious about cooking. With its high quality, it should last forever, but if you have any issues you can call in the lifetime warranty (on workmanship and materials under normal conditions).

The full-tang — meaning the blade is a solid piece of metal from the tip through the handle — and triple-riveted composite handles are made for serious wear and tear yet look sleek. Two bolsters, one between the handle and the blade and another at the end of the handle, are responsible for their impressive balance. The handles fit perfectly in a woman’s hand, but one male tester wished they were a smidge more substantial. Like most sets in our testing pool, the blades are forged from a single piece of tempered, high-carbon stainless steel, making them stain and corrosion-resistant.

The chef’s knife, or “cook’s knife” as Wüsthof calls it, was the heaviest knife we tested, but because it’s so well balanced, it was comfortable to work with, and the heft makes it a wise choice for chopping vegetables, mincing parsley and more. It glided through onions, potatoes and tomatoes, took corn niblets off the cob easily and sliced through a tough rind of pineapple like it was nothing. The paring knife fit comfortably in our hands and is the perfect shape for peeling an apple or a potato. It also easily sliced everything we tested it on like limes, oranges, strawberries, carrots, zucchini, radishes, you name it. The serrated bread knife drew right through baguettes, making us dream of a second career as an apprentice in a French boulangerie.

As for their performance when tested against the same never-been-used blades? We couldn’t suss out any difference in sharpness by touch, how well it chopped up onions, carrots and tomatoes, or from the paper test, which both used and new Wüsthof knives slashed through.

Wüsthof proudly makes these blades in Solingen, Germany — the steel manufacturing capital of the world — where it has been headquartered since its inception 200-plus years ago. The fact that the set includes just three knives and comes with such a high price tag kept it from being our overall winner or runner-up pick. However, if money is no object, we think this elegant set is worth the investment. In our opinion, it’s simply the best knife set you can buy. And that’s not to mention that it will look like a crown jewel on your kitchen counter. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself seeking new things to chop.

We spent several weeks testing these 17 kitchen knife sets, comparing each model by the same criteria, including overall performance, build quality, added accessories and warranty, and taking detailed notes on how specific knives functioned based on everything from sharpness and materials to heft and hand-feel to how they looked and the usefulness of any included extras. We ordered two of each set so that after spending several days slicing and dicing our hearts out, we were able to compare the used knives’ sharpness to their just-out-of-the-box twins.

As avid home cooks, we already spend a significant amount of time in the kitchen but as our dining room table became overtaken by woodblocks filled with knives to test, we quickly found ourselves continually looking for things to chop. Who wants an apple peeled, cored and diced? What can we make with minced garlic and minced onions? Need another slice of crusty bread? But ultimately, a decision had to be made. Here’s how we broke down our evaluation:

Accessories and Warranty

Knife blades are either forged or stamped from steel. Forged blades are hammered out of molten metal, while stamped blades are punched out of a large sheet of steel. In general, forged blades are sturdier, easier to control and hold an edge longer. Between the handle and the blade, they have a bolster, which is a band of metal that strengthens the knife, helps to balance it and protects your hand. Forged knives have a full tang, which means the blade runs through the handle. When you use a forged knife, you can sense that the handle controls the knife. But you will find it heavier to hold, less flexible and more expensive. You may feel a stamped blade is more comfortable to hold and maneuver, especially for tasks like peeling an apple, coring a tomato or working around bones.

Western-style knives are thick and heavy as they originated in Europe, where cooks prepare lots of root vegetables and large cuts of meat. They often have a curved blade to make it easy to rock back and forth when cutting and mincing. Asian knives, which were designed to cut fish and make precise cuts, are lighter and thinner and have blades with less of a smaller angle. While they’re comfortable to work with, they’re more delicate and must be handled carefully. Don’t even think of using one to hack through a butternut squash or the backbone of a chicken.

You’re the one who’s going to be using the knives, so it’s important that they feel comfortable in your hand, especially if you’re going to be chopping and slicing large quantities in one session. Factors like the size of your hand, the type of grip you use, and what food you prepare will affect your preference. When you pick a knife up, it should rest comfortably in your palm or between your fingers if you use a pinch grip. The knife should be balanced, meaning neither the handle nor the blade is heavier than the other.

Pick up the knife and grip it lightly where the blade meets the handle to see if it will seesaw. A balanced knife will remain level in your hand, while an unbalanced one will teeter down on one side, indicating either the handle or the blade is heavier. A well-balanced knife reduces hand fatigue, especially when cutting a mountain of vegetables, and gives good control, which is especially important when you want to cut precisely, let’s say to turn carrots into matchsticks or onions into little cubes.

A storage block that sits on your countertop is handy for keeping your knives accessible as well as protecting their blades from being dulled or nicked in a drawer or accidentally cutting you as you reach for them. However, a block eats up counter space and isn’t always aesthetically pleasing, especially if they’re branded with the manufacturer’s name. Blocks that are designed so that the knife handles point toward you make it easy to grab the one you want but aren’t compact.

Slim blocks that sit at the back of the counter are less obtrusive but make it harder to remove a knife as you have to lift it straight up and may have to move the block forward. If you buy knives without a block, we urge you to buy an in-drawer storage organizer like this bamboo one. Another space-saving option is to install a magnetic strip on the wall. But keep in mind that to remove a knife you either have to lift it straight up or use some force.

We can’t say it enough: Nothing is more important than keeping your knives sharp. The most well-balanced, comfortable to hold, sharpest-out-of-the-box knives are useless once their blades get dull. If you aren’t diligent about sharpening, it doesn’t pay to spend on a knife set. Over time, you’ll feel your knives getting duller. When they no longer easily pierce the skin of a tomato or slice through a sheet of paper, it’s time to resharpen the blades. Depending on how often and how much you use them, you’ll need to sharpen them anywhere from once a month to every year. We recommend you invest in a handheld, or even better, an electric sharpener that holds a blade at a fixed angle as you pull it through the mechanism, and use it regularly. You can’t rely on a butcher’s or honing steel to maintain your blade.

When variety is key to your cooking game but staying on budget is too, you’d be wise to consider picking up the AmazonBasics Premium 18-Piece Kitchen Knife Block Set, a basic but useful set. Besides the fact that you get a whole lot of knives — 8-inch chef’s, 7-inch santoku, 8-inch slicing, 8-inch bread, 5 1/2-inch utility, 6-inch boning, 3 1/2-inch paring and eight steak knives — plus kitchen shears, a sharpener and a rubber-wood storage block, the quality here for the price is respectable. The full-tang stainless steel blades are matched with triple-riveted, ergonomic handles. And while we had to put more elbow grease into our chops than we did with higher-end models, they generally performed well, especially the chef’s knife.

The Calphalon Classic Self-Sharpening Stainless Steel 15-piece Knife Block Set is a solid set of knives. It scored high points for the number of tools it provides, including an 8-inch chef’s knife, an 8-inch bread knife, a 6-inch utility knife, a 7-inch santoku knife, a 3 1/2-inch paring knife, eight steak knives and kitchen shears. We were also impressed by the unique self-sharpening block that features a modern wood finish. Admittedly, we thought the claim that the block’s built-in ceramic sharpeners would work with each use was a gimmick, but we were quickly impressed that the knives did seem to get sharper every time we chopped and sliced.

As far as performance, the all-stainless steel, full-tang knives handled well and felt balanced, though they did feel overly heavy in our hands. We also appreciated that the handles are labeled so you can quickly grab the correct knife.

The knives in the Cuisinart C77SS 15-Piece Stainless Steel Hollow Handle Block Set didn’t perform as well as most models we tested. But if you’re on a budget and moving into your first apartment, we could see how this 15-piece knife set could be appealing. Besides the value price, it features lightweight, dishwasher-safe stainless steel blades that will cover your cutting needs. You get an 8-inch chef’s knife, an 8-inch slicing knife, a 7-inch santoku knife, a 5 1/2-inch serrated utility knife, a 3 1/2-inch paring knife, a 3 1/2-inch bird’s beak paring knife, an 8-inch sharpening steel, household shears and a block to store them all in. Our favorite? No. But they’re decent for newbie cooks.

We must admit when we unboxed this midnight-black set noted by the company for its “menacing design,” we were prepared to be underwhelmed. Our aesthetic biases had us thinking that the knives in the Dalstrong 5-Piece Shadow Black Series Knife Block Set would prove to be more flash than performance, though we know some will dub the highly stylized look as awesome.

Our biases were so wrong. The geometric design of the military-grade G10 handles fit comfortably into our hands, and their slight texture made slippage a nonissue. The full-tang, titanium nitride-coated German steel blades were razor-sharp and excellent at chopping and slicing everything we threw at them. But on a sour note, at its rather hefty price, this set includes just five knives — chef’s, paring, utility, serrated and santoku — plus honing steel. But if your home decor is Kylo Ren meets Jacques Pépin, put these on your wish list immediately.

Forget about those old infomercials that touted Ginsu knives for their prowess at cutting through cans. Although the Ginsu Chikara Series 8-Piece Forged Knife Set With Toffee Block is among the less costly sets we tested, it’s a serious collection of well-balanced forged knives. They’re lighter in weight and their resin handles have a smaller grip than European-style knives, which makes them a good choice for cooks with petite hands who don’t like working with a hefty knife. In addition to chef’s, paring, utility and bread knives, you get a 7-inch santoku to slice meats and veggies for a stir-fry and a serrated utility knife that is great for tomatoes or cheese, as well as a honing rod and a wooden storage block.

The J.A. Henckels International 15-Piece Statement Knife Block Set is a solid, versatile set that landed in the middle of the pack during testing. With 15 pieces — an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 3-inch paring knife, a 5-inch serrated utility knife, a 7-inch santoku knife, an 8-inch bread knife, and six 4 1/2-inch steak knives, in addition to sharpening steel, kitchen shears and a hardwood block — we gave it high marks for all its useful add-ons and accessories. Made of honed stainless steel blades and curved plastic handles with full tang, the chef’s knife was our favorite, though it felt light in the hand.

These Japanese knives have handles and blades shaped like traditional Western knives but are incredibly thin and sharp. When you prep with the knives in the MAC Professional Series 3-Piece Knife Set, they virtually glide through whatever you’re cutting, requiring no pressure to cut cleanly and allowing you to work quickly and precisely. We could cut onions and tomatoes into such thin slices we could see through them and carrots into teeny-tiny dice.

There are dimples on the 8-inch chef’s knife to help prevent friction and keep food from sticking to the blade. What MAC dubs a paring knife has a 5-inch blade that is the standard size of a utility knife. It’s nifty for slicing cheese or salami but too long to pare an apple and too narrow for dicing a shallot. The bread knife is long and curved, and unlike many serrated knives, which saw rather than slice, it glides through foods; it’s the only one we tested that didn’t leave serrations on the flesh of a cantaloupe. Cooks with big budgets looking for precision tools will love working with these MAC knives but will have to spend even more to supplement with a heavy-duty knife and a storage piece.

The Made In 4-Piece The Knife Set With Block is one of several kitchen knife sets we tested sold directly to the customer by companies established to offer high-quality kitchen equipment at a good price by eliminating the “middleman.” Forged in France, the knives in this set are aesthetically pleasing with rounded handles available in red, blue or black polymer or olive wood.

The 8.5-inch chef’s knife has a wide curved blade and sloping bolster, and we could get it rocking back and forth when we minced garlic, sliced onions and cut basil into ribbons. For removing the skin from an apple or segmenting oranges, the 3.8-inch paring knife is perfectly sized. The set also includes a 9-inch bread knife and a 6-inch nakiri, which has a wide rectangular blade for slicing vegetables. The Made In logo engraved on both sides of each blade is attractive and contemporary, but it is prominent. While not cheap, this is a nice-looking and professionally performing assortment of knives.

From the moment we received the box, we were wowed by Material’s Knives + Stand kitchen knife set, which comes in packaging with the same special feeling you get when you open a new iPhone. The 8-inch chef’s knife, “almost” 4-inch paring knife and 6-inch serrated knife impressed us with their sharpness. The rounded matte handles — available in black, white, sage or mocha — provide a secure grip.

Undoubtedly, the standout piece is the chef’s knife, which has a sloped bolster to give you a spot to comfortably place your fingers when using a pinch grip. It glided through paper from the tip to the heel and virtually slid through ripe tomatoes, large onions and tough carrots. We also liked the paring knife, which has a rounded blade, making it good for mincing just a few sprigs of parsley or a single garlic clove. The magnetic stand is compact and attractive, and you can choose between white ash and walnut. This set isn’t inexpensive and doesn’t include any extras like sharpening steel or shears but it’s not as costly as the more well-known brands and is an excellent alternative for cooks looking for a high-quality version of the basics.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder: What one person may deem stunning, another will see as gauche. Take the Mercer Culinary Genesis 6-Piece Forged Knife Block Set With Glass Block. Its unique, vertical tempered glass block had one family member wrinkling his nose with distaste, two teenagers dubbing it “sick” (a good thing) and one who kept waffling between “so cool” and “trying too hard.” But whether or not you like the look of the glass block, no one can argue that these are great knives.

Nice and sharp out of the box, they’re made using high-carbon German steel, a bolster for support and Santoprene handles with full tang, offering fairly even weight distribution. They feel light but worked well on everything we tested them on. With the set, you get five knives: an 8-inch chef’s, an 8-inch bread, a 6-inch boning, a 5-inch utility and a 3 1/2-inch paring, plus that controversial holder. Our final opinion: While we decided the glass block does look pretty cool, giving the illusion that the knives are floating in the air, having to pull the knives straight up vertically to remove them means you always have to move the block out from under your cabinets with each use — not ideal.

While Misen, a direct-to-consumer company, calls these three knives the “essential” set, we could quibble. The Misen 3-Piece Essentials Knife Set includes an 8-inch chef’s knife, an 8-inch serrated knife and a 5 1/2-inch utility knife — but not a paring knife. While it’s a more substantial tool than a paring knife for your money, you can supplement the set with an inexpensive parer.

With riveted handles — your choice of black, red or blue — noticeably sharp blades and a sloped bolster for pinch gripping, this is a well-thought-out and well-constructed trio of tools. The chef’s and utility knives whizzed through a sheet of paper, and we reduced a mound of parsley to confetti in seconds using the chef’s knife. Crusty bread and spongy cake were no problem for the serrated slicer.

There’s no denying it: The knives in the Shun Classic 6-piece Slim Knife Block Set are the sharpest we’ve used. Handcrafted in Seki, Japan, the durable, beautiful and razor-sharp Damascus stainless steel blades had us oohing and aahing at their ability to perfectly slice through anything.

We swooned over how the knives felt in our hands during testing. The pakkawood handles were heavy but the knives remained well-balanced. It also includes a slim dark-wood knife block, which we liked, but the included honing steel and shears felt like afterthought additions. So if you’re looking for pure sharpness and only need three knives, then this would be the knife set to get.

Talk about utilitarian. The knives in the Victorinox Swiss Classic 9-Piece Cutlery Block Set are designed for functionality, not to look beautiful. To give you a good grasp even when your hands are wet or greasy, the polypropylene handles are textured and have recesses for your fingertips. The stamped blades are thin and razor-sharp, and the knives are lightweight so they’re easy to maneuver.

With the chef’s knife, we sliced tomatoes and onions paper-thin and carrots into itty-bitty squares. The paring knife is especially nimble, so we could thinly peel an apple in one continuous spiral and easily release orange segments from its membranes. You get a lot for your money with this set, as it includes an 8-inch chef’s knife, 3 1/4-inch straight and serrated parers, a 4 1/2-inch serrated utility knife, a 6-inch utility knife, a 6-inch boning knife and an 8-inch bread knife, as well as steel, shears and wooden block.

If you know a college student who moved from the dorm to their first apartment, the Vremi 10-Piece Knife Set would make a fine housewarming gift. And as that student may have learned during a leadership course, it’s best to offer some words of praise first. These knives are pretty. They’re BPA-free and come with matching sheaths so they can be easily stored in a drawer, saving precious counter space. They’re also stainless steel and nonstick, and the set includes a chef’s knife, paring knife, carving knife, serrated knife and utility knife. But these knives didn’t feel sharp, forcing us to push hard to cut our way through crusty bread, tomatoes and more. Overall, they get a passing grade but just barely.