All-Clad Forged German Stainless Steel Kitchen Knife Block Set, 12 piece

These knives are extremely sharp and well made!! I don’t think they’re dishwasher safe, and I definitely wouldn’t let them sit in water, they will get a rusty spot. I did that and I have a rust spot on one of my knifes. So far, I think they’re worth’s the money.

Beautiful set! Very sharp and easy to maintain.

This is a supremely good set of knives. They come out of the box so sharp that both myself and a friend who was visiting cut our fingers on them!

I was able to pick this unit up on sale. Compared to other quality knife sets, this seemed the best deal. Happy with the set thus far. Seems well waited and balanced. Came sharp, well packaged. Seems like a set that will last quite some time.

I like the knives

Please don’t buy this if you’re expecting it to be made in Germany as the name implies. At the extremely high price point I feel like I got screwed. It’s nice but not made in Germany.

While we're all familiar with the various name brands of knives that occupy the high end of the price range, All Clad is a new entrant to cutlery. They're popular for very high quality pans, but this is my first time encountering the brand when knife shopping. I'm pleased to report that the quality lives up to the reputation. The first impression of the box is maybe a little offputting, as the outer packaging is a plain cardboard wrapper emblazoned with the country of origin - a bit unexpected given that All-Clad is famous as an American manufacturer. These knives are definitely a global supply chain product: they were designed by All-Clad in house (so they aren't just a rebrand), but they use German stainless steel, and they were produced in Asia... and their corporate parent is a French company. I'm fine with this, but you might want to unbox the knives from the outer brown packaging to reveal the attractive retail box underneath if you're planning on gifting this set. And gift it you should, because it's exceptional. This set is some of the sharpest and most satisfying knives I've ever used, and my normal knife block is full of Shun, Wusthof and Henckels knives. You get a block, a variety of cooking knives, and four steak knives, plus shears and a honing steel. The block is reasonably attractive, but there's no extra space, which is a bit unfortunate if you want to supplement these with an extra favorite or two. The knives are full tang, and they did not skimp on the metals - the handles are constructed beautifully so you can see clearly that the metal extends throughout the entire length of the knife. There's accordingly quite a bit of heft to these, but not so much that they're difficult to use - I found them quite satisfying to prep with, and carving up a green pepper was easy enough to be a revelation. To be fair, my normal knives are due for a sharpening, but even so these are quite impressive. I think the only piece here I'm not in love with - other than the wood block, which is merely fine - is the shears. They don't seem up to the quality of the rest of the set and feel like an inclusion thrown in just to tick the box for those expecting a full set. They work fine, but I prefer my ordinary 8" Fiskars kitchen shears with a larger and more ergonomic handle. This is an expensive set, so you should be aware that All-Clad also sells many of these knives separately. The steak knives in particular represent a costly inclusion, so if you already have some nice knives, don't mind sourcing your own knife block and if you don't need the steak knives, you can probably pick and choose your favorite pieces and save a few dollars. But if you need to outfit a full kitchen, this is an excellent assortment that should last you decades.

Two things that I tell people starting out on their own is that if you enjoy cooking in any amount, invest in a good set of cookware and a good set of knives early on. That initial investment will last through all of the fads and gimmicks that comes and goes. While ALL-CLAD isn't the first name I think about when I think about high end knives, it is one of the first brands I think of when I think of a lifetime set of cookware. We finally splurged for our first set of ALL-CLAD cookware almost 20 years go and they are all still going strong. For that reason I was willing to take a leap of faith with these ALL-CLAD knives and they really don't disappoint. I own or have owned many different high end knives and this one easily compares to any of the names you already associate with high end knives. These knives incorporate a lot of the same features found in the top of the line Henckles knives. The first thing that you will notice is the weight. Some may think that they are too heavy but after you start using them, you will learn that you need a certain amount of weight to help with cutting and chopping. The extra weight helps you cut straighter and easier. The balance is slightly towards the handle which makes even the large chef knife easy to handle and feels nimble. These knives also feature the sculpted shoulder that allows you to pinch onto the knife blade to really get a comfortable grasp on the blade and affords the most amount of control. While I'm not always a fan of sets, this one really is well suited to someone moving into their first home and wants a fresh start. While there are knives that could be added to make it "more" complete, I dare say you will be able to do almost everything with this set. While some may think this is a lot of money to spend on knives, this set really should last your lifetime so carry out that $500 price tag over a conservative 30 years and the price makes a lot more sense. Buy a good set once or buy lots of mediocre sets many times over the next few decades; the difference will be in the experience of using them which this one will be a joy every time.