If you're serious about cooking good knives are probably the most important utensil. These knives are great. They cut through everything superbly. You have to be careful in handling them, though. I had a friend over who put one of them in a stack of other silverware where it got jostled around and the blade wasn't protected and the edge was noticeably dulled. It was easily sharpened with a few times through a standard knife sharpener (like any good blade) but you should take care to keep the knives in a block and not let the blade have too much contact with other metal. And of course use a wood or soft plastic cutting board.

The balance in the handle is excellent. It is really easy to use these knives because they do not put much strain on the wrist. The handles grip well. The knives clean easily. The only problem is that it will be hard for other knives to ever satisfy you after you've used these.

My biggest complaint was with the company which sells them through Amazon.com. Macy's shipped the order with a knife missing and over a month later I still do not have the knife from Macy's. Macy's has handled the problem incompetently, promising repeatedly to ship the knife "soon" and failing to do so. I may yet return the knives for that reason.

...the tang and handle ARE one piece, in all Wüsthof knives. They are also in a completely different category than Henckel, and the two no longer directly compete as Henckel has chosen to lean more towards quantity production rather than quality. This is not to say Henckel knives aren't good, but they aren't in the same class as Wüsthof.

There are really two main competitors in the high-end mainstream kitchen knife market: Henckels and Wusthof. Those who have used both usually have a preference. My preference (and therefore bias you should know about) is for the Wusthofs.

The Wusthof Culinar line is an all stainless steel look, rather than a black handle. Although the picture and some descriptions want you to think this is a single piece knife, be advised that the hand is a separate piece of stainless steel molded onto the tang. I personally prefer the handle of the Grand Prix and Classic, because the grip is surer for me, but this is, to some extent, a matter of personal preference. This series "looks" more professional to some (like a Viking stove).

This set includes an 8 inch chef's knife, a 3 ½ inch paring knife, a 6 inch sandwich knife, 8 inch bread, a 5 inch salami, a 2 ¾ inch trimming knife, a sharpening steel, and an oak block

The 8 inch chef's knife is a great knife. Wusthof offers four sizes of chef's knives in the Classic version, 5, 6, 8 and 10 inch. For most home cooks, I think the 8 inch knife is the best choice. The 6 inch is a bit small for bigger jobs, but the 10 inch is too big for most jobs. While the 8 inch isn't perfect for all uses, if you are only buying one size chef's knife (and most people only buy one), this is the one I would recommend.

As for the 3 ½ inch paring knife, this knife falls into the category of overkill for me. Most cooks will get by just fine with the 4 ½ inch utility knife. There is really no notable difference in size for the vast majority of applications between the 3 ½ inch paring knife and the 4 ½ inch utility knife. I prefer the 4 ½ inch utility knife, but the 3 ½ inch paring knife will do the trick.

I have found very few uses for the 6 inch sandwich or 5 inch salami knives. I prefer the larger size of the chef's knife or the smaller 4 ½ inch utility knife. These knives are just the wrong width and length for most tasks, and falls into the overkill department, except when part of a set.

The 3 ¾ inch trimming knife, however, is a good length for small tasks, like trimming fat from cuts of meat.

The bread knife, is a great knife. Many people think tomatoes are the hardest food items to clearly cut. I think bread is much more difficult; but this knife makes the task seem easy. However, I prefer the 9 inch knife over the 8 inch included in this set.

When it comes to sharpening steels, I have found very little difference between Henckels and Wusthof. As long as you buy a high end steel, you really won't go wrong. Therefore, I shop for this item on price, and Henckels has a price advantage. However as the steel comes with the set, you won't go wrong with this steel.

This set is a good deal as far as price. However, keep in mind you really only get 7 knives. Adding the set of steak knives (which I consider a luxury, and not a necessity), will fill the remainder of the block.

A knife is meant to last you for life and what better than to have the best!

This is probably the only knife I know that's made of single piece construction! That means there's no shortcuts to making this knife, no ways in cheaping out to create this knife.

Made of pure 18/10 stainless steel and by one of the world's reputable German Knife Company you can't go wrong.