I'm no expert, but I went for this pro set over the normal ones....still couldn't beat the price. The knives are great, just remember not to wash them in the dishwasher or they lose their heat tempering.....hand wash only.

We couldn't help but enjoy this purchase. Amazon slashed the original purchase price by over 75% (Thanks, guys!), reducing the cost to $49.99. My employer had recently given me a $40 gift certificate for my years of service, and since this item qualified for free Super Saver Shipping, that, together with the gift certificate gave us a final price of $9.99! Unreal. Only $9.99 out of pocket. It is undoubtedly one of the best deals we've ever gotten . . . anywhere.

And the fact that this is a high quality item doesn't hurt either. Excellent quality.

I read ALL the previous reviews, and I especially appreciated the comments by the person explaining chrome content, carbon content, and the propensity to stain. I bought the set expecting some staining if I machine washed, so I wasn't surprised when it happened.

Considering cost, this product is a five. Considering function alone, I rate it a 4. I don't find the longer carving knife very useful. And who doesn't already have a ton of steak knives and bread knives that work just fine. The reviewer that said she thought she would cut herself with the steak knives because she was left handed made me laugh. I warned my little left-handed brother anyhow. He laughed too. I really bought the set for the chef's knife, utility knife, and cleaver. I wish the set had a stone sharpener, but I'll get that later. And I still am looking for a better carver.

What you see in the picture and what they describe is not what you get in the box. I sent Amazon an e-mail about this many months ago and recieved only a vague response. It says a few times on the product page that these are FORGED knives leading you to believe that every knife in the set is forged. It grieves my heart to tell you that the six steak knives are cheap, ugly, stinking stamped steel. I consider their quality to be drastically inadequate. The scissors aren't much more impressive than the crappy steak knives. Also included in the set is a rather large meat cleaver which is not mentioned in the ad. This is not a complaint but how did it get in there?
The remaining blades are not bad. They cover almost every cutting, slicing, or chopping job I have come up against and they have held up rather well. If you are not the type of person to base your sense of self worth on the quality of your steak knives and you don't need a reliable pair of scissors than this set is worth considering for the price.

I just bought this set based on conversations with family, friends, sales personnel, and other's reviews. All say Farberware is a quality company with good customer service and quality products. One thing I have noticed about these knives is they require more maintenance than a lesser quality knife.
For those thinking of getting this product, please do your research prior to purchase. Here are some things you should keep in mind when buying kitchen equipment.
1) Blade material: High carbon steel will keep its sharpness, but requires HAND WASHING (no dishwasher for the lazy)
2) Blade design: Things to look for are forged blades, full tang (the blade is actually inside the entire handle) and a bolster (a section of the knife in-between the handle and the actual cutting surface designed to protect the user from injury)
3) Comfort: does the knife fit your hand. Folks with smaller hands may desire a smaller chef's knife 6" vs. 8")
Please remember this products says right on the box HAND WASH
Keeping that in mind, this is a great product for it's price and you will enjoy years of use with it.