I purchased this set of knives and really feel it was money well spent. The forged steel blades hold an edge much longer than stainless steel blades. I initially washed in the dishwasher and experienced the rusty staining mentioned in other reviews. Although it wiped off easily, I now prefer to hand wash, rinse in very hot water and dry in the rack. This works well and I haven't had to hand dry using this method. The other problem mentioned in other reviews is the lack of space (slots) in the block. I solved this by ditching the block and purchasing a "Kapoosh" block. It costs about $29.99 and is the perfect solution for me. You can configure it to accommodate all the knives in this collection plus I purchased 5 or 6 additional knives (including a santoku) and can keep them easily organized with room to spare. The only item I left out of the block was the steel sharpener which I keep in a nearby drawer. Hope this suggestion helps.

I was able to purchase these knives for $92 - what a deal. They are very sharp and easy to keep that way with the sharpening steel. It was also nice to find a set with a bread knife. The down sides of not enough slots for all the steak knives and the scissors not coming apart for cleaning were not enough to keep me from giving this product 5 stars.

This set has a few flaws, but is still the best value in this price range. I spent a LOT of time researching a knife set to replace our cheap set. First, having nice knives makes a HUGE difference. I was amazed at how much easier it made my kitchen prep work. As far as these knives go, they are very solid, amazingly sharp, and really hold an edge. They do require a bit more TLC than the cheap knives. Stainless steel is nice, but the chromium alloy produces a softer steel (at least, that is what I've heard), so true stainless knives aren't as sharp and can't hold an edge as well as high-carbon steel knives. But, hand washing and drying is a small price to pay for such sharp knives.
A couple of minor drawbacks that cost this set its 5th star. First, the block is merely "OK", the slots are a bit too close to each other, and there isn't any room for the included steak knives, which go in the drawer or require a separate block. Also, I found the paring knife to be too long for my needs. Luckily I was able to pick up a 3 1/2" matching open-stock paring knife.
Apart from these minor issues, I highly recommend this knife set. You would need to spend significantly more money to get a better set of knives. And, if you're currently muddling through with a cheap set of knives, trust me when I say it is worth the upgrade.

I bought this knife set in 2003. I was so impressed with them that I gave a set to my parents for Christmas and to my brother and sister-in-law as a wedding gift. I agree with most that the steak knives are not "up to par" but the rest of the set is superb! Well worth the investment.

I have had these knives for 2 weeks now. They are a truly impressive set of knives. They remind me of my grandmothers 3 Wusthof knives that we could never touch. They are well made and balanced. The most impressive thing is they are made with the care you'd expect from the finest German or Japanese knive makers. I will also agree these knives are SHARP and hold there edge impressively. The sharpening steel is also very well made, it's been the only thing that has restored the edge on my Henckels Santoku. The only thing that would have made it perfect is 3 more slots on the knife block. This set is well worth $300, it's a great buy.