• The first thing you need to know about kitchen knives is that you don’t need all that many: arguably, only one, in fact.
  • But if you must have a set, the best ones come with a lifetime warranty, and include knives with blades you can actually sharpen and handles that fit comfortably in your (and most) hands.
  • The Wusthof Classic Ikon 7-Piece has all the knives you need, none you don’t, a honing steel, and a pair of separating shears.
  • Even the best knives will dull over time, and it’s important to keep them sharp for your safety. Check out our guide to the best knife sharpeners.

When it comes to kitchen knives, less is more. As the late Anthony Bourdain said in Kitchen Confidential, “No con foisted on the general public is so atrocious, so wrongheaded, or so widely believed as the one that tells you you need a full set of specialized cutlery in various sizes…Please believe me, here’s all you will ever need in the knife department: ONE good chef’s knife, as large as is comfortable for your hand.”

Now, by his own admission, the guy may not have been a world-class chef, but he certainly spent a lot more time with a knife in his hand than you (I imagine) or (certainly) me. That said, there might be a number of chefs who would argue with him, and we’re here to bring you your best knife set options.

If you’d like to heed Bourdain’s advice and just go with a single chef’s knife, his favorite (starter) blade, according to his documentary “Waste: The Story of Food Waste,” was the Global G-2 Chef’s Knife (I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s on my list). However, if you’re outfitting a kitchen for the first time, are looking for a solid wedding or graduation gift, or just want to avoid the hassle of tracking down individual knives for specific tasks, a set may be the way to go.

A good knife set will cover the essentials (like a chef’s knife and a paring knife), feature well-balanced knives with sharp blades and comfortable handles, and come with a lifetime warranty. Depending on how much you want to spend and how many knives you’d like to keep in your kitchen, we’ve got picks for you below.

Here are the best knife sets:

Prices and links are current as of 8/24/20. We rewrote this guide based on extensive, year-long testing and included a couple of new picks. We also updated info on a pick that was already in place (the Victorinox Four-Piece Fibrox set) based on interviews with professionals and longterm use. James Brains contributed to an earlier version of this guide.

The best knife set overall

Wusthof's Classic Ikon knives are made of high-carbon stain-resistant stainless steel in Germany and come with a lifetime warranty. They also have more than two centuries of research, design, and reputation behind them.

When searching for the best overall knife set, we looked for full-tang construction - meaning the solid piece of metal that constitutes a knife's blade also runs down the handle - as well as decent heft and balance. We also looked for a brand with a lifetime warranty.

Wusthof has been around since (at least) 1814, making some of the most popular chef's knives over the course of seven generations. The Classic Ikon 7-piece Knife Set, which comes with a wood block for countertop storage, has all the right knives, a heavy-duty pair of separating shears, and a honing steel.

The knives - a paring knife, prep knife, chef's knife, and a serrated bread knife - are really all you need in your kitchen. No, it doesn't come with a boning knife, but the utility knife does the trick.

These knives have pretty heavy handles, which make slicing a lot easier, especially with heartier vegetables, and the composite material (POM, or polyoxymethylene) is a delight in the hand.

Truth be told, the chef's knife, paring knife, and bread knife are likely to see a lot more action than the utility knife. But if you have a set of steak knives without a home, this block has room for them, and the top-notch honing steel is also a nice touch. Just remember, that honing steel is there to maintain your edges. Once your knives become dull, you'll need a sharpener.

A limited lifetime warranty means these knives are protected against all manufacturer defects, but as long as you don't, say, try to cut a steel nail with them, you should be alright.

Pros: Exceptionally heavy-duty construction, lifetime warranty (from manufacturer defects)

Cons: It'd be nice if the prep knife could be cast out, and you could save a little money

The best knife set on a budget

Foto: Source: Victorinox

The knives in Victorinox's 4-Piece Knife Set with Fibrox Handles were some of our favorites in testing. They're lightweight, easy to sharpen, and resilient as can be.

When we've spoken with experts - namely Pat LaFrieda - the name Victorinox has come up pretty frequently. These knives are made with good old stainless steel, which means they hold an edge for a very long time, and their proprietary Fibrox handles are enjoyable to use.

Most of us have probably held a Victorinox blade at one point or another, since the company also produces Swiss Army Knives. The brand is known for its full-spectrum serviceability: you'll find them in private homes and commercial kitchens all over the world because they work well, they can take a beating, and they hold up through it all. Price-wise, you also can't do much better than the four knives in Victorinox's Fibrox line.

A four-inch paring knife, a six-inch utility knife, an eight-inch chef's knife, and an eight-inch serrated/bread knife will, as always, take care of all of your necessities and then some. They're also a little easier to sharpen than other stainless steel knives (which is a huge bonus), thanks to their lighter construction.

The only thing we don't like about this set is the paring knife: its upward slope at the tip is just plain odd. Hopefully, the brand fixes this going forward, but you still have two other perfectly good knives for the same job; use those.

And no, this four-piece kit doesn't come with a knife block, but that's probably the last reason you should choose a knife set. If you need a knife block, here are our best recommendations.

You also get a limited lifetime warranty on these knives, which, as with the Wusthof, we doubt you'll need to take advantage of. If you do end up using it, we want to hear all about it.

Pros: 4 perfectly useful knives, easy to sharpen, lifetime warranty, grippy handles

Cons: The paring knife has an odd shape to it that some might find annoying

The best investment knife set

Foto: Source: FN Sharp

With their signature east-meets-west design, F.N. Sharp knives feature Japanese Damascus steel and rounded, riveted epoxy and fiberglass handles, which we find, empirically, to fit most hands best.

For a big step up, our favorite knives - which have been tested by a number of cooks, chefs, and sous chefs who have passed through our kitchen, including one from Tori Shin, a favorite old haunt of Bourdain's - are from F.N. Sharp. The brand stands out for its unique blend of German and Japanese design, as well as its complimentary sharpening (F.N. Sharp gives you three free sessions, then it's on you to pay for the service yourself). In fact, they're not actually sharpenings - basically, the company sends you replacement knives that have been resharpened, which is even better because there's no lag time. Read more about that service in our full review of F.N. Sharp.

A younger brand, F.N. Sharp seemingly came out of thin air, but after a year of testing and consulting, we can't find a knife we, and our friends, like better. We only wish you could buy single knives from the brand - they're currently offered in three- and six-piece sets. The three-piece set - which perfectly suits most peoples' kitchen needs - includes a paring knife, santoku knife, and chef's knife, while the six-piece set also features a bread knife, boning knife, and utility knife in addition to the first three.

Consider how much you cook to decide if they're worth it. I run the kitchen in my domicile, and I also trim fish and prepare sushi almost weekly, so having the best, sharpest knives I can get my hands on is imperative.

Pros: 3 free sharpenings (we recommend spreading them out over 18 months), a great blend of east-meets-west design

Cons: Knives aren't sold individually

What else we considered

Foto: Source: Owen Burke/Business Insider

Chicago Cutlery Insignia2 18-Piece Knife Block Set: The 16 knives that come with the Chicago Cutlery Insignia2 18-Piece Knife Block Set include eight 4.5-inch forged steak knives (non-serrated), an 8-inch slicer, an 8-inch chef's knife, a 7-inch santoku, a 7-inch serrated bread knife, a 5.5-inch utility knife, a 5-inch deboning knife, and 3.5-inch and 3-inch paring knives. The bundle also includes shears, and the 18th piece, the knife block, features a sharpener. In the end, there are probably too many knives in this set, and we think it's better to invest in a few good ones.

Dexter-Russell Knives: You'll find Dexter knives in about as many commercial kitchens as you'll find Victorinox. The only shortcoming with these knives, comparatively, is that we liked the handle of the Victorinox Fibrox better. When it comes to oyster shucking tools, though, Dexter can't be beaten.

Vremi 10-Piece Colorful Knife Set: This a suitable solution for college apartments and dorms. Vremi is playing a little fast and loose when they call this a "10-Piece Knife Set." The truth is half of the "pieces" are sheaths for the five knives: a 3.5-inch orange paring knife, 5-inch yellow utility knife, 8-inch purple carving knife, 8-inch blue serrated bread knife, and 8-inch red chef's knife. All in all, these knives are not as durable or sharp as they could be. They'll do in a very quick pinch, but they won't last too long.

Wusthof Classic 7-piece Slim Knife Block Set: Made in Germany to last a lifetime, this set comes with shears and five knives: an 8-inch chef's knife, 8-inch bread knife, 6-inch Kiritsuke prep knife, 5-inch serrated utility knife, and a 3.5-inch paring knife. There are six different block styles to pick from, including Acacia, Walnut, Black, and Bamboo. Ultimately, we found the Ikon a better option, with a utility knife rather than a serrated prep knife.

Zwilling Pro 7-Piece Knife Set: We liked this set, and it was almost identical to the Wusthof set we ended up recommending, but we weren't a fan of the santoku's curvature, and found the handles a little less agreeable overall. Still, a great set by a great brand.

Zwilling Pro 7-Piece Self-Sharpening Knife Block Set: This set was about the same as the above. Good knives, but again, the shape of the main chef's knife, or santoku (it seems to fall somewhere in between a chef's and a santoku) just didn't make much sense to us, and the self-sharpening feature felt a little hokey, and potentially damaging. Still, Zwilling makes great blades. This set and the above were just a bit of a miss for us.

Check out our other knife-related guides

Foto: Source: John Boos

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