Having the best set of kitchen knives is essential for anyone who loves to cook, or for, you know, anyone who doesn’t want to end up cursing in frustration as they try to saw through their kitchen prep with an old butter knife. So, whether you’re a true gourmet chef or just a dude who needs a good set of starter kitchen knives to see him through bachelorhood, we’ve got you covered with these best sets of kitchen knives on the market today.
J.A. Henckel’s International Forged Premio 19-Piece Knife Set
Most kitchen knives fall into either two categories: you get a lot of them for not a lot of money, but you risk quality, or you get only a few really quality kitchen knives for a few hundred dollars. This set is a terrific mix of the two, as you get a full 19-piece set for a low price. That means you buy these and that’s it. You have quality knives and you won’t have to go chasing your set down piece by piece which can get absurdly expensive. It’s not a starter set, and it’s not a super-expensive chef’s set either. What it is, is a terrific kitchen knife set that will last you forever. And to back it up, they come with a lifetime warranty.
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Cuisinart Triple Rivet Collection
Not every quality kitchen knife set needs to set you back triple figures. This 15-piece set from Cuisinart is probably your best bet if you don’t want to spend that kind of money. This is even listed as an “expert’s choice” in kitchen knives by Amazon, which makes sense since you get high-carbon stainless steel blades that both get the job done for you and are built to last. Perhaps the best bargain on this list.
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Chicago Cutlery Insignia2 18-Piece Knife Block Set
This 18-piece set is an excellent mid-range choice, providing a lot of quality knives at a reasonably affordable price. This means that they work as both an awesome starter set or as an augmentation of your existing set of quality knives. The steak knives aren’t serrated, which is actually a nice feature for people who like the feel of cutting with traditional blades.
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TUO Cutlery Knife Set
This 8-piece knife set kicks it up a notch. Made from German stainless steel, at least one group of experts named them the world’s best kitchen knives. Yeah, that’ll work. It’s not a full set with steak knives and everything, but if you want true quality, you have to start somewhere.
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Vremi 10-Piece Colorful Knife Set
This is just a 5-knife set, but it’s a fun set, as each knife is a different bright color, which makes them perfect for anyone who wants a little personality in their kitchen. Each knife comes with its own sheath, and it is by far the most affordable set of good kitchen knives available. To set your mind at ease, Amazon’s experts also recommend this set.
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AmazonBasics Premium 18-Piece Knife Set
Look, you know what you’re getting here. It’s right in the name. This is a basic starter set, made from stainless steel with not a lot of frills. But it also comes backed by Amazon itself, which means that you’re not exactly taking a gamble here. It’s just a solid set of kitchen knives for a good price backed by the largest company in the world.
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Calphalon Classic 15-Piece Knife Block Set
The entire knife, handle and all, is made from high-carbon stainless steel. That means they look sleeker and more modern than most kitchen knife sets, making them a great complement to your upscale kitchen. Even better, the block features built in ceramic sharpeners, so every time you put one of your knives away it “self-sharpens”, meaning this set will work like new for as long as you have it.
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Mercer Culinary Genesis 6-Piece Forged Knife Block Set
Mercer makes terrific kitchen knives, and this 6-piece set is a great way to get going in Mercer style without having to take out a second mortgage. The non-slip grips are a godsend for anyone who’s used to cooking with, you know, liquids of any kind, and the German steel is built to last. And the tempered glass block is a kickass feature for anyone who values a more modern look.
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Cosmos Kitchen Knife Set
These would just be cool to have. Sometimes, it’s that simple. They’re different, they’re cool looking, and they’re just quality enough to be a genuinely good set of kitchen knives. That last detail is, uh, kind of important. Combine it all – along with a very affordable price – and you have a set you’d have to be an old bore to pass up.
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Victorinox 4-Piece Knife Set
Our old friend Victorinox, makers of the famed Swiss Army Knife, make an appearance with this 4-piece set. You know you’re getting something high-quality with Victorinox, and whether it’s a Swiss Army Knife or, uh, a Swiss Kitchen Knife, you can’t go wrong here. These knives are even ice-tempered, which is a fancy way of saying that they’ll stay sharp for a long, long time.
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Home Hero Stainless Steel Knife Set
Look, you may just be starting out in life and don’t have a lot of money to spend on something like kitchen knives. But you still need a great starter set that will do the job for you. That’s where this set comes in. It’s probably the most affordable set for the amount of knives that you get – 13 in all – and it’s still a fairly quality set, made from stainless steel and with a sharpener included so you won’t have to worry about them dulling over time.
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Cangshan V2 Series German Steel Forged Knife Block Set
This 22-piece set is a monster, featuring hard German steel. They also come with an extra-fine diamond coated honing steel. Yeah, these knives are serious business. But if you don’t want to shell out this much money or need these many knives, Cangshan has several packages available, all the way down to a more affordable – but still the same quality – 5-piece set. Tailor it to your needs.
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Wusthof Classic 7-Piece Slim Knife Block Set
Wusthof is probably the best of the best when it comes to kitchen knives. Made in Solingen, Germany, Wusthof goes to ridiculous lengths – including computer-controlled honing – to ensure that each blade is state of the art. This means that they’re also amongst the most expensive blades out there, but you get what you pay for. And if you pay for this kitchen knife set, you’ll never need another.
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Wusthof Classic Chef’s 2-Piece Starter Knife Set
Like I said, Wusthof’s knives are the best, but also the most expensive, so I wanted to give you a chance to still get started even if you don’t want to invest in the whole shebang right away. This killer 2-piece chef knife starter set will get you going, even if it’s just to supplement your existing knife set. You might not need a monster knife for every job. Hell, you might not even use every knife in a full knife set. But you still deserve to have the best of the best for those jobs you do need them for.
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Zelite Infinity 8-Inch Chef’s Knife
There comes a point where if you really want to go big baller in the kitchen, you need to build your own set, killer piece by killer piece. Start with this professional chef’s knife, which costs as much by itself as most quality knife sets. Of course, that means you’re getting a knife that’s better than the best, featuring premium Japanese steel. Yes, it’s a goddamn samurai chef’s knife. 67-layer stainless steel makes this blade impossibly strong, not to mention impossibly cool. And it’s tempered with liquid nitrogen, which means it should stay sharp pretty much forever. This knife is just ridiculous. And I mean that in the best possible way.
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The BroBible team writes about gear that we think you want. Occasionally, we write about items that are a part of one of our affiliate partnerships and we will get a percentage of the revenue from sales.