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Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 8-Piece Knife Block Set

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Brand: Calphalon
Category: Kitchen

List Price: ~~$299.99~~
Buy New: $280.00
You Save: $19.99 (7%)

New (6) from $280.00

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

11 reviews
Sales Rank: 77533

Shipping Weight (lbs): 10.6
Dimensions (in): 16.6 x 10.6 x 7.1

MPN: KNS08V
Model: KNS08V
UPC: 016853026968
EAN: 0016853026968
ASIN: B000AAT6ZK

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Features:

•	8-piece Katana knife set by Calphalon
•	Includes 3-1/2-inch paring knife, 5-inch Santoku, 5-1/2-inch serrated utility, 6-inch utility, 8-inch chef's knife, kitchen shears, bamboo knife block, and diamond steel
•	Crafted from 33 layers of VG Japanese stainless steel; Damascus-style blade
•	Integrated bolster design and ergonomic poly-resin handles
•	Hand washing and prompt drying recommended; lifetime warranty

Accessories:

•	Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 7-Inch Slicer Knife
•	Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 9-Inch Bread Knife
•	Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 5-Inch Santoku Knife
•	Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 7-Inch Nakiri Knife

Similar Items:

•	Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 9-Inch Bread Knife
•	Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 7-Inch Slicer Knife
•	Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 7-Inch Nakiri Knife
•	Calphalon Katana Stainless-Steel 7-Inch Santoku Knife

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Aptly named for a sacred Japanese sword, this essential cutlery set will make you the master of your kitchen. Crafted using a time-honored process, ultra-tough VG-1 Japanese steel is elegantly clad with an impressive 33 layers, providing ultimate sharpness and retention. Lifetime warranty.

Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

An Excellent Set for Home Cooks October 23, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Pros:
These knives are pretty, with a rounded black handle, and a layered damascus-style blade. This means the blade, while relatively smooth, has a wavy-layered look to it. The Amazon picture is accurate to what you will receive in your set. Out of the box, each knife is quite sharp; enough to shear paper, but not hair.

I have smaller hands, and have some trouble wielding the 8" chef's knife, but find that the 5" Santoku is excellent for chopping vegetables. The 6" utility knife is also very useful for thinly slicing meats. I do use a different paring knife (Pampered Chef) as I find the Katana paring knife a little too sharp and rigid for say, lopping the ends off string beans in my hand. We also made the additional purchase of the 9" bread knife to complete the set. The bamboo block is attractive, and the slots are wide and deep enough to put other wide-bladed/long knives in. However, note that if you get the bread knife, that only leaves 3 empty slots (i.e. no dedicated steak knife slots).

Cons:
Two slight cons about this set: (1) The diamond-sharpener looks too coarse to use on these blades, and; (2) The shears in this set are lackluster. While they are relatively heavy-duty, they do not come apart for cleaning, and the handles are a little large and unwieldy. I prefer a smaller-handled set of kitchen shears that come apart for cleaning (when I decide to cut meat instead of slicing it, a la Alton Brown). But in their defense, they do cut cleanly.

Comparisons:
We love our Katanas, and they make ordinary chopping/slicing a much more endurable chore with their sharpness and ease. If you are "stepping up" from an ordinary consumer-grade set, you will definitely feel the difference. For example, I had a $90, 10-piece Kitchenaid set. The Katana Santoku knife is definitely more balanced, and the garlics/onions slide right off the Katana's grooves, whereas sometimes foods would stick on the Kitchenaid. I do find that the Kitchenaid chef's knife is slightly easier to handle, due to the longer curve (better rocking-chopping motion), and the slightly reduced weight, but the Katana is sharper, more rigid, cleaner-cutting, and therefore faster. The Kitchenaid shears were lighter (easier to wield) but flimsier. Unlike the KitchenAid shears, don't expect the Katanas to make a scissor-like snipping noise, they are entirely silent. The Katanas do require slightly care than your run-of-the-mill knife set, but simply wash them shortly after you're done using them and dry them prior to putting them back into the block.

Personal Opinion:
I don't know what "Professional Chefs" think, and I'm just an average cook. Thus, these knives went above and beyond my expectations by reducing my prep time, and adding an attractive focal point to the counter. Granted, they don't come out of the block making a lovely ringing steel noise like our Shun steak knives, but for the foreseeable future on a limited budget, the Katanas are a worthy investment.

Some Miscellaneous Notes:
These knives are made from VG-Japanese steel, but they are manufactured in China. We found this set (1st Quality) at more than 50% off in one of the big box stores, which made it a steal. However, if we had paid full-price, we probably would have done a comparison with a Shun knife set instead.

4 out of 5 stars

Really excellent knives May 14, 2007
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

Given the bargain price for this set, I think the knives are beautiful and super sharp. That shape of the handle was the huge attraction for me. You can't go wrong.

2 out of 5 stars

Nice at first but rusts away very easy April 28, 2006
7 out of 17 found this review helpful

Bought this knife set 3 months ago. It was beautiful with unique patterns on the blade and very sharp. But within few days we noticed it rusts very quickly. We left a knife in the sink in the morning after breakfast, by the time we came home for dinner the knife had several rust spots. We had to use Barkeeper's friend to clean all the rust out. We've tried to clean and dry the knives immediatly after every use - real pain in the #*@ - but once in a while one will be forgotten for couple hours and then rust immediatly forms. Once, when someone else was helping clean up, one went into the dishwasher. It didn't only have rust all over but the blade edge rusted away! Now the knife has jagged edge!!! I guess if I grind down the knife about 1mm I'll have a full edge again but I didn't expect this from top-of-the-line knives. Will not buy this brand of knives anymore.

5 out of 5 stars

Calphalon Knife set March 13, 2006
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

I ordered this set for my wife. Her initial response was why did you spend so much money for a set of knives. They can't be any better than what I already have. Now that she has been using them for several weeks she is hooked. She says they are the sharpest and easiest knives she has ever used. I just hope she doesn't decide to use them on me. Excellent buy.

4 out of 5 stars

excellent February 25, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

I found this knife set to contain the sharpest knives out of the box of any knives that I have ever bought. They hold an edge well and have a good balance. The integrated bolster adds to the controllability of the knives. The only problem with the set is the steel hone. I find it is too course to be used except on the dullest knife. That is the only detractor from the set.

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