Henckels International Eversharp Pro 7-Piece Stainless Steel Knife Set with Block

What's in the Box
8-inch chef's knife, 7-1/2-inch bread knife, 5-1/2-inch utility knife, 7-1/2-inch carving knife, 4-1/2-inch boning knife, 2-1/2-inch paring knife, hardwood block

Product Description
Offering the basics for any kitchen, at a friendly price, this set from Henckels is crafted with serrated blades that never need sharpening. A winning combination of brand name value and economy. This set has been a KitchenEtc Top Seller for 5 years and is also a popular choice for our gift registries.

Because the paring knife can't be sharpened it is unsafe and unpleasant to use normally. The fillet knife is completely useless because it is not sharp; filleting is not a sawing type of cutting action. The chef's knife is too flimsy for the tip to be used effectively; the knife will bend. The knives are unsuitable for chopping or mincing almost anything on a wooden cutting board, because the serrations will grind into the wood and create a wood paste in your food. It is impossible to put a sharp edge on the knives. They can be damaged easily because of the thin stainless steel construction.

Henckels is doing tremendous damage to their reputation by selling these terrible K-Mart grade knives to people who don't know any better. The knives are made in Japan but they are closer to low grade Chinese products. They have nothing in common with Henckels' good and expensive German knives. I would not recommend buying them to impress your friends with your block of Henckels knives; anyone with any knife savvy will see that they are garbage.

These knives are a product for a very specific market: people with not much to spend, who never intend to sharpen or hone their knives, and for that matter who cannot be bothered to care for the knives. For those folks, the knives work about as well as anything else on the market. They are stainless, so they won't rust. All the knives in the set are serrated, so they will work just as well after ten years of use without sharpening. The knives are light weight because of their cheapness, so that could be a plus for some.

Read the Amazon[.com] article "How to Buy: Kitchen Knives". (When you read this article notice that the stainless steel in the Neversharps is not a recommended blade material, and serrated knives are recommended only for specialized purposes.) Then, if you need to keep the cost down, get a set of Sabatier high-carbon or high-carbon stainless knives for half the cost of these ones. If you take care of them they will perform far better than the International Neversharps.


Those darn little serrations...   September 3, 2002
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

These knife set is an excellent starter kit for an upcoming cook. Cost to performance is medium to high. BUT! These knives are hard to clean if food is left on the blades. The micro serrations are hard to pick between and the micro fingers can be bent. Watch out when drying these knives as well. They WILL snag your favorite drying towel in addition to your dish rag or sponge. I usually rinse them in extrememly hot water and let them air dry.


Let's face it folks....   December 21, 2001
 5 out of 7 found this review helpful

I think by now people realize that Henkels makes some of the best knives in the world. I owned the 5 1/2" Eversharp Pro utility knife for several years before I recieved this set as a gift. I used it along side a Farberware set of knives. Needless to say, that utility knife, used everyday, has outlasted that junky Farberware set.

True, for a bare bones set you only need a chef's, paring, and utility knife. But who can't use a boning or bread knife? Plus the wooden block is beautiful and sturdy.

And on the issue of quality/cost... You can spend the same amount of money on a set of Henkel's wannabe's with handles that crack and fall off, blades that dull after touching salami. On the other hand, you can spend 5 times the money on a set of Henkles that are just as great. It's all about the budget.


Rip, hack and saw if you want...   November 14, 2001
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

These aren't knives--they're saws. Not for the serious cook, but okay if you just want to show off the Henkels brand and a chock-full counter-block. (...)

A good cook needs a minimum of only (3 or) 4 knives: chef's, utility, slicing and paring. A good, forged, carbon steel blade with a bit of heft is a delight in the hand, so check them out in a store before ordering.

It is irksome to see a fine old name like Henkels exploiting an inexperienced--but aspiring--market. They (and others) make better knives. Spend your money wisely; don't simply consume marketing tripe.