Top Chef by Master Cutlery 5 Utility Knife

I spent forever researching knife sets and I'm glad I did! These knives are truly top quality. For reference, I'm comparing them to a vintage set of Zwilling J.A. Henckels Friodurs. (These are the good Henckels, made in Germany, with the two-person logo.) They feel cheap in comparison to the Top Chef knives. The Henckels blades are thinner, and you can bend them easily from side to side. The Top Chef blades seem about twice as thick and very sturdy. The integrated handles on the TC knives are smoother and look and feel nicer. They just ooze quality! The Henckels are just a thinner blade with handles tacked onto either side. The TC knives feel good in your hand ergonomically and have a nice heavy weight to them. They are made of X30CR13 steel, which is the German equivalent of 420 steel. The legend on the blades say they are Ice Tempered, like all good knives (the manufacturers dip them in liquid nitrogen after forging to completely strengthen the steel). I should also mention that the scissors are amazing quality. My impression is that most knife sets include a cheap pair of scissors that are not meant to last but just to round out the set. The TC scissors blades are heavy and thick, the handles are smooth and solid and feel good in your hand, they are very sturdy and I think they will last a long time.The only downside, and this is minor and should in no way dissuade you from purchasing these knives, is that the block they come in is rather crowded. Everything fits, but just barely and the scissors touch the steak knife in the row below them, and the sharpener's collar bumps up against the knife you have next to it. I'm planning on purchasing magnetic knife strips for my kitchen counter back splash to display these beautiful knives. That being said, the block is functional and looks like a good quality knife block in your kitchen.On the first test run, I put a slice mark in my desk! I had purchased a sandwich for dinner and they had forgotten to slice it. Perfect opportunity to test my new bread knife, right? It's on wax paper, and I wasn't thinking. Well the bread halves came out more cleanly sliced than any sandwich I've ever had outside a good restaurant, just beautiful. However when I went to throw away the paper I noticed there was a slice through it, and thought - Uh Oh! Sure enough, there is now a small slice line in my desk. D'Oh!This knife set very much exceeded my expectations and I couldn't be more pleased with my purchase. I would give this knife set my highest recommendation. (Note: I purchased these for full price and this is my honest review - I am thrilled with these knives)!

If Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Signature Cutlery ($369.99 Amazon) were to write and perform a rockin' 80's ballad to any of the new and proud owners of the Top Chef Master Cutlery ($110.76 Amazon), it would go something like this:Well I heard it on the streetI heard you mighta found somebody new, yeahWell who is he baby, who is heAnd tell me what he means to you, oh yeahI took it all for grantedBut how was I to knowThat you'd be letting goNow it cuts like a knifeBut it feels so rightYeah, it cuts like a knifeOh, but it feels so right....Bryan Adams - Cuts like a Knife --- Utube it!Lyrics - Cut(s like a TC knife.. get it?) and pasted from some random lyric site.Yep! Top Chef is cutting my poultry, beef, and other stuffs... I am glad I saved myself $$$ and went with the Top Chef Cutlery Block set. As long as you don't allow yourself to get lazy and throw it in the dishwasher to do the scrub-a-dub-dub for you. It will stick with you through the thick and thin of the toughest cuts of meats. =D!!! You can't open a Butcher Shop with these but they are sharp enough to make a day in the life of your kitchen o' so more pleasant! These are sharp little tools. They also have a nice bit of weight to them - feel wise. -- Oh, do not "soak" your knives in water, either. That goes for the shaving (razors) blades. Try to remember to towel (clean towel is always the best kind) your sharp stuff dry. Dry them happy and they will return the favor by staying sharp longer and saving you some extra coinage.I should figure out a way to hide the "Top Chef" logo so guests and family will assume I spent a fortune on my set of sharp sticks. You of course can purchase a much more HQ set of cutlery and it is recommended to do so since a knife can be one of your BFFs in the kitchen as it was to Lorena Bobbitt in her bedroom... Too crude? I apologize if I offended. A thousand apologies! A N Y W A Y S!!! If you can afford all those $$$ signs then do it. But if you're like me and are on a budget and want/need a good set of cutlery to stick it out with you for a decent while, these are a great buy! Just do your research on how to care for your cutlery. You will be surprised at what can dull a good blade. I started off researching on how to care for my cutlery and ended up doing a boat load of research on cutting boards. Certain boards can dull a knife and you don't want to end your research there because for safety reasons you will also want to learn how to care for your cutting boards. Some reviewers may knock off a star or two for reasons as simple as a manufacturing issue or because one just appreciates a much finer line of cutlery. But this set of cutlery will surprise most and it could even go up against some of the better "designer" cutlery if you take the time to read up on some of the cutlery usage and care tips posted out there on the interwebz. Those tips may even help you win a Daily-Double on Jeopardy one day! Okay, maybe a trivia game of some sort is more realistic. I wouldn't be surprised if Top Chef or the Food Network folks come out with a cooking trivia game. That's an idea to bank on... Or you can spew out a few of those tips when you want to feel pretentious in some sort of "foodie wanna-be" way. Spew out a tip randomly to fill one of those long silent awkward moments at a corporate dinner party/function. Make sure you spew it out as awkwardly as that long silent moment felt so you'll think you're the funniest person in the room and won't be able to stop yourself from laughing =S I dunno. I just typed those out of thin air.... Okay, I will stop trying so hard to be funny and witty. It doesn't hurt to try!Bottom line: Pretty epicurious cutlery set for the cost! Take the time to learn, love, and care for it and it will return all that love to you.Thank you to anyone that bothered to take the time to humor me and actually read this review. May your pockets always be overflowing with magic cupcakes that actually knock off the pounds instead of packing them on! One day....ONE DAY!!!! They will exist!

Yes I owned a full set of uber expensive Wusthof Culinar PEteck knives thinking they would be so much better than everything else. Really a brand name means nothing, a good knife will be sharp, stay sharp (longer than cheap knives), and not rust or discolor, and the handle is weighty and tangs 1 piece with the blade (ideally). The Wusthof's really did not stay sharp all that well, and the handles were hollow, but were otherwise Ok, if not boring a little on the style side. These were stolen by friends who obviously were not friends, so in comes a $100 replacement 15 piece Top Chef set, about the price of 1 Wusthof large 7-inch knife.Simply put these are beautiful knives, the handle is weighty and tangs integrated with blade. They are modern looking, solid, and very very sharp. Now will the sharpness last??? probably not and yes I know hand clean only. But this is no different than Wusthof's and the Top Chef's have a better design and feel in the hand, for far less money. I could buy 4 or 5 sets with what we spent on Wusthof's.Buy them you will not be disappointed...

Buena calidad, igual a la foto, entrega rápida.

Good

I didn't know what to expect with this cleaver however any doubts I had prior to it's arrival immediately vanished!Pros:#1) it's very very sharp so be mindful when using.#2) beautifully balanced & comfortable in the hand. I have small hands and I find it easy to use without experiencing hand fatigue.#3) it cuts, slices and chops through meat and bone nearly effortlessly. I use it primarily to cut up semi-frozen chicken thighs (bone in) for cat food.#4) it's unbelievably inexpensive for what you get.Cons:None encountered-yet.Highly recommend.

The size and weight of the cleaver is perfect, I can now easily massacre the chicken in half with little effort compare to my previous puny knife. Tips-don't close your eyes when cutting or you will have fingers for dinner

I have now had this set of knives for 5 years. Occasionally using hand sharpener maybe twice on the most frequently used ones. They are solid and still very sharp, as I do a lot of cooking and meal prep with them I give it a double thumbs up. Great product, thank you.