I was unimpressed by the Chicago Cutlery Essentials 15-Piece Block Set. I didn't think these would be the BEST quality, but I didn't expect them to be as low of quality as they were. You have special cleaning instructions with these which just make it a hassle. They rust. They aren't that sharp. You can't sharpen most of them. You can't put these in a dish washer. You are supposed to simply wipe them with a rag after use. You can't do that though because they need cleaned due to the fact that most of them are serrated. If you just wipe them down it's not going to clean them at all. So the problem when you decide to wash them with water they rust pretty quickly. You can't get the rust off. The knives aren't very sharp right from the beginning. You can't sharpen them like normal knives because of the serrated edges that's on most of them. Don't waste your money on the Chicago Cutlery Essentials 15-Piece Block Set. They are just a hassle and are very poor quality.

evlmidget

Undisclosed

We registered for this set when we got married in 2006. It has been a great cutlery set for us. I am not extremely picky with my kitchen utensils. I know there are higher quality knife sets out there, but this set has worked wonderfully for us. I use them every day. They wash well in the dishwasher and come with a knife sharpener. I have never had any issues with the knives from Chicago and was pleased with the price. The kitchen scissors have become a little dull and do not seem to sharpen with the knife sharpener (maybe I am doing it wrong), so I have purchased a couple other sets of scissors. We are happy with this set that have lasted us this long and would purchase knives from Chicago again in the future. Comfort The handles are comfortable to use. Performance They get the job done. Durability They have worked well for me for almost seven years. They seem pretty durable! Design The design is simple and easy to use!

jlp617

USA

I received this knife set for the holidays and they are great. They look nice on the counter in the wood block and they cut right though whatever needs to be cut. They come with several knifes of different sizes which is nice. I've been very happy with them and they come with a guarantee for many years of use. I would recommend these, I do not see any reason why you would not. Comfort These are comfortable, not plastic or cheap, more solid and comfortable. Performance These are nice and sharp, they will cut through what ever you need to cut. Durability It comes with a life time guarantee, so I would definitely say they must be durable. Design These look nice on the counter and are practically made.

kctri

Lake Villa, IL

This was a replacement set of knives we purchased for a set we got for a gift but was cheap. This set has lasted us for 5 years (the previous set lasted 2). We don't use the steak knives daily, but we use them enough to need to require sharpening after a while. We use the cutting knives and others on a daily basis. They haven't required much sharpening. They stay very sharp, are easy to use and cut things with. We have purchased a chicago knife sharpener that is very easy to use to sharpen the knives The knives haven't come apart (blade coming out of the handle, happened with our other knife set). These knives are great and you get many different sizes like a pearing knife, bread knife, big meat knife and more. The knife block that these knifes come with is great. The knives sit in it. I like that they have their own place to go rather than a block where you just put the knifes wherever you want.

reviewdad

Pocatello, ID

My kitchen contains a couple knives from each of the top brands.  After trying each out, I decided Chicago Cutlery was by far my favorite, so I went on a search to find the best set for my home. This set is certainly not the highest quality that this brand makes.  This particular set does not have the added metal section between the blade and handle.  It is also more lightweight and thinner than the company's forged knife sets.  Despite these knives being on the lower end of the company's quality list, I personally find them better than many other companies and at a price that is affordable.  Particularly the low-cost sets found at super stores (one set I had purchased actually had the blades fall out of the handles while cutting...) The essentials set comes with enough knives to cover any cook's needs, from cutting meat all the way to slicing bread to cutting delicate fruits to chopping herbs.  The instruction book included also gives proper care tips (such as not putting them in the dishwasher) and instructions on how to sharpen the knives correctly.  It also explains each knife's use and details on why the design for each knife is ideal for its intended use.

KingBrock

Hampton, VA

I received the Chicago Cutlery Essentials 15 pc. set with block for Christmas from my loving husband.  I love to cook and I'm constantly in the kitchen trying or creating new recipes.  I had a hodgepodge of various knives and most of them were not good quality but I made do with a good sharpener for many years.  These knives are not "top" quality but they are good quality especially for the price.  And they do come with a Full Lifetime Guarantee so you can't really go wrong with these knives.  They are extremely sharp as my husband found out the hard way when he was washing dishes.  I personally don't have a use for the storage block because I don't like clutter on my counters. I prefer to store my knives within reach above my work area on magnetic strips.  The only thing I would change about this set is the steak knives.  They are serrated and I would prefer a regular blade that cuts rather than tears the meat.  They are not dish washer safe, per the box and enclosed literature, so that's a bit inconvenient.  One of my steak knives found it's way into my dishwasher by mistake and the black handle is now a little lighter than the others but there is no damage to the blade itself.

Gertrude10

Bartlesville, OK

I thought this would be a good deal, it had a good number of knives and I thought it would be great for a first time knife set. However I was very disappointed. They did not come that sharp so they don't cut very precisely. Also most of them are serrated so it's not like I can just sharpen them with the sharpener they include. Also they are extremely difficult to clean and too sensitive to water. You are supposed to clean them with a rag and then immeaditely dry them and put them back in the block. Well, let me tell you if you allow any water to remain on them it leaves a rust stain that I can't seem to get rid of. Also you can't put them in the dishwasher. It just makes it harder to remember to clean them immeaditely--even if you have just cut an apple and some of the juice still reamins on the blade it can rust. And just to remember to sort them when you run the dishwasher, fortunately I do most of my washing by hand. I just don't like these knives, I had a cheap set that someone gave me without the block that are sharper and easier to clean than chicago cutlery's knives.

DividedHeart

Roanoke, VA