After having spent hundreds of dollars on Global and Shun knives, I thought why not save a little money and get these nice Bodum knives to use once in awhile? After all, I've never been disappointed with Bodum's cups and coffee presses. And actually, I didn't even know Bodum made knives...and for good reason. They're terrible. The knives arrived covered in dusty grease, and even after washing, still looked dirty. The blades are so thick and heavy, they are more suitable for medieval sword fighting than slicing vegetables. Plus they were dull, even after sharpening. And, like a previous reviewer, I also had something rattling inside the hollow handle. Yuck.