Customer Reviews

Farberware Pro Forged 8-Piece Knife Block Set

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

These knives were rated by Consumer Reports as being a best buy. I used their recommendation when I made my decision to purchase them. The knives arrived and I am quite pleased with them. They are very study, have a fairly good grip, possibly a little heavy for me, but my husband thinks they are just fine. The blades seem to hold their edge well, and are quite an improvement to our old knives. This is the first time I actually own a matching set of knives and they look quite tidy, safely stored in the block. I would recommend these knives as they are priced reasonably and seem to do their job well.

I collect kitchen knives. I give away extras as presents and keep my favorites. I bought this set because it was the cheapest list price forged set available and I was curious about the quality.

The balance is very good for the price. Better than Calphylon knives, but not close to the feel of a top of the line French/German/Japanese knives. This is particularly noticeable in the paring knife and utility knife. These knives are NOT heavy for forged knives. They are heavy compared to the stamped knives common in most kitchens, but are of average weight for forged knives.

The knives all have a number of detailing errors where the handles mold to the knife and bolster and a few minor errors in the stainless. And, they don't hold an edge quite as long as top of the line European/Japanese knives (or Calpylon)

The bread knife is just great and is the best knife in the set. It's as good a bread knife as you'd get in a top of the line German set. It's worth the price of the set. The 8" slicer is very good too. The 8" Chef is good but the width is more typical of an 8" stamped Cook's knife.

The scissors are very good. Better than the scissors you'd get with MUCH more expensive sets. I replaced a pair of Henkels scissors in one of my blocks with these scissors. And you can take them apart to sharpen.

The block is cheap (and that makes sense since this whole set is cheaper than a single good knife typically costs) and the steel is substandard but better than the steel you'd get with a cheap stamped set. The steel handle looks exactly like the Henkels "traditional/non diamond" steel with the same attractive chrome detailing but the steel portion is far lower quality than a German steel. IOW, it looks better than it sharpens but is still a pretty good steel.

In the end I liked these knives but I still gave most of them away (and the block and steel) to relatives who cook and needed decent knives. I kept the bread knife and the scissors.

If you have to pay list, this is a very good choice for value. However, I recommend looking at the Amazon "Friday Sale" and using Internet Shopping engines to find better European forged sets at deep discounts (they are out there if you are patient and have the time look). You'll probably have to spend between 1OO and 15O dollrs but the knives will be much nicer. If you dont' want to spend that cash this is among the best low cost options and far better than pressed knives including the pressed knives sold by Wustof, Sabatier and Henkels but made cheaply in China which sell in the same price range as this set.

If you have unlimited cash, buy the Wustof Classic Mega Set for 1.5K or so and be done with it! Dick, Henkels Global and Sabatier make excellent forged knives too.

I bought this set for my wife, and she loves the quality of these knives (so do I). They are very sharp and sturdy. The only weakness is that they rust easily. This is the only reason we didn't rate it 5 stars. The rust is easy to remove, but you have to stay on top of it.

I must admit that part of my disappointment is probably my own fault. Seeing a set of forged knives for $30...? I should have known something was wrong. And it turns out I would have been right.

As was previously noted, many of the blades came with slight imperfections and needed sharpening right out of the box. But having only spent $30 I wasn't too upset about that. After using them that first night, I hand washed them and put them back in their rather nice looking block. The next day as I went to prepare dinner I took out the knives to find rust and, unbelievably, minor pitting. This is only after a day, mind you. Long story short, these knives are dull, will take an edge but won't hold it for more than a couple of days, rust easily, and seem to be made, not just from Chinese steel, but incredibly BAD Chinese steel. That said, the shears are quite good as is the bread knife. But the rest of the knives? I'm junking them as soon as I can. My advice? If you need a bread knife and a pretty looking block, by all means get this. But if you're looking for a durable starter set go elsewhere.

I thought this would be quite a score, and I guess if you just "want some knives" it is, but I was really disappointed when they arrived. They weren't sharp AT ALL. This may sound masochistic, but I ran my finger along the blades and couldn't have cut myself if I tried. To be honest, I never even used them. I was so disappointed I just sent them back immediately. If you are just looking for a bunch of knives that can cut perform some basic functions then you are getting a deal. But if you are looking for some kind of quality or looking for an investment, look elsewhere. I am.

Some dots appeared on the chef's knife after first use. These are not rusty dots but can't be rinsed off. The shears are my favorite, though. Storage block is of cheap quality. But what can be expected for under 25 bucks:-|

I bought this set after reading the reviews in consumer reports and have not been disappointed.
It is the first decent set I've owned so I can't compare to the more expensive brands, but for everyday use, they are everything I need.
I did have to sharpen them out of the box, now I hand wash, dry and hone with every use.
They cut and chop well, look great and I have not had any rust spots at all.
They are more than I expected for $30. Great bargain!!!

These knives are much better than I had expected -- they are stainless steel, and I haven't had any trouble with them staining or rusting like some of the other reviewers mentioned. I thnink that reviewer was probably mistaken -- it sounds like he has high-carbon steel knives. I love the shape and feel of the handle on these knives, and the presentation is excellent -- very classy, the block is well-made. I would have been happy if I had paid $100 for this set.

Workmanship was much better than expected. Well balanced Knives they were all well packed and sharp right out of the box. I clean and wipe these knives immediately after use so I have not seen any evidence of staining. They are a pleasure to work with. Balance and grip are also excellent. I could see people paying easily the whole amount just on the Chef's knife. They are definitely a great buy at under $30. If you need a set of cooking knives and are willing to accept Chinese manufacture, then this set is a great deal. I wish they had included a Santoku knife. The set would have been perfect. I wound up buying one separately for about $9.
I have read a few reports here about bad sets of knives in both the Classic and Pro series. All I can say is that my set was a good one. Also, every individual factory sealed Pro series knife that I examined in local stores has likewise been excellent. However, I did come across sets of Faberware Pro knives at one large local discount house that were clearly inferior in every way (grinding, fit and finish) - and their super low price was all they were worth if that. These knives were awful! And if I had had received such a set, there is no way I would be giving five stars. All I can figure is that Faberware must have had a couple of factories making these knives or a bad run.

This was my 1st set if knives, and I didn't want some cheep stuff nor did I want 0ber expensive stuff either. These are a great value for the money.