Customer Reviews

Victorinox 7-Piece Knife Block Set

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Four knives plus a sharpening steel, plus a pair of kitchen scissors, plus a wood block holder equals seven pieces.

It is good you can actually see the set here on Amazon as the box it comes in is a little misleading because there is a knife in every slot in the photo. Part of consistent quality cooking is good equipment and these knives are excellent tools. They are extraordinarily sharp and the handles are durable and comfortable are easy to keep clean and sanitary. One other note - the paring knife does not bear the Victorinox markings. The pair of kitchen shears, as I recall from the box, are made in Italy and do not bear the Victorinox markings, either -- so they are not exactly like other shears or scissors from the company. They are still solid, sharp, and useful, though. I am not really sure why you would want a 5 inch and a 8 inch chef's knife as they are not that different in size.

From what I can tell, the set consists of the following:
Victorinox 3-1/4-Inch Paring Knife(but it doesn't have the markings)
Victorinox 125th Anniversary Limited Edition 4-1/2-Inch Tomato/Bagel Knife(without the 125th anniversary stuff)
Victorinox 5-Inch Mini-Chef's Knife with Fibrox Handle
Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife
Kitchen Shear, 3 in., Black Nylon Handle
Victorinox Cutlery 9-Inch Round Sharpening Steel, Black Plastic Handle
And the block

Still, a good set for the price at this time ($110.00 US) and it would make a good gift or starter set for a household that does not have a good set of knives.

I have never had a set of "good" knives before this. Over time I accumulated mostly knives that weren't very sharp to start with, and/or didn't keep their sharpness for any time, but have two that have been quite nice.
This set in its block is attractive on my counter. There were three slots in the block that were still available, so the two respectable knives I already own are stored there now.
These are awesomely sharp. I use them for everything; there are sizes for every use. Although the handles are a black plastic (resin, I think?) they still have a very nice heft and feel to them. The shape and texture of the handles is good for a secure and comfortable grip. Only the second-smallest knife has a serrated edge. I might have liked to have a bigger serrated knife to use for bread, but I can add one of those later. I have yet to need the sharpening tool after two months of regularly using the knives.
I am hand-washing these as recommended, although I am typically the type to toss things in the dishwasher and just hope they'll come out okay. I want to keep these as nice and new-looking as possible since they are on display in my kitchen, and I intend to use them for a loooong time to come! My next task will be to go through the drawer with all my old knives and start tossing...

I'm uploading some pictures so you can see the quality control issues I am mentioning in this review.

This was part of the Vine program, so I did not pay for these knives, but if I had paid for them, they would be on their way back right now. The commonly accepted wisdom when buying knives is that you get what you pay for and this set seems to confirm that.

Right out of the box, the knife block itself was in extremely poor shape. Note the photos that show the logo was not completely colored in...I suspect this is supposed to look like a "wood burned" logo, but is instead cheaply printed on with ink. In this case, the stamping is incomplete. Also note the scratches on the block around the base.

The knives themselves are obviously cheap and do not handle well. Blades cut okay for now, but this won't last and I don't think they will sharpen well. Brand new, they should be great, and they are not. I am never sure what is preferable in knives...lightweight or heavyweight (I've heard people refer to both as desirable), but I'll just tell you that these are super light. I also uploaded a picture that shows that the difference in material between the larger knives and the two smaller ones. The smaller knives are really like the paring/slicing knives you might buy at any grocery store in their little kitchen utensils section (my grocery store has one anyway)...basic plastic handles.

The handles on the bigger knives are slightly different...might also be plastic, but they are not as shiny. Very, very lightweight as well. Not sure if this matters, just trying to mention it.

The scissors are very stiff and cheap feeling. I might try to loosen them a bit but since the hinge is covered with metal button this might not work.

Incidentally, the picture of the knife on the product page...the one that has a Santoku look with the little sort of cutouts on the side? It's not included in this set at all.

UPDATE: 11/25/10
I seem to have upset some people with my review and I am sorry about that. I thought I'd post an update. First of all, I don't think it is unreasonable to think that brand new items look brand new, so the business with the knife block still is troublesome. Nor do I think it is unreasonable to mention that the picture that was given in the ad copy does not match the items that are in the box.

Regarding the blades themselves, they are wearing about like any other mid-range knives I have ever had, not extraordinary in any way. I have added 2 more stars to my review for a total of 3 stars, which probably more accurately reflects my experience with these knives than the one star I originally gave it, which was, admittedly based on a first impression. They still seem awfully lightweight to me, to the point that they feel unstable or cheap. The scissors are just okay, still kind of stiff. Probably my favorite knife in the set is the smallest one, the paring knife. That feels good in my hand and cuts very nicely. The larger ones tend to feel as though they might break or bend on bigger jobs.

One commenter called my original review a "travesty" which seems a bit harsh, but I am only expressing opinions after all. I'm sure other folks might have had a different experience with this set and found it completely acceptable. For me, I just know I would be disappointed had I paid full price for the set.

This is a beautiful knife set. Right out of the box I was amazed at the quality of the butcher block alone. It is quite heavy, well built with beautiful wood from and hand carved in Malaysia. The Kitchen Shear, made in France, is quite easy to grip with a very clean slice. I used it to cut heavy string and paper for checking its quality. The Sharpening Steel, made in Sheffield, England is of good quality as well. Decent length with typical sharpening steel design. The 8" Chef Kife, made in Switzerland is AMAZING! I used it to trim fat off of many round roasts that I was cutting into steaks for a Memorial Day weekend picnic. The ease of this knife was incredible. I don't particularly like the plastic grip on any of these knives, but they are typical of most knives. I just have one knife that is a softer grip with grooves that is much better, but that is my only minor complaint with this set. The set also comes with a 3 1/4" Paring Knife, 4 1/2" Tomato/Bagel Knife and a 5" Mini Che's /Utility Knife all manufactured in Switzerland. Each knife works as well as the Chef's Knife and they absolutely made my prep much easier for my picnic. The small paring knife is perfect for cutting anything from cheese to beets! There are 3 extra spaces in the block for other knives, but honestly, other than the great bread knife I described above, I can't think of any other knife that I would need in this set. I am very happy with this set and I can imagine I will be for quite a long time. Please hand wash these or any other knife you have as sometimes the dishwasher will stain the steel of the blade.

Prior to ordering this product, I actually didn't have a woodblock knife storage unit in my kitchen. I just kept my knives in a drawer next to the fridge. So I always knew there was something missing there, between the toaster and the stove, a kitchen simply isn't complete without one of these babies ornamenting the countertop. It says to the curious visitor: "Yes, I can do things in the kitchen apart from nuking Hot Pockets and heating up Beefaroni." It exudes elegance and class, it's a masterpiece of form and functionality, and it holds knives too.

I was quite pleased to note that this set proudly meets the expectations that it's slightly steep price induces. It's a great starter set of knives, beginning with the ubiquitous eight inch butcher knife. Actually it's called a "Chef's" knife here, which is probably more politically correct, not to mention more accurate. If you're doing any 'butchering' in your kitchen, please don't invite me to dinner.

There's also a five inch junior chef's knife included, as well as a four and a half inch tomato knife and a paring knife that's slightly over three inches long. The sharpening steel is a nice addition, combine this with a formidable pair of scissors and you have quite a product on your hands. All are quite sturdy and quality made products.

This seven-piece set includes:

1) 3 1/4" paring knife
2) 4 1/2" tomato/bagel knife (okay, it's really a serrated butter knife)
3) 5" mini-chef's / utility knife
4) 8" chef's knife
5) Sharpening Steel
6) Kitchen Shear (fancy title for scissors)
7) Great quality woodblock to store them all, with three extra slots for any knives you may already own

Since this baby has been sitting on my counter, all manner of visitors to my home have been struck by the presence this beast makes in the kitchen. The sharpening steel has a hook at the butt of the handle, which I used to hang it over the stove. Highly recommended.

Now where are those Hot Pockets. . .

These knives are an outstanding value for the money. I'm not a chef by any means, but I am a dedicated home cook who wants good tools that are satisfying to use. The knives in this set are exactly that, and at a bargain price.

I agree that this is not the best looking set of knives you'll ever own; calling their design "basic" is almost generous. Whether or not you will ultimately like the fit and feel of the handles is a purely personal decision. One of the best pieces of advice someone who is a professional chef ever gave me about choosing knives was to try them out. Everyone's hands are different, everyone's preferences for how knives feel in their hands are different.

As to whether I would give this set as a gift, it would depend entirely on what I was trying to accomplish with the gift. If I wanted to give something that looked high-end and showy, maybe not. If I wanted to give someone a set of very functional, very effective, very well handling knives, you bet I would.

I was reluctant to purchase this knife set because I did not think I would use many of the knives included. I already own a small paring set of the same brand which I use non-stop! Since purchasing this set, I've actually found I use most of the pieces and it has empty slots for my other paring set I bought separately. These knives are lightweight (which I love) yet not flimsy and very sharp. Only disappointed that none of the sets include the Santoku knife. Will have to purchase that separately.

... and this is one of them. I had purchased a Victorinox chef's knife several years ago after a recommendation by my son, so I didn't hesitate to order this set when I became aware of it. In addition to the knives themselves, I'm also impressed by the block - plenty of room for other knives, with slots that accommodate many sizes.

To put my recommendation into perspective, I also own several Shun knives - unsurpassed quality in my book. But let's face it, they are quite heavy - good when you have some heavy duty cutting, but rather tiring for the normal day-to-day chopping that consumes most of the time in food preparation. In fact, these are so lightweight that, at first, I was a little put off. But now I consider that lightness a virtue. It's just a matter of using the right tool for the right job -- not that the chef's knife, for instance, can't hold up to the big jobs one occasionally faces - it's just a little easier with more heft.

For most consumers, a Santoku would have been a nice addition to this selection. Since I already had a Wusthof Santoku, I was pleased to find it fit in one of the empty slots.

In short, this is a fine collection of knives for what one would normally pay for one knife from the high-end brands.

Every knife in this set is good and solid. They are made by Victorinox, the same folks who bring us the Swiss Army Knife, so you know it's going to be good. There is literally a knife for almost any occasion, and the addition of a sharpener and a set of strong scissors is a definite plus. The only thing I would mark against it is a slightly misleading box. Pictured you see a knife block full of knives, but when you open it up you find there will actually be 4 slots in the block that are unused (they say it's for your own addition of knives). That's fine, except the block looks pretty empty as it stands and not like the picture. I think this could have easily be trimmed down to perhaps half its size and not hurt anything. Other than that, this is a solid knife set that you'll definitely incorporate into your daily cooking routine.

I can only review this product based on my experience. I do not see the so-called quality control issues that others have experienced. Both the knives and the block that I received are perfect. No flaws whatsoever, and after reading the somewhat baffling reviews I examined the entire set looking quite hard for flaws of even the tiniest nature. None. I can't say whether there is or is not a persistent quality control issue, but it certainly doesn't reflect my experience.

I loved the knives themselves. I waited for a week after receiving the knives so that I could use them quite a bit during cooking and I was delighted with them. I'm not a gourmet, but they were certainly better than the knives that I already had. Obviously, I cannot speak to their ability to retain an edge or how easily they are sharpened since it would take a few months to get a good idea of that. The knives are sharp! I was simply delighted with the keenness of the edges and how brilliant they were. I also very much enjoyed using the handles. I personally would like something a tad more rubbery, but the current handles provide a great, nonslip means of handling the knives. I've owned carbon knives before and so am at ease with these rather than stainless steel knives and in fact vastly prefer them.

So I don't really understand the negative or moderate reviews here. I don't see where there is any real room for criticism here.

I see this set as somewhere beyond a starter set but also not a complete set. Depending on your particular needs, you will certainly want to add another couple of knives. I am vegetarian so there are certain kinds of knives that I would have no use for. I will, however, certainly add a Victorinox bread knife. There is a bagel knive in the set and it works great, but in a loaf I bought at a bakery this past week, it was not long enough to cut through the bread in one stroke. I've no use for a boning knife or a steak knife, but I might add an additional knife with a longer blame suitable for cutting melons.

I can't imagine very many people not being delighted with these knives. And I'm flabbergasted by the number of two and three star reviews. To me these are extremely high quality knives and should meet the needs of nearly anyone.