J.A. Henckels International Fine Edge Synergy 17-Piece Block Set

Product Description

The J.A. Henckels International Fine Edge Synergy 17 pc Block Set features all the essential knives you need for a variety of kitchen tasks. The blades are constructed from stamped stainless steel and are hand honed for a long lasting cutting edge. The contoured santoprene handles are brushed with stainless steel for a remarkably comfortable and secure grip. Includes 2 3/4" Paring Knife, 6" Utility, 5 1/2" Boning knife, 8" Chef's, 8" Carver, 8" Bread, 7" Hollow Edge Santoku, 9" Steel, 8 - 4 1/2" Stamped Steak Knives, and black Storage Block. Dishwasher safe (not recommended by J.A. Henckels International) Full warranty.

Customer Reviews

great purchase for the price
i just got this set for my new apartment, and overall, i'm really happy with it. the knives are very sharp, ergonomically well designed, and look pretty on the counter. that being said, you should know that this set is not one of the higher quality henckels sets - a fact betrayed by the price. they are very light and somewhat delicate, so a bit difficult to weild with control, and poorly suited to cutting through tougher material such as bones. of course, some may find light knives convenient, but i would have preferred heavier blades and handles, especially on the bigger knives. the santoku knife was the most disappointing because it was thin and very light. the rest are fine as they are, and cut with great precision, especially given the price. there are a few of extra slots in the block, which, while strange, came in handy for my old homeless knives. also, the set pretty muuch covers the range of needs and preferences for cutting absolutely anything (except bone-in chicken/fish, since the knives are a bit delicate). if you're not looking for a lifetime keeper set, then this is a great set for you. i really love mine, and plan on keeping it until i can splurge on a $$$$ set.

An experiment gone right...
About six months ago, I was walking through the discount knife section of a local department store when I saw this line's santoku and vegetable petty knife on sale for $20. In the world of cutlery, $20 is nothing, so I bought them just to see what it was like. It quickly became one of my favorite knives in my kitchen. The factory cutting edge is a little lame and overall the line feels too light to do much heavy cutting work (i.e. frozen meats, chicken bones, or thick vegetables). On a positive note, with some time and love, the edge can be ground down to be extremely sharp (enough so that I use it to cut tuna for sushi in my restaurant). Like any knife that I like, I take it to my restaurants kitchen and try it out to see how many days it can go before I need to regrind the edge. Surprisingly, it held up for an entire week without needing to be resharpened. In short, for the money, you would be hard-pressed to find a better knife.

Good buy for the money
I've had these knives for several weeks now and have to say I'm impressed. I did quite alot of searching before settling on these-and I'm glad I did. The quality is excellent,they are sharp and easy to use, and the set-though there are a few empty slots to add to it later-came with every type of knife I need. I pride myself in my cooking-I make everything possible from scratch and cook several meals a day, and I can't imagine a scenario where I'd say "if I only had another knife".

I see myself getting many years of use out of these. They come with a rod sharpener so that I never have to see them dull, or send them in anywhere to be sharpened. The block is sturdy and looks good with my kitchen decor.

I was leaning toward cutco brand before I decided on these, but I just couldn't justify the price of cutco. I'm not disappointed, I think I got more than my money's worth out of these.

One thing I have to add about other reviews I read before I bought these....I almost didn't get these because so many people complained until I saw that most negative comments were about the rust factor. ANY chef's quality knife is going to rust if you don't take care of it, it's actually a sign of the type of metal that good knives are made of.
If you are looking for a set of knives that you can throw haphazardly into the dishwasher, or leave lying around in the sink-these are not for you!!!

These must be hand washed after use and dried completely by hand with a cloth-that's why you see professional cooks constantly wiping their knives on an apron or towel as they work.
For best results, you're going to have to sharpen these about every half dozen uses, especially if you are cutting something like tomatoes-world's worst wear on any knife-of if you're cutting board is made of anything besides wood. It doesn't hurt them to sharpen them as needed, and better safe than sorry-a dull knife is a dangerous knife.