The 7 Best Knife Sets of 2024, According to Our Tests

Best Overall Knife Set

Wüsthof Classic 10-Piece Knife Set

View on Wusthof.com

Wüsthof knives are reliably high-quality across the board, so the brand's a great choice for a full set. The Wüsthof Classic chef's knife was the second-sharpest out of the box in our testing, and the paring knife needed almost no effort to hull strawberries. We like that this block includes two serrated knives: a long one that glides through crusty bread, and a shorter utility blade that will work for raw meat prep or as a post-cooking steak knife. There's also a tiny curved peeler knife great for cutting precise garnishes.

The two-piece kitchen shears are very easy to clean, but they didn't have the strength to chop through chicken wings in testing. That's our main quibble with the set, along with the fact that the block has a bigger footprint than competitors. The Classic line is Wüsthof's best-selling and most affordable, though it's still slightly above average for our tested knives. We say the price is well worth it for the quality from one of our favorite German kitchen brands.

Blade Material: Forged steel | Handle Material: Plastic | Block Dimensions: 12.5 x 4.4 x 12 inches | Includes: Peeling knife, paring knife, serrated utility knife, double serrated bread knife, chef's knife, carving knife, meat fork, honing steel, shears, 9-slot block

Best Overall Knife Set, Runner-Up

Zwilling Pro 10-Piece Knife Block Set

$1,072 $650 at Amazon $650 at Williams Sonoma View on Zwilling.com

Zwilling makes both fancy and budget knives: The Pro line is built to hold up to the rigors of restaurant cooking, which makes it quite a bit more expensive than the brand's Classic design. The Pro's handle shape and thick bolster lend themselves well to the pinch grip favored by trained chefs, and the heavy-duty construction ensures these knives will remain intact and easy to clean for years.

The chef's and paring knives in this set were both among the sharpest in the test by mechanical measurement, and they slid through every ingredient we could slice with them. The Zwilling Pro bread knife was also impressive, able to slice crusty bread and turn soft sandwich bread into cubes without crushing either one. The one item that disappointed us was the shears: They felt cheap and uncomfortable, had trouble cutting up chicken, and didn't come apart for easy cleaning.

All in all, the Zwilling Pro set is a good choice if you're ready to step up to a higher level of knife. It's only barely above average in cost for the models we tested, but it'll keep up with ones that cost thousands.

Blade Material: Stainless steel | Handle Material: Plastic | Includes: Paring knives (2), serrated utility knife, prep knife, santoku, bread knife, chef's knife, shears, honing steel, 16-slot block

Best High-End Knife Set

Shun Classic 9-Piece Chef's Choice Knife Block Set

$735 at Amazon $700 at Williams Sonoma View on Kaiusa.com

Shun is among the top names in Japanese knives, and its knives have both performance and prices to match. If you're looking to equip a truly luxury kitchen, this is our very favorite high-end knife set. The Shun set covers every kitchen function, from slim boning knife to hefty santoku, and the pieces are all razor-sharp — well, except for the honing steel and block itself, of course.

The Shuns slid through all of our test ingredients like butter. The smooth, oval-ish handles of the Classic design felt a little unusual at first, but as we got used to them, we realized that the shape helps guide your hand into a comfortable position sort of automatically. This wards off fatigue when you're doing a lot of chopping. Shun knives also look gorgeous, with a distinctive wavy pattern in the steel made by folding together steel layers of different compositions. They're heirloom-level tools that will last for years if hand-washed and honed properly, and they come at an heirloom-level price to match.

Blade Material: Damascus steel | Handle Material: Pakkawood | Block Dimensions: 11 x 5 x 9 inches | Includes: Paring knife, santoku, boning knife, chef's knife, slicing knife, bread knife, chef's knife, honing steel, shears, 11-slot block

Best Splurge Knife Set

Cangshan Maya Block Set

$700 at Williams Sonoma

This set's narrow, angled walnut block holds its knives efficiently but also stands out in a sea of near-identical square blocks. The lustrous knife handles, made of durable African blackwood, match the block nicely, and their octagonal shape fits securely in the hand. The blades are all super-sharp and well-balanced, making quick work of all our tests. We especially liked that the shears have one serrated blade to get a good grip on and chop through cartilage and bone, and one flat blade to slice cleanly through delicate chives and other herbs.

In the overall world of knife block sets, the Cangshan is a bit expensive, but it's not overpriced for a set of Japanese knives. It includes 12 pieces, but four of those are standard steak knives — you don't get any specialty tools other sets don't have. We're also a bit disappointed at the lack of a long brisket slicer; an 8-inch chef's knife and a 9-inch bread knife are the biggest here.

"The Cangshan Maya knife block is a staple on our kitchen island; the block is elegant-looking but also slim and unobtrusive in tighter kitchen spaces," says Food & Wine editorial director Megan Passaro. "The handles still look great after months of constant use and hand-washing (perhaps a downside is that they’re not dishwasher-friendly, but great knives usually aren’t). The edges have held their sharpness, and every knife has proved excellent, from paring kiwis to slicing huge cuts of steak."

According to Passaro, one drawback is the height of the block, which can be too tall to fit under cabinets while leaving room to pull out the knives. It's better suited for kitchens with open space above the counters.

Blade Material: Damascus steel | Handle Material: African blackwood | Block Dimensions: 9.75 x 6.67 x 9.5 inches | Includes: Paring knife, serrated utility knife, santoku, bread knife, chef's knife, 4 steak knives, honing steel, shears, 11-slot block

Best Value Knife Set

Zwilling Gourmet 10-Piece Knife Block Set

$280 at Amazon $560 $280 at Target $280 at Wayfair

The best knife block sets can get very expensive; it makes sense when you're buying several top-quality blades all at once. But this Zwilling one impressed us with its comparatively low price. The paring knife was probably the best performer of our entire test process, a practically weightless tool that was able to slice the skin of a kiwi with only gentle pressure. We also liked the extra-sharp serrated bread knife, and the shears — they don't come apart for cleaning, but they chopped through chicken bones with no problem.

Our biggest problem in testing the Zwilling set was its chef's knife, which is unfortunately the most-used knife in just about any kitchen. It sliced easily through a tomato but lacked the power and balance to cut an onion evenly or slice through a sweet potato without serious effort. Its handle is also awkward to hold.

Blade Material: Stainless steel | Handle Material: Plastic | Block Dimensions: 14.17 x 6.3 x 6.1 inches | Includes: Peeling knife, vegetable knife, paring knife, serrated knife, slicing knife, bread knife, chef's knife, honing steel, shears, 13-slot block

Best Knife Set with Magnetic Block

HexClad Japanese Damascus Steel Knife Set

$448 $426 at Amazon View on Hexclad.com

HexClad's Japanese-style knives look a lot like the Shun Classic models above, except they're about half as expensive and aren't made in Japan. Nonetheless, most of them performed nicely in our tests — especially the chef's knife, which was sharp enough to slice off a translucent sliver of tomato with practically no effort. We also like the compact magnetic knife block; it holds all the knives securely on one side, and you can use the other for spatulas, tongs, and any other steel tools.

The bread knife is where this set came up short in testing. Its serrations were able to get through the crust, but the blade wasn't sharp enough and tore the interior of the loaf. The set's seven pieces also include just five knives and no shears, something you need to take into account when you consider its below-average price.

Blade Material: Damascus steel | Handle Material: Pakkawood | Block Dimensions: 9.88 x 8.81 x 3.94 inches | Includes: Paring knife, utility knife, santoku, bread knife, chef's knife, honing steel, magnetic knife block

Best Compact Knife Set

Misen 7-Piece Knife Set

View on Misen.com

Editor's note: We paired these knives with the now-discontinued Misen Magnetic Knife Strip to create a full storage set for testing. We recommend one of these magnetic knife holders as a replacement.

Misen makes top-quality knives at a mid-level price, and this set is a perfect demonstration of that. The blades are made from hard high-carbon steel like that used in many Japanese knives, which can hold a super-sharp edge. The grip shape is quite comfortable to hold, and the unique sloped bolster lets you access and chop ingredients from the very heel of the blade without getting your fingers in the way.

We had a great test performance with the Misen chef's and bread knives, but the paring knife was disappointing. It was near the bottom of the list in our mechanical measurements of sharpness, and it had trouble getting through the skin to peel a kiwi. This set is comprehensive for all kitchen needs, though its knives are a bit shorter and heavier than others. We do love the color choices; you can get the identical set in bold red or blue, or more traditional black.

The simple wall-mounted magnetic strip is unexpectedly fantastic. It holds all the knives securely but not so much so that you can't pull one off with one hand when you need it. And it can go anywhere you can screw in a screw: a wall, under a cabinet, inside a cabinet door — there are lots of ways to free up counter space.

"I live in a city apartment, so I don't have the space for a full countertop block set, as much as I'd like to," says Food & Wine associate editorial director Dana Fouchia. "I attached the magnetic knife strip to the side of my cabinet, and this set has been a game-changer ever since. The knives are sturdy and slice with ease, and I appreciate the inclusion of all three larger blades (the chef's, santoku, and serrated knife) for larger meals or when hosting. Plus, the cool blue color brings a pop of modernity into my kitchen, which can be unique for a quality set like this one."

Blade Material: Carbon steel | Handle Material: Plastic | Strip Dimensions: 2.5 x 15.75 x 0.75 inches | Includes: Paring knife, serrated knife, utility knife, santoku, chef's knife, shears, ceramic honing rod