The 3 best knife sets of 2023, tested and reviewed

Best overall: Wusthof Classic Ikon 7-Piece

Best cheap set: Victorinox Swiss Classic Kitchen Set (5 piece)

Best for small kitchens: F.N. Sharp

What to look for when buying a knife set

Quality steel

Decent steel starts most commonly with X50CrMoV15, and is standard for the entry-level to mid-level market. Beyond that, there tend to be a lot of proprietary alloys, but you can also look for 440B or C (A has great qualities, but not generally for a kitchen knife), and VG8 or VG10.

What are the most important knives?

A chef's knife is far and away the most important knife. Period. Some will call for a butcher's knife or a Santoku, but there's a common thread with each of these, and that is that they're all large-bladed knives capable of handling most jobs.

A bread knife is another staple for obvious reasons (if you eat bread).

A paring knife might follow. It's great for smaller tasks like hulling fruits and chopping smaller things like garlic, chives, and other herbs.

A utility, carving, or boning knife, which is relatively long (six inches, give or take) and thin is handy for carving and finer slicing of meat and fish.

An alternative would be a meat cleaver, which can be great as an all-around knife too. But there are all sorts of other knives that might earn a spot in your kitchen depending on what you do most, but these are the basics.

How we tested each knife set

Why you may want to put your knife set together piecemeal

Knife set FAQs

How many knives do I really need?

You can get away with as few as one, but three or four will easily enable you to do everything: a chef's knife, a paring knife, a bread knife, and maybe a utility or carving knife will get you through any and every task.

What is an HRC rating?

Hardness Risk Rating (HRC), or the Rockwell Scale, is a measurement of the hardness of steel based on how deep a diamond-tipped indenter penetrates it.

Note that it's not only the steel or the metallurgic compound itself so much as how it's hardened (tempered). A low hardness rating for a blade is anywhere in the 50s, while harder steel is usually upwards of 60.

The harder the steel, the longer the edge holds, but that also usually makes the knife more brittle, more likely to chip, and more difficult it is to sharpen when the time comes. The softer the steel, the easier it is to sharpen, but you'll have to do so often.