I'll admit it: I'm a knife snob. When I saw the prices of these knives I wrinkled my pert little knife snob nose that was planted firmly in the air and thought with my irony-laden bourgeois tone, "Oh, $350 for a set of knives AND the case? That's quality stuff right there."
My first apartment had the obligatory OMG these knives are only $30 and TOTALLY make me look like a grownup!!! set of Chicago Cutlery. I progressed from there, trying out everything from Ginsu to Wustof to Henckles to Shun. I have two Shun knives and I adore them. But I also own a catering company, and didn't want to schlep my precious knives all over town and constantly have to worry about them getting damaged or walking off. This knife set seemed like the perfect solution-a knife case with a set of knives that fit right in.
I figured these knives would be "disposable," much like the Chicago Cutlery type of knives... alright for a year or so, but then they'll quit even taking an edge and you're ponying up more cabbage for knives that you CAN sharpen. I'm fortunate enough to have a husband that's a wizard at knife sharpening (the man constantly has a patch of hair missing from his arm where he tests the sharpness), so I'm used to really sharp knives. I can honestly say the only time I haven't had to sharpen knives right out of the gate was when we got our Shun knives-Henckels and Wustof both had good edges, but not the super sharp edge I was looking for in my knives.
SO. I wasn't expecting much out of these knives when I ordered them-figured they be our bang around knives for catering. I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY THE QUALITY! These knives are crazy, crazy sharp. They'll cut a tomato so thin it'll disappear. The blades have an excellent balance to them. The edges of these blades are amazingly sharp and thin without being flimsy. I'm not the type of chef that wants a thick blade-I appreciate the thinness of the Shun knives for making incredibly precise cuts. It's kind of like the difference between using a scalpel and a machete. More importantly, these knives HOLD an edge. There's lots of knives you can PUT an edge on, but then use it twice and it's like trying to cut with a letter opener. Not so with the Saber knives-they come with an edge, and they keep it. In fact, I've had them for 3 months, used them almost daily, and they're still ridiculously sharp.
The range of knives included is all you'd need for a kitchen on wheels. The case is amazing-I haven't had ANY of the knives slip out in transit. I've even started taking them with me when I go to my mom's house. My sister used them and as she was washing them she made a comment about my expensive knives making her nervous. When I told her how much I paid for the set, her eyeballs just about popped out of her head-she figured since the quality was on par with Shun, the price must be as well.
This "catering set" of knives has several of them hanging on my knife block that I use regularly. And honestly, I've started reaching for these faster than I do my Shun knives-I'm not as "afraid" to use these, because if something happens to them I can replace them a heckuva lot cheaper! I've used them side by side with my Shun Premier knives, and they're neck & neck in terms of balance, edge and weight.
A last note: The Saber customer service is amazing, a level you just don't find anymore. I ordered a chef's knife directly from Saber that was damaged during shipping, and they made it right without any hassle or hesitation. I didn't have to call India, I didn't have to shout into voice recognition software then get frustrated and press zero for an operator anyway, and I received a level of customer service that made me briefly wonder if I'd traveled back in time to the 1950's.
You will not be sorry you bought these knives.
I've had my Saber knives for a few months now, and it's completely changed the way I work in the kitchen. I used to spend a lot of time trying to cut awkward things with the few good global knives one of my roommates own, but they were taking a lot of abuse and were frequently the wrong knife for what I was trying to do. I dreamed of a set of good german knives, but couldn't stomach the amount of money I'd end up spending acquiring a knife collection. Then I discovered Saber.
Saber knives are made of quality German steel, forged (not stamped) in a single piece. They're made in China, but it's actually possible to make something decent in China if you're willing to pay for quality. Most companies cut corners in their Chinese factories to save money, but Saber has decided to sacrifice that profit in order to produce a quality product. The result? For the price of a couple of German knives, you can get a complete set (and it even comes in an awesome, functional bag). Now I have the right knife for nearly every job, and I have a bag I can store the knives in when I'm not using them to keep my abusive roommates from messing with my knives.
As for the knives themselves, they are pretty much awesome. Everyone I've let handle them comments on how balanced the weight is, especially on the chef's knives. The blades are quality and hold an edge, and with a couple of quick strokes of the honing stick are as sharp as any knife there is (eventually, like all knives, they'll need a good sharpening). A friend of mine has a Wüsthof Chef's knife that retails for almost $200, and I've used her knife many times, and for my hands at least the Saber is actually more comfortable.
Give the Saber knives a try. I think you'll like them.
Update:
I had the opportunity to cook two consecutive dinners for more than 40 people as part of a ski offsite; in the course of making a wide variety of dishes with the help of a fellow "chef" (we're not professionals, though we try) and more than half a dozen random people helping with prep, we managed to thoroughly exercise every knife in the set. We sliced, chopped, julienned, diced, and brunoised a wide variety of vegetables, 6 chickens, a large slab of pancetta, and more. With so many people using so many knives I expected someone to have something bad to say about the knives, but every comment was a compliment. And getting the knives to Lake Tahoe and back was as easy as could be because of the awesome included bag. I don't think we could have pulled that meal off without the Saber knives.
Buy Saber F-12 Full Tang German Steel Working Chef Knives with Chef's Knife Bag Now
I was looking for a good mid-range knife set to replace the semi-cheap knives we got as a wedding gift 10 years ago. I am not a professional chef, but love to cook and spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I didn't want to spend $1k (or even close to it) on a knife set but wanted something high quality and sharp, and something that would last many years.
I did a little research and all the "good" knife sets seemed out of my price range. I was browsing Amazon and found the Saber knives and thought I had found what I was looking for. The reviews were good, and it appeared that a German knife maker had simply opened up shop in China to create high-quality knives at a much lower cost. Now, before you say "China??" there are some extremely high-quality products made there -iPhone comes to mind. So the fact that they were made in China didn't really deter me.
I bought the set with the knife bag, because I like to take my knives when we go on vacation. I cook even on vacation, and it never ceases to amaze me how a 3-bedroom rental beach house can stock their kitchen with only dollar store knives. Anyway, back to the review... bought the knife set and chef's bag.
When they came in they sharp... I'm not sure about "chef's sharp" as I'm not a chef and have never used an expensive knife. They were sharp enough that the weight of the knife itself would easily slice a firm tomato without any assistance from me. The knives stay pretty sharp too, but I do use the honing steel before and after each use.
The only serious downside to the knives is they RUST. The first time I saw rust I thought it must have been food that wasn't cleaned, but on further inspection it was little brown spots of rust. I have a cheap flimsy plastic-handled Ginsu knife (the original) that is probably worth $2 that has never rusted in 15 years, and these "German steel" knives started rusted after a few months. I was able to get the rust off with a scrub brush, but the knife is noticeably duller than the others.
For the price, there is NO reason these knives should rust. I wash the knives and dry them immediately, they rarely sit an hour or two before getting washed and put up (just the time it takes us to eat dinner). I'm considering contacting the company and asking for a replacement of the couple of knives that have already started to rust.
I still think they're a pretty good value for the money, but while the knives are sharp and work well, the overall quality is not exceptional.
UPDATE 1/30/12
A few months ago I was contacted personally by the owner after he read my review. He asked me a few questions, including whether the knives were in contact with "contaminated" iron or soaked in cast iron. I've never soaked my knives in cast iron, but it is possible they came in contact briefly with my cast iron pans, as I use them all the time. He also said, "Contrary to commonly held beliefs....cheaper knives are more immune to rusting than high quality knives."
I'm not a professional chef nor do I know anything about knife manufacturing, so I'll have to take his word on that. However, I have been extra careful in the past couple of months to not let the knives come in contact with my cast iron, and I've also been very diligent about washing and putting them away after use (even before dinner). In the past few months, I have not seen any new rust spots on the knives.
The knives still hold an edge with regular honing, but several seem to need sharpening on a stone. I'm about to do that soon. Overall I'm pleased with the knives for the price, just be careful to wash and put them away promptly after use!!
Read Best Reviews of Saber F-12 Full Tang German Steel Working Chef Knives with Chef's Knife Bag Here
A friend of mine is a professional chef for an up-scale restaurant in downtown Seattle. He uses Saber Knives exclusively and claims they are by far the best on the market. I had no idea where to find a set; he got his through a chef supply place in New York. I've been checking on-line for some time now and then...finally Amazon has the same set he has. I bought a set immediately and they are fantastic! If you are serious about cooking and want the best in the kitchen, this Saber Knife Set will make you very happy.
Want Saber F-12 Full Tang German Steel Working Chef Knives with Chef's Knife Bag Discount?
I bought the version with out the bag. (same set of knives minus the bag, also sold on Amazon)
First off, I'm not hard to please, a chef, or even accustomed to quality kitchen knives, and I'm only taking one star off as of now.
Received, inspected, washed, and used them today. While they all had the great feel, look, and balance that forged and bolstered knives are expected to have, and only had a few apparent minute imperfections that I had already expected for a set of knives within this price range, I was very disappointed with the sharpness of the blades out of the box. Some folks have used the adjectives "scary" and "insanely" sharp. I think one person even returned them, proclaiming them to be too sharp. Wow! they must have gotten WAY sharper knives than I did. Chef sharp? absolutely NOT mine. I couldn't really imagine any Chef being very satisfied with the sharpness of these right out of the box, unless they also use an "easy bake" oven.
Shave hair off the arm or slice a sheet of paper easily? Not EVEN close with the knives I got. While the knives seemingly come with a pretty good edge on them, closer inspection with a magnifting glass reveals the coarseness of the grind. The bread knife (serrated) seem's plenty sharp, but the edges on the others are not in anyway refined to their potential sharpness. Or at least I hope they have the potential to be sharpened better. It's going to take a little more than just "steeling" them. I don't want or need razor or surgical sharp, just real good and sharp. So I will find out how well they will sharpen, before I even use them anymore, and that really kind of sux coming right out of the box.
Don't get me wrong; the knives are still very usuable out of the box, they just don't live up to my expectations of being VERY sharp. Maybe all the hype about "chef sharp", being as sharp as they can get them at the factory, the mostly sharp reviews here, etc. set me up for disappointment.
Will have to write back on how well they sharpen and hold their edge. Until then I am having just a bit of regret.
Edit 12/21/11: Some minor sharpening got the edge that i wanted. They were easily sharpened and have kept their edge well since. No problems with rust whatsoever, but then I understand that the high carbon content in quality knives make them a bit more prone to rust and I have no problem washing and drying immediately after using, unlike some folks.
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I am apparently developing a bad Le Creuset habit (in multiple colors no less). I purchased a black rectangular dish (with a bonus mini dish that doesn't get used much because of the barbie-doll size) about 7 years ago. It got to the point where it was the only dish I wanted to use, so I went to a Le Creuset outlet a couple years back and found a purple set (one square, one oval) that was on a good clearance. When I finally had to pull out the Pyrex and Corning Ware and wipe the dust off before use (for a large Thanksgiving feast at my home last week), I decided it was time to get serious and have enough Le Creuset I can ditch the other stuff.
