Showing posts with label in the kitchen knife forum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label in the kitchen knife forum. Show all posts

Messermeister San Moritz Elite 9-Inch Left-Handed Bread Knife

Messermeister San Moritz Elite 9-Inch Left-Handed Bread KnifeThis is the first time that I have had a left-handed knife in my life and I am "over-60". I love it. What a difference it makes in cutting my crusty homemade bread. I will most likely order other left-handed knives.

My friend is left handed and could never cut bread straight. Then she realized knives are often handed and bread knives always are. She'd been trying to cut bread with a right handed knife all those years. I got her this for her birthday and she couldn't be happier with all those even slices of bread.

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Tamahagane San Utility Knife

Tamahagane San SN-1107H - 6 inch, 170mm Utility KnifeI was looking for a knife that was smaller than a chef's knife and larger than a paring knife. As an avid home cook, I use knives every day and am very particular about my kitchen equipment.

I've had this blade for less than a week and I already love it. It's well-balanced with a nice heft, comparable to a Shun, not as heavy as a Henckels.

Craftsmanship is superb, handle is comfortable (I have big hands), blade seems strong with a medium amount of flex, not too stiff, not too flimsy.

Like shoes or other personal items that one feels strongly about, I would usually suggest that people go to a store and handle them before they buy, but I took a chance on this one and am very satisfied.

The downside: it is a little pricey.

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Wild Olive Wood Cheese Spreader Knife - Fair Trade

Wild Olive Wood Cheese Spreader Knife - Fair TradeThe spoon part projects 11/2" at that bump.The ceramic handle is 2 1/8" So it services a big scoop of a whatever you are serving and can spread well on toast. It is a little excessive in spoon size for a small cracker (it is essientially the size of the cracker). I bought 3 and the handles were all different patterns on the same African style in deep brown and ivory color!!! At a glance it looks black and white in color. in the cosmetic world it makes a great scoop for facial mud packs. The wood part is soft with rich mahogany natural coloring look versus a dry look like the kichen wood utensils. Many,many compliments on how beautiful since I paired them with black enemal /ceramic bowls to serve 3 different flavored gourmet seafood cheese dips (from Norm Thompson.

LamsonSharp 6-Inch Forged Fillet/Boning Knife

LamsonSharp 6-Inch Forged Fillet/Boning KnifeThis is our third LamsonSharp knife. The others are an 8" chef's and a paring knife. Both have maintained their edges with sharpening done by a Chef's Choice 3-place sharpener.

This boning knife solidifies LamsonSharp's reputation with us for high quality knives, as good or better than German and French imports.

Julain and Sue Plaisted

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Vinaroz 12-Piece Vicenza Stainless Steel Cookware Set

Vinaroz 12-Piece Vicenza Stainless Steel Cookware SetI received this item very quickly and was pleasantly surprised at the quality. The set is beautiful, thick, and sturdy. Looks very difficult to dent up. The handles do not get hot (even on high heat) and are very attractive. Cleanup is easy. I chose this product because of the amount of pots and lids, and a lid for the frying pan is included. I would highly recommend this product.

Nonstick works wonderfully, bowed bottom of sides is perfect fit for big plastic spoons so no sauce is ever left over. Cleanup is super quick and easy, they heat evenly and quickly. Also the shape of the sides where it bows out makes the perfect controlled boil for pasta, spaghetti, even fettuccine and macaroni require 1/2 the stirring as before.

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Good quality. Good price. We like them. Have been using them for about a year. No complaints. They work well

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have returned to Vinaroz as one of the pans had a dent... while I await approval for exchange, Not good enough as this was a Christmas gift, so have wrote back to them for full refund and have order another set from another company which I will have on Tuesday 2nd January. who knows how long they will need to inspect and then refund will keep you updated (

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Messermeister 8-Pocket Padded Knife Roll, Black

Messermeister 8-Pocket Padded Knife Roll, BlackThe Picture does not give you much idea what kind of Roll it is, and for some reason there is no option for me to upload any pictures.

I was not expecting too much for $20, but when i received it, i was surprised at the features, i was just expecting a basic Roll for the knifes.

The nice feature is that once you have placed your 8 knifes in the roll, you can zip it up, so if the roll came undone, nothing will fall out.

The zip is optional, you can still roll it, and it secures with 2 Velcro Tabs, then the handle can be bound with Velcro too.

Once the knifes are secure, and zipped up, there are several compartments to add pens, notebook >(writing kind) business/credit cards.

There is also a large zippered mesh compartment you can add small kitchen tools, apron, phone, wallet, whatever you want.

Last but not least, there is a carry strap included, for the price, this is a good value Roll.

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Ginsu Shoku 05740 8-Piece Cutlery Set, Assorted Colors

Ginsu Shoku 05740 8-Piece Cutlery Set, Assorted ColorsLike most of the other reviews on this product. You're not going to get what you think you're getting. Wish I would have read the reviews, but it was one of those lighting deals and well... you know how those work. I got a blue knife set with one green knife. Not exactly a rainbow of colors. I was ordering this for my mom for christmas and she still wanted to keep it, because I got it for her, so I won't be returning it even though I'd like to. I'm so mad I'm leaving my prepositions hanging!

Just like everyone else has said, these are good knives, but not a good color mix. They apparently are randomly packaged. I got 4 pinks, 2 blacks, and one green. I didn't buy them for the rainbow colors, but the way they are packaged, it makes them look like they were purchased separately and put in the block rather than as a set. Would have been nice to get some blue and purple in the set too, as advertised.

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I just got these knives yesterday, so I can't really comment on the quality, but I'm so sad that I got four black handles and only 3 color ones, definitely not as pictured. I used the Santoku this morning, very nice and sharp, cut wonderfully. Just sad about not getting the colors pictured. The colored one are very pretty and vibrant as pictured, the block is nice, just don't want 4 black-handle knives when I ordered 'rainbow'.

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They appear to be a pretty nice set. The slot where the sharpening steel goes is a little large and could be smaller to help keep the steel from bumping into one of the other larger knife handles. But over all it appears to be really nice, has a fairly nice balance to them. I have not used it long enough to see how the edge hold ups so maybe an update will be in order at a later time

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Arrived on time knives are as pictured block is nice knives are very sharp and cut cleanly suggest putting knives in block upside down to prevent drawing blades against block knives feel comfortable in my big hands appear to be good quality for the price would purchase again or as a gift.

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Brass and Walnut Pro Pumpkin Carving Tool Kit

Brass and Walnut Pro Pumpkin Carving Tool KitI had had enough of those cheap, junk plastic knives that always brake 3/4 of the way through my pumpkin creation, so I thought I would look around the internet for something better. I actually bought this set from zombie pumpkins (google it) as it was not available on amazon and I was not disappointed. I could carve easily and quickly. Very satisfied. And not one of the blades broke or bent

This is a great tool that takes the frustration out of pumpkin carving while keeping it safe. It is well made and the blades do not bend and break as with the cheaper versions. Clean up is a breeze. Any one who has ever tried to carve a pumpkin free handed with a knife has experienced dificulties that have ranged from mistakes to injury. This tool helps the user to safely produce an artfully carved pumpkin. The tip about using masking tape to outline the cut outs is a key to success. Just take your time and saw at a reasonable speed. The tool is not limited to just carving pumpkins. I know that I will be using it for other small projects such as woodworking and modeling for instance. It has found a place in my tool chest. I would let my grandchildren use this tool, of course stll under supervision for the younger ones.

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Good quality and easy to use. Made the pumpkin carving easy and fun. And it was easy to clean up and store for next year. My jack-o-lanterns were awesome even had trick-or-treaters taking pictures of them.

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Well-constructed and easy to use. The saws helped me cut up my pumpkins in no time. The walnut handle is solid and feels good in the hand. Changing blades and cleaning up is easy with the supplied tool. All in all a great product.

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Definitely worth the money for this. I used it on Halloween at our carving party, and then my boyfriend used it, and then my mom used it, and her friend used it and my friend used it... I think you get the idea. Comes with several extra blades (not that we needed them) and will pay for itself in one Halloween if you're like us and usually buy handfuls of the cheapo carving knives each season.

I may even carve some smaller gourds for candle holder centerpieces now that I have such a great blade.

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Sabatier 4 Inch Forged Carbon Steel Paring Knife Made in France

Sabatier 4 Inch Forged Carbon Steel Paring Knife Made in FranceFirst let me say the price of $29.99 was the best I found and these were shipped fast. (The name Sabatier is not protected by patent. Sabatier knives are made by a number of companies including China and really the 4 Star Elephant brand are the nearest in quality to these K Sabatier knives). I bought a set of 4-6-8-and 10 inch. I liked these well enough to buy my daughter a set. They do have a slight curve to the edge so you can dice or slice with them. These knives have a RC of 54-56 and while may be considered a soft steel it's also easier to sharpen, plus holds an edge pretty well. These are carbon steel (not stainless) and will develop a patina or will also rust If not hand washed and dried, then vegetable oil applied. Truthfully I believe any good knife should be hand washed, even stainless can rust and handles crack. I prefer carbon steel knives for kitchen work . Now I'm 69 years old and own 200 plus knives (stainless and carbon steel) for hunting and kitchen work (some hand and custom made), plus own a number of sharpening systems. Many stainless knives sold today are junk (cheap ones won't hold or take an edge) and good stainless knives will be harder to sharpen due to the alloys used. I'm not a novice when it comes to knives. I'm very satisfied with this brand of Sabatier, have found they do take a good edge and hold it well. I also have three 4 star Elephant Brand Sabatiers, two of steel forged in the 1930's (sold as historic knives) and one of new forged steel. The two historic older forged will match these in edge holding, but the modern one doesn't match them. I really didn't expect that and I know a lot of people like the Elephant Brand, so many will disagree. (Both brands in my view are better than the German Knives, yet generally cheaper in price) Fit and finish on these are good, did notice one had slight grind marks on the top edge, but not bad. Most wouldn't even notice it. But one of my Elephant Brand historic knives did too. That doesn't effect use though. The blades are thinner than some Chef Knives, they are lighter than many, well balanced, but for most of us in home kitchen use, these are great. Handles on the smaller knives are larger than most making them easy to use too. The only kitchen knives I have and rate better are 40+ year old Carbon Steel American made, Wear-Ever and some Clyde Knives. I don't believe anyone has ever matched those in quality, nor do they now. This review is just my opinion and some will disagree and that's OK and why we have many knife companies. Hope this review helps someone and I tried to be very honest.

I have a fondness for old carbon steel knives, and was intrigued when I saw these K Sabatiers listed as such a great price. Based on research, and on the reviews on the 10-inch version of this same knife, I bought a 4-inch, 6-inch, and 8-inch version. I am VERY pleased with these knives, and will probably go ahead and order a 10-inch as well. They were fairly sharp upon arrival, but a quick trip to my professional knife man for a pre-use touchup turned them into razors. Care must be taken, remember, to wipe these occasionally during use, to wash and dry immediately, and even wipe with a bit of oil, as they WILL rust and discolor.

If you like carbon steel knives, trust these. These are the real K Sabatier. You won't be disappointed.

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I've been using Sabatier high carbon steel knives for almost forty years. This 4" paring knife is made with the same quality as my first. A rare occurrence these days.

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I needed to replace my Sabatier 4" paring knife because, unfortunately, it fell out of the moving box and was run over by the moving van. Searched Amazon.com. Came across many Sabatier-type knives. Decided to take a chance on the 4" paring knife from China Fair, Inc because their description seemed to be honest. Besides, I fully intended to send it back if I were disappointed because $40 is a lot of money for a knife that small.

Was extremely pleased. That little knife met all of my expectations, right out of the box. It would slice a hand-held piece of typing paper into shreds, just like the proverbial hot knife through butter.

I have just ordered a 6" chef's knife from China Fair, Inc. Incidentally, in subsequent e-mails with high-level staff, I learned that China does not come from the word `China'. It comes from the word `china', i.e. dishes. They are a family-owned business who have been purveyors of fine kitchen `equipment' for 47 years.

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This is a very nice knife at a good price. It is super sharp because of the material: carbon steel.The disadvantage is that it SHOULD NOT GO IN THE DISHWASHER. The sheller states that, and I can testify to that, since I ignored his advice. It will discolor in the dishwasher, but it stays sharp.

Sunbeam 69930.12 Westville 12-Piece Cookware, Black

Sunbeam 69930.12 Westville 12-Piece Cookware, BlackIt has been more than a year since i got this set. The bottom scrapes off easily. It is only worth for less than a year. Definitely will not recommend this to anyone.

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Boston Warehouse Ladybug Lane Dip Bowl and Spreader Set

Boston Warehouse Ladybug Lane Dip Bowl and Spreader Setthis bowl is relatively small and its perfect for dipping sauces i thought it would be SOMEWHAT bigger even though the reviews said it was kind of small but luckily i bought this as a centerpiece and planned on using it for scented rocks only. the packaging was ok also.

This little server is small but quite cute. The server blade seems not to fit on the item like I hoped, but I see the item as being useful and looking good on the table.

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Absolutely love this bowl and server.

It's a must for a ladybug collector, which I am!

Cannot wait to use it at my next dinner or BBQ.

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I got this for my sister for her birthday. It is really cute but what I ordered and what I got were two different things. The handle on the spreader is different than the one that is pictured. Instead of three round ladybugs that make up the handle, it's just one whole ladybug. I'm sort of confused on why that is. My sister loved it either way, I just don't understand why I got a different item.

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This dip bowl and spreader set is adorable and made the perfect present...I love how it has a stand with legs and although it's smaller than I expected it to be, it's still great for small parties.

Oxo Softworks 7 Piece Stainless Steel Cutlery Set

Oxo Softworks 7 Piece Stainless Steel Cutlery SetI ordered this knife set for the teen cooking program at my public library after being fed up with dealing with dull cheap knives. I knew Oxo made good products, and already had a couple items. I decided to stop making do with cheap tools, and just order some Oxo knives. This set looked like it would fit the bill.

When it arrived, aside from the bonus of the worried reactions of my co-workers upon finding someone had sent a box of knives to the library, I was psyched. These knives, although most are labled, "mini" are full kitchen tools. I didn't want giant butcher knives for the teens to use, but am very happy to find these knives are are by no means "mini" either. The Chef's Knife & Bread Knife are each longer than my forearm (including handles), and the "mini" knives all have at least 4-inch blades. I am extremely pleased with the quality of this set, especially as it was only $25!

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Swiss Army Brands 40603 Paring Knife, 3-1/4-Inch

Swiss Army Brands 40603 Paring Knife, 3-1/4-InchThese knives hold a edge seems like forever. This is a new order for gifts. Still using myself some I bought 5 years ago.

After damaging an identical knife by attempting to use it outside of the kitchen environment, I knew I had to get a replacement right away. This is my wife's favorite knife works fantastic on steak, fruit, etc. She bought the set at a fairly expensive price so I was prepared to pay through the nose for a replacement. Not so! This was very reasonably priced and arrived quick. No complaints here. I'll probably buy a couple more ... just in case.

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This is the best paring knife I have ever used. I bought one 4 years ago from a restaurant supply and it is still just as sharp now. I was very glad to find them on Amazon. I bought some for family and friends too.

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I bought these knives to use while crab fishing. They are so sharp that I can cut solidly frozen bait in 3 -4 strokes, bone and all. I've never had a sharper knife. They're inexpensive enough that when they get dull, I just toss them. Great knives for the price.

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My brother got me this as a gift a few years ago and my husband and I are constantly grabbing for it at the same time, so when my mother-in-law requested one for Christmas, I ordered a couple of extra for the house. The blade is really sharp, the handle is nicely formed, and the red color makes it easy to find in a crowded utensil drawer if you're not using the plastic sleeve that it ships in. Love this knife.

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Dexter-Russell 3-Inch Carbon Steel and Walnut Spear Point Parer

Dexter-Russell 3-Inch Carbon Steel and Walnut Spear Point ParerLove the shape of the blade and it's razor sharp great for small work! The wood handle came a little rough but i gave it a light sanding and put my favorite butcher block beeswax oil on it and now its perfect.

Working well for us so far. Using it in the camp kitchen. Holding an edge well so far.

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Wenger Swibo Boning Knife, Rigid Blade

Wenger Swibo 5-1/2-Inch Boning Knife, Rigid BladeThese are really great knives. They are plastic handled, and they aren't "pretty", but if you can get them on sale, as I did, for around 8 bucks a knife, you can use them without worrying you are going to nick them. I will not use my Shun near bones, because I don't want to damage the bladebut these? They were so cheap I don't care. So far, they have proven very robust. I've cut near a lot of bones with them (cutting apart a crown roast of pork, for example) and no damage! I really love these. I was afraid to buy them because they had not been reviewedbut I took the chance because they were cheap.

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Botanic Garden 4 Piece Hostess Set

Botanic Garden 4 Piece Hostess SetMake you feel special just to hold them! So very beautiful, well designed, artistic! I love them just as much for art as for usage! And they are quality!!

My mother collects Portmeirion Botanic Garden. The detail in this set is just what you would expect from their china. A highly recommended line of serving ware, and Amazon's price makes this a deal.

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AccuSharp 015C Knife, Garden Tool, and Scissor Sharpener Multipack

AccuSharp 015C Knife, Garden Tool, and Scissor Sharpener MultipackI have only used the knife sharpener and not any of the others, so extrapolate to those at your own risk. I used it about two years ago when there was one on site in the kitchen of the Inn where I was contracted to cater for an event. My experience was positive in the moment, but I would not get one personally. Here's why:

This will put an edge on a knife. It will do so quickly, easily, and with very little skill or effort required.

HOWEVER it puts this edge on at the expense of the knife. It removes way more material from the surface of the knife than a normal sharpening on a stone. Furthermore, the edge it places is indeed sharp, but does not last. The angle is likely to steep to be maintained even with regular honing. Continuing to sharpen a knife over the course of a single weekend left me with a constantly sharp knife, but one where I'd removed a full 1/8 of an inch of material from the blade. Since it wasn't my knife I didn't much care, but there is no way I would ever let this touch my own personal knives, or any expensive knives really.

If you buy cheap knives in the first place and just replace them when they dull, you should seriously get this. It will save you a lot of money. BUT, if you care about the longevity of your blades, move along. Most likely your knife will only need to be honed anyway, but if it really needs to be sharpened, get a wet stone and learn to use it.

Edit: People are reacting negatively to this review in part because amazans mobile app posted my review when all I had listed was the positives, before the "HOWEVER". It took a long to to figure out how to edit the review from the mobile site and in the meantime damage was done.

That said, let me also clarify another point. Under normal sharpening conditions on a wet stone as you would find in a commercial kitchen it would take years to remove as much material from the blade as this thing did in a single weekend, and the edge would last a lot longer.

Note that this review pertains only to the knife sharpener, not the garden tool or scissor sharpener. I am buying the multi-pack today, based on how well the version for knives has worked for me.

In 2006, Cooks Illustrated magazine did a product review of knife sharpeners, and the AccuSharp was deemed the best of the manual sharpeners that they tested. Then I found out that a friend of mine owned one, and I borrowed it. It worked like a charm, and I immediately bought one for myself, which I have been using for the last five years.

Sharpening is fast and easy. If your knives are not ridiculously dull, one or two passes is sufficient to restore the edge to better-than-new. The Cooks Illustrated review points out the only downside: If your knives are in really bad shape, this will not remove nicks from the blade it just doesn't remove enough metal.

Final thought: There is another review which states that repeated use over a weekend removed 1/8" of the knife blade. I don't see how this is possible, unless one is using it incorrectly (like sticking a new pencil in a pencil sharpener, and continuing to turn the crank until the pencil is sharpened down to a stub). Regular use is just a couple of passes, and removes almost no metal.

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I have been using Accusharp for about ten years on everything from Kershaw, Cold Steel, Spyderco, Gerber, and SOG folding knives to Wusthoff, Sheffield, Forschner, Sabatier, and Henckels kitchen knives. None of my knives have been significantly reduced as described by Daniel in his review. I'm not arguing with his statements, just saying that my experience has been considerably different than his.

If starting with an extremely dull blade, you might have to take quite a bit of metal off to achieve a sharp edge, but after that all you will need is a few light strokes to maintain the edge. And remember that you should use a butcher's steel or ceramic rod MUCH more often than a sharpener.

There are any number of similar sharpeners, and I've tried many of them but none work as well as the Accusharp.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I have been using the AccuSharp multipack of sharpeners for many weeks now. The multipack consists of sharpeners for Garden tools, Scissors, and Knives and Tools. There is some overlap among functions; for example the Scissors sharpener can be used for hedge clippers per the instructions, and so can the Garden sharpener. Basically the differences between the sharpeners is how the sharpeners are mounted. The Knife sharpener has "v" shape array which fits over typical knife blades. The Scissors sharpener is a single flat, horizontal sharpener that you rest on the beveled scissors edge and draw it across. The Garden sharpener is "v" shaped like the Knife sharpener, but the notch is wider and one of the sides of the "v" is more prominent: that is the side that goes against the beveled edge of the blade.

With these 3 sharpeners, I feel like there is nothing left in the house that I can't sharpen.

I have fine Wusthof kitchen knives, and a couple of swipes with the Knife sharpener and they are slicing tomatoes like they are new. Old scissors (and when I say "old," I mean from the 1960s) have been rejuvenated. The scissor action is a bit loose still, but the scissor blades are sharp as can be now. My lawnmower blade gets a few strokes each time I mow, and the grasscutting action is the better for it. Every time I come across something old and dull around the house, I have applied one of these sharpeners to it, and every time the performance has been improved.

These sharpeners are extremely effective, and thus it is VERY important to follow the instructions (just a paragraph or 2 on the back of the package) ... the most important of which is to use a LIGHT touch. It does not take much pressure to remove metal with tungsten carbide sharpeners, and you can do more harm than good if you press too hard. So remember, light touch improves much (I just made that up, good, eh?)

So, here are my pros and cons for this multipack of sharpeners:

Great value: Three sharpeners for a very reasonable price.

Excellent performance: As I described above, I have sharpened fine kitchen knives, VERY old scissors, newer scissors that had become dull, lawnmower blade, utility knives (not the razor type, the blade type), and every time the sharpeners have done an excellent job.

Color coded: Green for Garden, Yellow for Scissors, Blue for Knives. As well, the names/functions are printed or embossed on each of the sharpeners too.

Reversible sharpener: If you ever manage to wear down the sharpener, the tool can be disassembled and the sharpener can be reversed. This effectively doubles the life of the device. Awesome.

Protective handle: Because the usage is to rest the blade sharp side upward and draw the sharpener across, there is potential for slippage and injury WITHOUT a protective handle ... however the protection is there but care should still always be used when handling sharp objects.

USA made: Gotta love that one.

Lifetime warranty: I seriously love a company that stands behind its products.

Cons:

I just sat here for 5 minutes and couldn't think of a single one I have personally observed.

Bottom line:

This is a great set of knife, scissors, and garden tool sharpeners. It's effective, easy to use, made in the USA, and has a lifetime warranty. Highly recommended for household sharpening needs.

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I got one of these as a stocking stuffer 15 years ago from my uncle. To say I was thrilled would not exactly describe how I felt about it. But he was enthusiastic and so proud of this wonderful gift. He went right to the kitchen and got out knives and proceeded to show us. Well, ya know what? For once, it was just exactly what it said it was, a fantastic knife shapener. I have used nothing else for 15 years, I use mine on scissors, and kitchen knives. I didn't know until today that they had other kinds.

I was so happy to see this today as a multi-pack deal. I will be ordering one for myself and one for my daughter, son, and mother.

I promise, if you get this sharpener you will love it. I have used it on serrated knives, carbon steel, stainless, all of them, and it works on all of them.

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Gordon Ramsay Chef Knives Maze 6 Piece Knife Set

Gordon Ramsay Chef Knives Maze 6 Piece Knife SetI wanted to add a bit of info, since the description is pretty sparse.

The blades are all "European" (I am guessing German) X50CrMoV15 stainless steel, which is a good quality steel, a little softer than the Japanese steels but easier to maintain. It is used on other quality knives like Messermeister. The handles are either a polymer or a resin. I haven't had a chance to use all the blades yet, but so far they all seem to be sharp, decently balanced, and well put together. On mine, the polymer-to-metal fit is seamless on all the knives. While the steel used may be European, the knives themselves are made in China. I don't think that is too uncommon for high-value knives, as I have one J.A. Henckels International knife that is the same, but it is worth noting, especially if comparing to premium brands made in Germany (Wusthof, Messermeister, etc.) or Japan (Shun, Global, MAC, etc.).

The knives have a full bolster, which can help with balance, but requires a bit more maintenance than a partial bolster, since the bolster itself will need filed down over time to maintain balance. The knives have a flat, steel pommel, which is nice for crushing a bulb of garlic or the like.

One notable weak point is the honing steel. It is a flattened oval rather than round, and it has an extremely course grit which looks to be diamond coated. The grit is so aggressive, I'd never let a decent knife touch it, since it could easily destroy the edge in a few passes. Even in the best case it would be removing a ton of metal, which is not what you want to do when honing. Last off, on mine, the fit of its "blade" to the grip (unlike the knives, it isn't a single piece of steel) is less than perfect.

All in all, a pretty decent set, as long as you don't pay too much. They are nicer than the J.A. Henckels International knives, but you still don't want to pay too much more than for a similar J.A. Henckels Premio set--after all made in China is still made in China. RD recently had these on sale for 75% off. If you are looking at 65-75% off (~20-25 usd per knife), these seem like a good way to get a versatile set made from quality steel. Save a bit out for a new honing steel though.

*ADDENDUM*

For those just starting out on a collection, you may wish to consider a MAC Original chef's knife and paring knife. The two knives you will be using 95% of the time will be top quality, and only cost around 85 usd together. Really top quality, but not so expensive that you cannot replace them if a mistake happens as you learn to sharpen and care for them. Early on, those knives are where the focus should go. If you already have some nice blades like that, or are planning to get some, this set really shines as a compliment, as it is a decent way to round out the odds and ends like a bread knife, utility knife, etc., made out of good steel, without spending a fortune.

Lenox Eternal Gold 3-Piece Stainless Steel Flatware Serving Set

Lenox Eternal Gold 3-Piece Stainless Steel Flatware Serving SetI am very pleased with the Lenox Eternal Gold flatware set and all of the accessory serving pieces. They are larger and heavier than I expected them to be and we grace any table in which they are used. Delivery was expedited within a few days.

The price, the service and the shipping were perfect. This adds to our collection and we're so happy to have it.

Buy Lenox Eternal Gold 3-Piece Stainless Steel Flatware Serving Set Now

Oneida Icarus 45-Piece Set, Service for 8

Oneida Icarus 45-Piece Set, Service for 8I bought the Icarus set at Bed Bath and Beyond after falling in love with my mom's couple year old set. While I love the looks and especially the weight of the pieces, I'm extremely disappointed.

First thing I noticed out of the box was like some other reports, some of the handles were actually sharp on the back edges. Secondly, on several pieces, the curve between the fork and handle and spoon and handle is very rough almost as rough as the inner portion of the fork tines. I figured that I could live with it since I loved the set otherwise.

Less than a month of use later (including being washed promptly in the dishwasher with regular non citrus/no bleach Cascade) I noticed that not only were the inner fork tines rusting, but several of the knife blades were as well. Closer inspection revealed that nearly all of the pieces with rough surface (spoons, knives and forks) had rust on the rough spots and half of the knives had a spot of rust on the handle in the exactly same spot just underneath the place/date of manufacture stamp.

So why can a 3 week old set be rusting when a couple of years old set look brand new? I realized that beyond the fact that the factory in China that produced my set in June of 08 apparently didn't know what "quality control" meant, the set my mom had was different from mine and others that have had problems.

I asked my mom to see if her set had a date stamp it didn't, but WAS stamped 18/10 Oneida China. I'd assumed (you know what they say about that) that mine was 18/10 and couldn't remember even noting if the box said 18/10 or not, but my set has no 18/10 stamp on the pieces and according to the Oneida US site, the Icarus is now 18/0. Oneida UK still lists the 18/10 Icarus.

While the 18/0 may account for the rust, the other issues are just related to absolutely no quality control and corners being cut in manufacturing. I'm really disappointed in Oneida they used to be a decent brand.

Much has been said about the lack of quality control in this pattern. Complaints have ranged from rough edges to rust. Such complaints weren't limited to Amazon's Web site. To Oneida's credit, the complaints are even more extensive on their Web site. They also stop after February of 2010.

I purchased two, 8 service sets of Icarus from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The complaints stress the cheap, Chinese manufacture, and the change from using the relatively more expensive 18-10 stainless to the cheaper 18-0. The two numbers refer to the percentage of other metals combined with steel. The first number refers to chromium, the second to nickel. People attribute the rust to the lack of nickel.

I have put my flatware through about 6 bouts in the dishwasher, using Finish Quantum tablets. There is no rust, anywhere. Properly made 18-0 shouldn't rust. I have been watching the fork tines especially like a hawk (and will keep on watching them). Written on the box and imprinted on the flatware itself is the country of origin: Vietnam, not China.

Update 16 December 2010: Flatware has been washed repeatedly with Finish Quantum and Cascade Complete tablets, and there is still no rust or discoloration.

The finish is a smooth polish, with no rough edges. No, it's not mirror smooth, but it's pretty good. The exception is the inside of the fork tines. They are merely ground smooth.

In short, it looks like Oneida had outsourcing trouble, and changed factories.

Here are some comments on the individual items:

Knives: These are a fairly standard size and weight, which makes them seem rather light compared to the forks and spoons. The serrations are more pronounced than any other set I saw. In other words, you could probably cut steak with these.

Large spoons: These are slightly wider than what they replaced, and much deeper. These are true soup spoons. They weigh more than double (99 grams) what they replaced (45 grams). These are thick, strong beasts that will not bend at all if you abuse them. Their ends may have trouble fitting small slots in a dishwasher's silverware basket.

Small spoons: These are a little narrower than what they replaced. They fit a large number of narrow containers. They may be narrow, but they are deep. They are also built solid. You can still scoop hard frozen ice cream with these.

Forks: Big, and massive, like the spoons. They have relatively short, thick tines. They, too, may have trouble fitting the smaller slots of the dishwasher silverware basket.

Salad forks: Petite versions of the dinner fork, but with even more shortened tines. They are still surprisingly heavy, and won't bend.

I like the simple lines and curves of this set, but you will never mistake this stuff for formal dinner ware. This is good quality, virtually indestructible, daily beater ware.

Buy Oneida Icarus 45-Piece Set, Service for 8 Now

I purchased this flatware after an exhaustive search for new everyday stainless. Many of the reviews posted referred to the nice weight and simple styling of the design. All true. However, I should have paid more attention to the couple of reviews discussing rust spots. After the very first wash every grooved piece (forks and knives) were covered in ugly orange rust spots. These were washed in a two year old Fisher & Paykel dishwasher with powder detergent arranged as specified in the manufacturer's care instructions. I spent over an hour using stainless polish to try to remove the spots (it is impossible to remove them completely) and then rewashed only to have the exact same result. These went back pronto! It was a real disappointment from a brand like Oneida. It is clear that there was a defect in the manufacturing process.

Read Best Reviews of Oneida Icarus 45-Piece Set, Service for 8 Here

My fiance and I had a hard time looking for flatware that we both liked. We wanted something simple, elegant, and classic. That's what we found with the Oneida Icarus pattern.

This pattern goes with everything. Given this is our first complete set of flatware, we wanted something that would go with everything. In the future, we can buy a set with more design or one that we want specifically for a table setting (holidays, etc.)

The flatware is a bit larger and heavier than most other sets; it doesn't feel cheap or bendable. This pattern is available at a number of retailers so I would suggest taking a trip to the store to hold, feel, and examine this flatware.

Dishwasher safe, though we've had some problems with spotting but that is probably due to the dishwasher we have. No tarnishing or other marks to speak of.

The set we received as a gift was not from Amazon. Ours included a five piece bonus serving set of two large serving spoons, one large slotted serving spoon, a large serving fork, and a sugar spoon. I do not believe this one contains the same it would be a good idea to contact Amazon or Macy's to find out.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this set based upon its quality and price. It's your own decision whether or not you like the pattern. :)

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I am reviewing these because I was SHOCKED by the one-star reviews. I could see some 4-stars (I will address the rust issue) but there is some real vitriol here that I don't think is warranted.

I bought this set about 1.5 years ago. It is beautiful and washes wonderfully without rust spots. I should note that they will get rust spots (like all other stainless steel utensils and pots and pans and knives) if you use lemon detergent, use too much detergent, and/or pack the silver too tightly. I try to only pack 2-3 pieces per compartment and haven't gotten rust spots. I also like to use the "heated" drying cycle on the dishwasher and it seems to work. Also, don't wash them in a "heavy duty" cycle.

I love the design, it's modern, no hard edges (I agree with the other poster, she MUST have gotten fakes), and it's symmetrical (I'm a lefty, so "righty" (anything unsymmetrical) utensils are awkward). I've received compliments from multiple guests because they feel quite expensive (heavier utensils are a sign of quality--go to a diner if you want paperweight forks). The handles themselves are well-balanced and easy to use if you hold a fork properly. If they fall off of your plate, I suggest re-positioning them closer to the center of the plate.

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