The 7 Best Kitchen Knife Block Sets of 2024, Tested in Real Kitchens
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Our top pick is the Mercer Culinary Genesis Forged Knife Set
PEOPLE / WILL DICKEY
Good kitchen knives are an absolute must-have for any home chef. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or more of a kitchen rookie, a high-quality kitchen knife block set is essential to food prep.
Block sets eliminate the guesswork involved in buying knives one by one, but there are three knives in particular that you should prioritize if you do buy a kitchen knife block set. Chef and Food Network star Aarti Sequeira tells PEOPLE that home chefs should prioritize “a chef’s knife, a serrated knife, and a paring knife . . . of the best quality you can afford.”
The More You Know
“If you’re looking for a blade that’s going to last, that can be sharpened and honed, don’t bother with knives with those tiny teeth. They scrape through meat and produce rather than making clean cuts,” says Sequeira. “You want a blade that’s somewhat heavy so you can smash garlic cloves and cut through a whole chicken.”
PEOPLE Tested got to work testing 21 kitchen knife block sets, honing in on the chef’s knife, serrated knife, and paring knife in each set to determine which sets earned the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval. We kept using the knife block sets at home for six months and have updated our findings below.
Read on to discover the best kitchen knife sets that PEOPLE tested.
Best Overall: Mercer Culinary Genesis 6-Piece Forged Knife Set
Star Qualities
Chef’s knife cuts smoothly
Comfortable rubber grips
Great value for quality knives
Block looks good sitting on countertop
Red Flags
No space for more knives
The overall winner impressed us at every turn. The chef’s knife was one of the smoothest cutting knives we tried, and we could easily slice tomatoes thinly. It's also heavy with an easy-to-grip rubber handle with a nice curve at the bottom to rest your finger. Dicing onions with the chef’s knife was like a dream.
The serrated knife performed well on crusty bread — no sawing necessary. It’s a good size and length, it’s lightweight, and, like the chef’s knife, it features a rubber handle with a nice bolster for your finger on the blade.
In our final test, the paring knife was up to par for hulling strawberries, producing a smooth cut with no resistance. It’s got a nice, sharp tip with a good handle-to-blade ratio.
The design of the block is nice to look at, but there’s no room to expand. The glass also might be hard to keep clean with kitchen splatters and grease. On the positive side, the shape of the block would allow it to sit flush with a wall or backsplash.
How It's Held Up
After continuing to chop, slice, and dice with the Mercer knife set over six months of testing, we were happily surprised to see that these knives stayed sharp and precise. Plus, they didn't lose their grip even after washing and scrubbing the comfortable handles.
Number of Knives in Set: 5 | Block Style: Glass block
Best Budget: Farberware Edgekeeper 21-Piece Forged Triple Riveted Block Set
Star Qualities
Ideal for new cooks
Includes a built-in sharpener
Come with more knives than any other block set on our list
Red Flags
Boxy handle on chef’s knife might be uncomfortable
This set has the most knives of any of our winners — it’s a good starter set with everything you could need and more (it even includes a tourné knife). The built-in knife sharpener is a great touch, and the wood knife block is aesthetically pleasing with its classic rivet design. The quality, however, matches the low price tag. We found the handles of the knives to be poorly constructed, and in our particular set, the blades had lots of imperfections along the edges and spines.
The chef’s knife felt balanced, but the handle wasn’t ergonomically friendly due to its boxy shape. It did perform well slicing tomatoes, though we noticed some light tearing. It cleanly sliced through the onion as well, and the tip and edge of the knife did a good job with dicing. We didn’t have as much success with the serrated knife, which wasn’t very sharp, and tore the bread. The cuts in this test were inconsistent. The paring knife fared much better, with a sharp blade and a handle long enough to fit into your entire hand. The tip easily cored the strawberries, ready to pop into your favorite portable blender for smoothies, and the knife felt light and balanced to hold.
Number of Knives in Set: 20, including shears and 8 steak knives | Block Style: Block
Best Investment: Kramer by Zwilling Stainless Damascus 7 Piece Magnetic Set
Star Qualities
Sturdy and durable set stayed sharp and precise
Chef's knife cuts smoother than most others we tested
Unique design looks beautiful
Red Flags
Doesn't include a serrated knife
Our pick for a splurge set is a true statement piece for the kitchen. The block design is very unique, extremely well-made, and durable. It is magnetic, but it stands alone and doesn't have to be mounted. It's aesthetically attractive, though it does take up a lot of room on the countertop.
The chef’s knife in this set is as smooth as it gets compared to other knives we tested. Slicing tomatoes thin and dicing onions was a breeze, with sleek cuts and no resistance. Using the paring knife for hulling strawberries was straightforward. We were disappointed to find no serrated knife in this set, especially at its high price point. The blades are very sharp but not exceptionally so.
How It's Held Up
After six more months of use, these knives stayed sharp, and we continued to reach for them daily. The only knife we didn't use was the 8-inch chef's knife, which felt too bulky to be completely comfortable. We noticed that all the knives have slightly bulky handles, which could be a drawback for knife users with small hands.
Number of Knives in Set: 6 | Block Style: Magnetic
Best Set with Steak Knives: Chicago Cutlery Fusion 17-Piece Knife Set
Star Qualities
Great value for 17 pieces
Nice wedding or housewarming gift
Excellent for general cooking tasks
Red Flags
Block is bulky
The chef’s knife in this set is heavy and balanced, with a nice curve to the handle to help with grip. It felt really fluid in our tests, and very smooth and effortless while thinly slicing tomatoes. While dicing onions, we did feel a little resistance. The serrated knife sliced easily through our bread right from the bread box with little resistance. While hulling strawberries, we noted that the paring knife worked well, though most of its weight was in the handle, making for a bit of an odd feel.
Eight steak knives and a traditional block round out this set, making it a one-stop shop for every kind of knife you may need. We think it's a good value for the performance and would recommend the set to friends and family. On the other hand, the set (and block) is large, so if you don't have a use for a full set of knives and steak knives, this set may be more than you need.
How It's Held Up
These knives stayed sharp over six months of use. Overall, we'd recommend this as a quality, affordable knife set that holds up well over time.
Number of Knives in Set: 15, including honing steel and 8 steak knives | Block Style: Block
Best Japanese Knife Set: Ginsu Chikara 8-Piece Bamboo Block Knife Set
Star Qualities
Sharp right out of the box
Paring knife felt well-balanced
Includes kitchen shears
Red Flags
Handles aren’t as grippy as we’d like
Our pick for the best Japanese knife set performed exceptionally well, and the knives were capable of slicing through everything with great ease. The weight of the chef’s knife alone was enough to slice through a tomato, and it took very little effort to dice an onion as well. There was no serrated bread knife included in this set; however, it does include a small serrated utility knife, which is very sharp and features rounded serrations. It worked well enough to slice through bread, though a longer knife would have been better suited for the job. The paring knife is incredibly sharp and well-balanced, and it easily hulled and cored the strawberries.
The knife block — and the set as a whole — is relatively light, with handles that did not feel very grippy. The knives could also be more comfortable to hold and use, and the block itself is rather large and clunky for the limited number of knives that it stores. In terms of value, the quality of construction and performance make this set very fairly priced. This set — which also includes kitchen shears — is great for all kitchen tasks.
Number of Knives in Set: 8, including honing steel and shears | Block Style: Block
Best Magnetic Knife Set: Cangshan Thomas Keller Signature Collection 7-Piece Magnetic Knife Set
Star Qualities
Exceptionally sharp knives
Set can be hung for storage
Knives have long blades and a balanced feel
Red Flags
Strip may be difficult to mount on certain surfaces
For anyone who likes to have their knives visible but lacks the necessary counter space for a chunky knife block, this magnetic strip set from cutlery maker Cangshan (in collaboration with Michelin-starred chef Thomas Keller) is a great option. These were some of the sharpest knives we tested. We awarded these seven knives with top marks for their cutting abilities and designated the set’s performance to be perfect across the board. The knives sliced easily through tomatoes, bread, and even a sheet of paper.
This set comes with two different-sized chef’s knives, a paring knife, a utility knife, a bread knife, and a carving knife. We particularly enjoyed the chef’s knives, which had a not-too-heavy but not-too-light weight. All of the knives were long but still felt balanced in hand.
We also noted that these knives were made from an easy-to-clean, fine-grained, high-alloy steel that didn’t drip when wet. Our biggest concern with this set is that the magnetic hanging strip might be difficult to mount on some surfaces.
How It's Held Up
We continued to love these knives for six months of testing at home, although we noticed that we reached for the 10-inch chef's knife the least because it wasn't as comfortable in our hand as the other knives. At the six-month point, we started to notice a slight dulling in the sharpness of the blades on the knives we used most frequently, but it's nothing that a minor sharpening couldn't fix.
Number of Knives in Set: 6 | Block Style: Magnetic strip
Best Chef’s Knife Set: Global Classic 7-Piece Takashi Knife Wood Block Set
$600 $400 at Crateandbarrel.com
Star Qualities
Modern design
Felt lightweight and ergonomic
Great handle size for smaller hands
Red Flags
Handles might feel too small and thin for larger hands
This Global Classic seven-piece knife set features modern handles and sleek blades — all inside a gorgeous wooden block. The perforated stainless steel handles are very light and thin, yet the knife edges feel sturdy and sharp.
The star of this set is the chef’s knife, which was one of the sharpest knives that we tested. We were able to produce thin, clean tomato slices with zero tearing — a difficult feat for even the best knives. In fact, we didn’t even need to hold onto the tomato with our other hand to achieve perfect slices. These knives are incredibly sharp out of the box.
This set includes a serrated bread knife, paring knife, utility knife, vegetable peeler, and ceramic sharpening rod alongside the incredible chef's knife. The knife handles feel light and thin and would fit perfectly in the palm of someone with a smaller hand — those with larger hands might want to look elsewhere.
How It's Held Up
This knife set continued to impress over long-term testing. For those who like super-sharp knives, you may have to hone them every few months to keep up their sharpness, but that's to be expected with most knives. We continued to love the ergonomic handles and were continually impressed by how easy these knives were to clean.
Number of Knives in Set: 5; includes honing steel | Block Style: Block
Related: The 7 Best Stainless Steel Frying Pans of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
What to Know About Kitchen Knife Block Sets
Look and Feel
Making an investment in a kitchen knife block set may require getting hands-on with the products before making a final decision. “Try to feel the knife in your hands. It should feel solid, not flimsy. The blade shouldn’t bend,” says Sequeira.
In addition to the feel, consider how the knives will look on your countertop. A wood block is a classic look that would fit in with many types of kitchens. If you prefer your knives to be showpieces or would rather have a more modern look, there are magnetic stands and glass blocks among our picks that fit the bill.
Cooking Needs
Consider what you have in your kitchen already (steak knives? shears?) when checking out kitchen knife block sets so you don’t end up with duplicates. If you’re well stocked with standard knives already, a block set may not be the best choice for you. Sequeira advises that if you’ve got the three high-quality staples on hand (chef’s knife, serrated knife, and paring knife), a kitchen knife block set may not be necessary.
A good knife is a sharp knife, so consider whether the set comes with a knife sharpener or whether you’ll have to purchase one separately. Wood knife blocks, Sequeira notes, “tend to dull your blade.” So, if you opt for a wood model, be sure you have the ability to sharpen your knives.
Skill Level
As Sequeira points out above, buying a chef’s knife, a serrated knife, and a paring knife is key to kitchen success, regardless of your skill level. However, if you’re more of a beginner chef, a starter kitchen knife block set (or even a food processor) might suit you well, and there’s no need to spend more on a large set of knives. A seasoned pro? Consider the look and the function of the knives, particularly those big three.
People / Will Dickey
Behind the Scenes
PEOPLE Tested tried out 21 top-rated kitchen knife block sets, with a range of three to 21 pieces per set (including steak knives, chef's knives, paring knives, serrated knives, honing steels, kitchen shears, and applicable storage accessories such as blocks, magnetic bars, and sheaths).
Performance: For each set, we tested the chef’s knife, the serrated bread knife, and the paring knife to evaluate their performance. We used the chef's knife to slice and dice tomatoes and onions, the paring knife to hull strawberries, and the serrated bread knife to slice through fresh bread.
Overall Value: We also rated the design, size (or quantity and variety of knives in the set), and value. Overall, we found that the prices were not necessarily indicative of quality, as many less-expensive sets outperformed the more expensive options.
Long-Term Testing: We continued using the knife block sets at home for six months after lab testing to see how they performed in the real world. We evaluated the care and keeping of each knife block set, and how well the knife blade held their sharpness over time.
Why Trust PEOPLE?
Cai Cramer is a commerce writer at PEOPLE who writes about everything from kitchen essentials to the best skincare products. Rennie Dyball also contributed to this piece. Rennie is an award-winning author who began her career at PEOPLE in 2002 as a reporter and remained on staff until 2017; she now regularly freelances for the brand. She covers a wide range of topics, from beauty to pets to housewares. For this article, both writers consulted the lab and testing insights and sorted through mounds of data, testing pictures, and staff feedback from our test kitchen to bring you the best kitchen knife block sets. For expert insight into selecting the best knife sets, they spoke with chef and Food Network star Aarti Sequeira. After six months of at-home use, we've updated this article based on how these knives performed in real-world kitchens.
Our Expert Panel
Aarti Sequeira is a chef, Food Network star, cooking show host, cookbook author, journalist, television producer, and food personality. She won season six of The Next Food Network Star, was the host of Aarti Party on the Food Network and Hidden Eats on the Cooking Channel, and serves as a frequent judge on Guy’s Grocery Games, also on the Food Network.
What Is PEOPLE Tested?
We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs.
But we don’t stop there: We also regularly re-review the categories in which we’ve awarded the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval — because the best product of today might not be the best of tomorrow. And by the way, companies can never buy our recommendation: Their products must earn it, fair and square.
In short, PEOPLE Tested provides recommendations you can trust — every day, every purchase.
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