My husband received a set of Chicago Cutlery knives as a bachelor gift about 1994. His parents got them for him when he moved out. So, we have had our set for 7 years.

They are wonderful. He was very careful with them--oiling the handles, keeping the blades sharp, washing in the sink etc., while he was a chef at TGIF.

These knives have been through a lot of chopping and cutting. We use them for dinner, BBQ, wild game, cutting meat scraps for dogs, fish, on and on I could go...they're multi-purpose.

I on the other hand I abuse them. I don't oil them often, chop on the counter and have been known to throw them in the dishwasher. Our Chicago Cutlery knives have withstood this mistreatment very well. It's been harder on my husband than the knives:)

They are easy to hold on to; the weight in my opinion is perfect. The handles fit my small hand well just as they are grasp-able for my husbands larger hand. I have never gotten a splinter from them which I cant say for some of the cheaper knives we have tried in the past...a whole other
epinion. The blades stay sharp for 2-3 weeks depending how many times I use them on the counter. *sheepish grin* The Chicago Cutlery Walnut Tradition knives come with their own sharpener thingy...dont know the technical term.

As for the wooden handles, ours have never split, or become ragged. Even after their escapades in the dishwasher, and oil neglecting. They are still firmly attached to the blade as the day he received them. The handles have faded a bit to a gray color but return to the beautiful walnut as soon as I get around to oiling them.

The Chicago Cutlery knives come with their own knife block. There is a spot for each knife with the correct size slot. I have bought knife sets where believe it or not you had to double up knives in the same space (VERY BAD) and some of the slots were so slim it wrecked the blades when you tried to place the knife in. This has happened to me with some very nice brand name knives! But not with Chicago Cutlery. The block needs to be oiled too. Ours hasn't got it in a long time and it is doing fine. It is still a beautiful walnut color and has never cracked.

I recommend these knives to anyone who doesn't have the time to baby their appliances, or to those who just want a good durable set a knives that will give them years of use.



Recommended: Yes