The only way your knives will be harmed in the dishwasher, unless they have wooden grips, is that the edges will tend to get banged into other metal things. If you can place them in the dishwasher so that this doesn't happen, they will be fine. If you put all your sharp knives in a heap with each other and other silverware during the handwashing process, then you subject the blades to similar abuse. Safety is a different issue. While I agree that it is pretty dangerous to have sharp knives sticking up out of the silverware basket in your dishwasher, putting them in a basin of sudsy water is even more dangerous. At least in the dishwasher silverware basket, you can see them. A sharp knife that is invisible under sudsy water is ridiculously dangerous. If that's how you would handwash them, then do yourself a favor and put them in the dishwasher. jefd

If you have your heart set on Wusthof or the like you're best bet is to just Google or Froogle it. You're not going to find any super deals though. If you are concerned about the total number of dollars you spend then just get the basics. If you're interested in percent savings then remember that usually the larger the set - the greater the percentage saving over open stock.

I had a knife-fest last summer after going to a Cutco presentation (and doing enough research to know that if I ever bought Cutco, it would just be for the scissors). Then I began to research knives, what fun! I imagined all sorts of glamorous knives in my kitchen! Then, common sense stepped in. For the finale, I went through my drawers of knives and had a cutting party. Turns out I had some Globals, some beautiful full-tanged stuff from Amway (mom's), assorteds of all sorts, including some old beat-up looking knives that turned out to be Forschners with rosewood handles. So I put them to the test. Cutting boards and dismembered vegetables and pieces of bread littered the counters as if a veggiecidal maniac was on the loose. Guess what? The old Forschners won my cutting test, hands down. They went through veggies as though they were butter! My MIL and I were laughing as we tried the different knives, and whenever we used the Forschner I would say "Do it again!" over and over. They was SO fun to cut with! Then I sharpened them all and tried again. Those old Forschners were STILL the best, by a landslide, even though they weren't the prettiest, by far. I got rid of lots of knives, got a proper holder for the remaining knives, and I now use the Forschners almost every day. Check your knife drawers, everyone, you may have a hidden treasure!

An easy way to sharpen knives is a Chefs Choice electric sharpening machine. Cooks Illustrated rated this device well. I was given one, tried it out and was impressed. I did give it away, but only because the particular model I got sharpens to a 20-25 degree angle and I prefer 15 degrees. So I gave it to my friend (she of the Lot of Living Kitchen) who has 40+ knives, all dull (but no longer). I think they cost $150+ but am not sure. Basically they have three rotating abrasive wheels, from coarse to fine, and you draw the knife through slots that position the blade at a fixed angle relative to the wheels. Whetstones cost maybe $50+ for a minimal set of oilstones, but do take some learning and time. It is kind of fun, and is the ''best'' way - removes the least metal and you can control the angle, toothiness, etc. I know quite a few here on KF use stones. There are various other sharpening gadgets. I can't really say which are good. Some of the V-rod systems are probably meant for shorter knives. Or you can have a service sharpen your knives. I don't know the cost. Seems like a reasonable route if they do a good job and don't take off too much metal. I would not have any old service sharpen a really good knife (like, >$300?) or an Asian type edge (more acute angle, single-bevel, etc).