They're not for everyone...but the top of the Chicago Cutlery are what I use....they fit my hand and are inexpensive to replace every 5 or so years...but I have been using some for well more than 10 years and they are better than fine.
Linda C

I use a variety of brands my favorites being Henckels for my large chef knife, and a couple of smaller serrated ones.
I like my 5" Wusthof for a general go to knife.
And then I own a set of Kershaw blade-traders. They have one handle which you switch out with the blade you need. LOVE the bread knife and the boning knife.
Go to a kitchen store...feel them in your hand..do they fit?
Does the weight feel right?
If finances are an issue, buy them individually. Starting with a smaller go to knife and a larger chefs knife for chopping. Purchase a steel, and use it! It will keep your knives sharper longer.
When you do find the ones you want, take care not to put them in the dishwasher, or cut on ceramic tile, marble or general hard surface like that. It will dull them in a red hot minute.
And most of all enjoy the heck out of them, it will make cooking that more enjoyable!

For the best balance in a knife, you want the metal to go all the way through the handle, and not just stop short an inch or two into the handle. This is sometimes called "full tang" and you should find this in better knives.

Another important point is to hold the knives in your hand. Don't order online or from a catalog until you actually get the feel of various knives in your hand. Do some practice chopping motions on a wood block in the store to see which handle feels best to you. The size of your hands also figures into which brand and model of knife fits well.

Some good brand names:
Henckel
Wusthoff
Lamson
Chicago Cutlery (mine have lasted a lot longer than 5 years)
Victorinox (I recently bought the 8" Fibrox cook's knife for my son as it was rated highest by Cook's Illustrated)

There are many, many lines out now with Calphalon, Wolfgang Puck, Emeril, Rachael, etc. etc. now selling their own brands of knives. I'd say stick with the well-known lines. And you really don't need a large "set" of knives. Start out with a 6" or 8" chef's knife, a parer/peeler, and a bread knife. Then add later, slicer, boning, tomato, etc. If you do not eat meat, you may not need a boning or slicer. Most people like to have more than one small parer/peeler for veggies and fruits. Your need for knives also depends and what kind of cooking you do.

Hope this helps!
Teresa

Teresa said it very well.

There are so many good to great knives out there. The top brands of just a few years ago are now matched in quality by so many smaller brands today.

I think it boils down to two things:

1. Buy the best quality that you can afford.

2. Feel the knife/knives before buying. What is one person's favorite "balance" doesn't necessarily work for another person.

I do all my shopping at restauratn supply stores (including Smart & Final) and they let me "test drive" anything and everything.

Joe

Here's a terrific site...

Here is a link that might be useful: Choosing knives

I like Chcago Cutlery knives also and I have some that I've had for 15 years...but I lost one of my two favorite chef's knives and see that their knives have changed! They are not the same shape or quality and are not getting good reviews on line. Linda, I also like the way the wood handles fit in my hand and the way the knives perform and that they are really quite inexpensive as far as good knives go. But the new ones? I'm not sure. I am also in the market for some new knives but haven's done my research yet.

I too am in the process of upgrading my knives. I am finding that I am partial to Wustof, but I would happily mix and match brands. . .just as long as I get the best knife for me for the job.

One thing I did which is probably a little odd is that a few months ago I bought a really cheap santuko knife from IKEA ($7) just to try the style for awhile and see if it was something I would use. It stayed sharp long enough for me to realize that I would use that style knife every day. So, for Christmas I got a wustof 7" santuko and it is like a dream come true!

After I had determined that I wanted a santuko I went to the store and tried them all in my hand. One just felt better in my hand than the others (and that's how Wustof got on my wish list). If I didn't have the time with the cheaper version I don't know that I would have been able to really know which felt better in my hand (by using it for awhile I had a good idea of what motions I would use, and what type of weight would be more useful to me).

I just went back this weekend and got a Wustof paring knife for my birthday. Again, I tried them all in my hand and just picked the one that felt best (knowing that all the knives I was trying were good quality).

One thing I learned in my search is that even Wustof and Henkels have different lines of knives that are of different quality. The Henkels with the two little dancing guys are better than the one little dancing guy. And I think the wustof calls their lower end line "gourmet". I'm sure the cheaper knives are still OK, but I can tell a big difference with the nicer line . . .definitely worth the money.

Good luck in your search! I'm sure you'll enjoy your new knives whichever you end up with.

I'm not even a good cook yet, but my mom used Wusthoff ONLY! So that is what I bought, except for the cleaver which is a Henckel, it is one awesome cleaver. I don't know how many of you use a cleaver but mine is used quite often, from cutting parts up to tenderizing meat with the "backside", it's tenderizing ease beats any other utensil, even the ones designed for the job by a long shot.

I have a Chicago set..My most used knife is the chefs.(I need to sharpen, thanks for the reminder!)LOL And then actually one from Pampered Chef~kitchen utility size next.(comes in the case that has a sharpener built in.)

I'd love a new knife or two...

Here's some more on the subject from the Cookware forum...

Here is a link that might be useful: What are the Best Knives?

Wusthof, Sabatier, Henckels--all very good, very $$$, but the best steel in the world isn't good if 1)the balance of the knife doesn't feel right in your hand or 2) you don't keep it sharp or 3) you don't store it right.

Chicago Cutlery has a well deserved reputation for decent performance for not much money.

Some months ago Cook's Illustrated rated chef knives, and one of their favorites was an inexpensive Victorinox/Forschner chef's knife with a 'Fibrox' handle--something like $29 or so. Google those terms and you'll find lots of vendors.

As far a keeping it sharp, take a visit to this web site to learn all that anybody, including Sweeney Todd, would need to know about keeping blades sharp. I personally use a paper wheel system and am happy with that, but lots of people like the Chef's Choice machines. This web site gives the pros and cons of various sharpening devices from little slot gadgets to professional sharpening equipment.

Here is a link that might be useful: sharpening site

I have many knives but the ones I use the most were not expensive at all. I bought a set of serated knives at Ikea, 4@$5, and I just love them. In fact I went back to the store and bought another set.

For Christmas Joe bought me a set of 3 Hamilton Beach Santoku knives and all have been working out wonderfully!

Michelle

Wow, so much great information. I appreciate it all. the links are great and recommendations on what to look for and try out. I will go and try some this weekend.

cubby

I absolutely love my Cutco Chef's knife and paring knife.
Really spendy (at least for me), but IF something ever happens to it, I will buy another.
I have various others, but the chef is the one I constantly use.

Deanna

I've had Chicago Cutlery knives for years, adding a new one here and there, they are OK for the price. I also have some from Calphalon, not bad. But this past year I started buying a few Wusthof knives...a slicer, a large chef's knife, a santoku, a 3" paring knife and a 5" serrated slicer which instantly became my very favorite.

Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: My favorite knife

The knives we use most and continue to purchase are the Wusthof and Henckels brands. Quality made, good balance, no drag and life time warranty. We also have many ceramic knives that we use for chopping. But W. and H. are the brand of choice. And as always, no matter what brand you choose always keep you knives sharp, sharp, sharp. Nothing is worst then a dull blade. It will cause accidents in the kitchen. NancyLouise

I'm very happy with my Wusthof set, but if I had to start from scratch I'd definitely be giving Shun a test drive.