Forged, Swiss or Self-Sharpening? The Best Knife Block Set

A knife block set is the simple way to equip a kitchen in one purchase: the knives, a honing steel, often shears and steak knives, and a block that keeps them all within reach of the cutting board. It is also easy to get wrong. Many sets pad the piece count with knives you never touch, and the block itself may not fit the knives you add later.

This guide is about knives sold together with their block. If you already own knives and only need somewhere to put them, our best knife block guide covers empty blocks. Here we compare seven complete sets, none of which appears on our other knife pages, and explain what is worth paying for.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on what a restaurant kitchen looks for, product specifications and verified buyer reports.

Quick verdict: which knife block set to buy

Below, five standouts side by side, then all seven sets in detail, and how to decide whether you need a set at all.

Five knife block sets at a glance

Our five standout sets, one for each kind of kitchen, with the contents each maker states. All seven sets are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Set contents are as stated by each maker; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best knife block set

These seven sets cover the main ways to buy knives with a block: forged German, light Swiss, hard Japanese, two kinds of built-in sharpener, a magnetic block, and a budget set. Each review lists exactly what is in the box, so you can see which knives you are paying for, and gives one honest reason to skip it.

Do you need a knife block set at all?

Not always. America’s Test Kitchen, which reviews knife sets regularly, says most cooks need only three knives, which it calls “The Big Three”: a chef’s knife, a serrated bread knife and a paring knife. Its reviewers found that many sets add pieces “just to plump up the piece count”, and that the best individual knives often “come from different brands”. Its current top pick is a four-piece Victorinox set without a block.

A set with a block still makes sense in three cases: you are starting a kitchen from nothing, you want matching knives and steak knives for the table, or you like having every knife on the counter by the board. If any of those fits, a well-chosen set saves time and usually costs less than buying the same knives one by one. If not, buy a great chef’s knife, a bread knife and a paring knife, and add a block or in-drawer knife block later.

How to choose a knife block set

Six things separate a set you will use every day from a block of filler.

1. Count the knives you will use

Ignore the headline piece count: shears, a honing steel and the block itself are each counted as a piece. Look for an 8-inch chef’s knife, a paring knife and a serrated bread knife, then decide whether a santoku, utility knife or nakiri adds anything for the way you cook. Three of the sets here have no bread knife (Shun, Calphalon, Cuisinart), and ATK prefers bread knives of 10 inches or more, longer than any in these sets.

2. Forged or stamped blades

Forged knives (Zwilling Pro, Cuisinart) are shaped from a heated piece of steel and usually have a bolster and more weight. Stamped knives (Victorinox) are cut from sheet steel and are lighter. Neither is better for every cook: heavy knives feel solid, light ones are less tiring through a long prep session.

3. Steel and hardness

German and Swiss sets here run from 56 to 58 HRC: tough, forgiving and easy to sharpen. The Shun set’s VG-MAX steel is harder, holds a finer edge longer and can chip if misused. Several budget and sharpener sets do not state hardness at all.

4. The block

Slotted blocks are the classic, but slots fit only the knives they were made for. Self-sharpening blocks (Calphalon) hone straight edges every time you draw a knife; Ninja’s block has a lever-operated sharpening wheel. A magnetic block (Schmidt Brothers) takes any knife and has no slots to clean, and a swivel block (Victorinox) turns to bring every handle to you. Our knife block vs magnet guide covers the trade-offs in more detail.

5. Steak knives

Steak knives fill slots quickly. If you already own table knives you like, or rarely serve steak, a set without them (Shun) or with only four (Zwilling, Schmidt Brothers) wastes less space. For dedicated table knives, see the best steak knives.

6. Counter space

Measure before you buy. The Zwilling Pro block is 5.5 inches wide; the Victorinox swivel set is 6.75 inches wide and 12.5 inches tall. Allow clearance above the block too, since long blades lift out upward.

Caring for a knife block set

Wash knives by hand, as Cuisinart advises for its set; in a dishwasher, blades knock against racks and other utensils. Dry each knife fully before it goes back in the block, since a damp blade in a closed slot is slow to dry.

Hone the straight-edged knives on the steel every few uses, holding the angle the maker states (15 degrees for Zwilling and Victorinox, 16 for Shun). Sharpen when honing no longer restores the edge; our knife sharpener guide covers the options. Wipe out wooden slots occasionally with a pipe cleaner or a small brush, and turn the block upside down to shake out crumbs.

How we picked these seven knife block sets

We started from what a working kitchen expects from a set: a good chef’s knife, a paring knife and a bread knife at the core, decent steel, comfortable handles and a block that keeps blades protected and reachable. We then looked for sets sold on Amazon in the United States, in stock when we checked, with contents and specifications we could confirm on the maker’s own listing. We left out every set already reviewed on our best knife set and best Japanese knife set pages, so this page adds options rather than repeating them.

For whether sets are worth buying at all, and which knives matter, we relied on America’s Test Kitchen’s knife set reviews. We checked the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall notices for the brands here and found recalls only for Calphalon’s older Contemporary Cutlery line, which we note in that review. We have not used these products ourselves; where we describe how a type of knife or steel behaves, we say whose findings those are. Several sets we considered, including Miyabi’s block sets, the Shun Kanso 6-piece and Messermeister’s block sets, showed limited stock when we checked and were left out.

Knife block set questions, answered

What is the best knife block set for a home kitchen?

For most homes, a set of eight to fourteen pieces built around an 8-inch chef’s knife, a bread knife and a paring knife, with a block that fits your counter. The Zwilling Pro 14-Piece is our pick; the Victorinox Swiss Classic Swivel set is the value choice.

Is it better to buy a knife set or individual knives?

Individual knives let you choose the best of each type, which is why America’s Test Kitchen favors small, hand-picked sets. A block set is better value when you need everything at once and want it to match.

Are self-sharpening knife blocks worth it?

For cooks who never sharpen, yes: a block that hones the edge every time you draw a knife keeps everyday knives working. They do nothing for serrated knives, and Calphalon warns not to put serrated or steak knives in the sharpening slots.

How many pieces should a good knife block set have?

Fewer than the box suggests. Count only the knives: four to six well-chosen knives plus a honing steel cover most cooking. Steak knives, shears and the block add to the number without adding to what you can prep.

What should I look for in knife block set reviews?

Check the exact contents, the blade steel and hardness, whether the bread knife is long enough, whether the block has spare slots, and the warranty. Be wary of listings that do not name the maker or the steel.

Our final pick for a knife set with a block

Buy the Zwilling Pro 14-Piece if you want a complete forged set with no filler. Choose the Victorinox Swiss Classic Swivel for light knives and a rotating block at a lower cost, the Shun Premier 6-Piece for Japanese blades, and the Calphalon or Ninja set if you want the block to do the sharpening. The Cuisinart set covers a first kitchen for little money.

If you already have knives and only need storage, see the best knife block for empty blocks of every type. And if you would rather someone else did the cooking tonight, see the menu or call to order.