We're just going to say it: You don’t need an 18-piece knife block with a blade for every conceivable kitchen task. Most home cooks don’t need more knives than they have forks. After testing countless knives and talking with our test kitchen editors and professional chefs, we’ve found that the best knife set really only needs three essentials: a chef’s knife, a bread knife, and a paring knife. As you get more confident or curious in the kitchen, you might choose to add a versatile santoku knife, an agile boning knife, or a hefty cleaver, but we generally recommend doing so on an ad hoc basis.
The best knife sets
- Best knife set overall: Mac Professional Series 3-Piece Knife Set
- Another great knife set: Shun Classic Damascus 3-Piece Knife Set
- Best inexpensive set: Mercer Culinary Renaissance 5-Piece Magnetic Board Set
- A high-performing aesthetic option: Hedley & Bennett 3-Piece Chef's Knife Set
- Best expanded knife set: Shun Classic 7-Piece Essential Block Set
- A block set with steak knives: Wüsthof Gourmet 12-Piece Knife Block Set
If you’re starting fresh or upgrading your collection, a knife set is still a smart buy. It gives you a solid foundation, all in one go, without the guesswork of piecing things together. That’s why we focused our testing on sets that include the three core knives, prioritizing options that are durable, practical, and thoughtfully designed.
Read on for our top knife set picks, including two slightly more expansive options with a knife block and steak knives for those who want some extra pieces.
Best knife set overall: Mac Professional Series 3-Piece Knife Set
Pros and cons
Pros
- Sharp
- Well-balanced
- Nice hybrid shape
Cons
- Steel is a little brittle
The details
Included knives: 8" chef's knife, 10.5" bread knife, 3.5" paring knife
Material: Molybdenum high-carbon steel
Full tang: Yes
Individual Mac knives have come out on top in our testing time and time again for their high-quality construction, ultra-sharp blades, lightweight feel, and middle-of-the-road price point. This three-piece set is made up of a chef’s and paring knife that are the top overall picks in their respective categories, and a bread knife that’s essentially a luxe version of our favorite serrated knife.
In testing, the Mac Professional Chef’s Knife was versatile and comfortable to use thanks to its ergonomic pakkawood handle, able to work through a giant mound of veggies efficiently without making our hands cramp up. Its blade was one of the sharpest we tested and combines the best qualities of Japanese and Western-style chef’s knives in both its material and shape. Made of molybdenum high-carbon steel, it strikes a balance between the brittle (but extra sharp) steel used in Japanese blades and the more durable, softer steel typical of a Western knife. Similarly, its shape is a hybrid of the rounded edge of a Western-style blade and the straighter edge of a Japanese knife.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, we are also big fans of Mac’s Professional Series paring knife, and for similar reasons: It’s nimble, while still feeling sturdy, holds its edge well, and is incredibly comfortable to use.
The bread knife included in this set is also part of Mac’s Professional Series. It’s a tier up from the Superior Series knife that won our bread knife test, which is evident in its build quality: While it features the same scalloped blade of the Superior Series knife, it has a metal bolster that makes for a more seamless connection between the blade and handle, and a more balanced overall feel while slicing.
Another great knife set: Shun Classic Damascus 3-Piece Knife Set
Pros and cons
Pros
- Beautiful, patterned steel
- Well-balanced
Cons
- Bread knife is a little short
The details
Included knives: 8" chef's knife, 9" bread knife, 3.5" paring knife
Material: VG-Max high carbon steel
Full tang: Yes
If you like the high-end look of beautiful Damascus steel and prefer a more rounded belly to your chef’s knife, this set from Shun may be the one for you. Shun’s knives consistently perform well in our testing, and each of these knives has earned a spot as a top pick in its category. And by buying them as a set, you’ll save a modest amount of money off the total cost of the individual knives.
One of the things that sets Shun’s Classic line apart is that it features the brand’s proprietary VG-MAX core, a high-carbon steel with additional metals like chromium and molybdenum added in the mix to help with corrosion resistance and sharpness. In testing, we found this made for blades that cut effortlessly through anything we threw at them, and retained their sharpness over time.
The rounded pakkawood handles of the Classic line knives made each of them extremely comfortable to hold, and because the handles maintain an even thickness throughout their length, they allow each user to find the grip and hand positioning that’s best for them.
Best inexpensive knife set: Mercer Culinary Renaissance 5-Piece Magnetic Board Set
Pros and cons
Pros
- Affordable
- Well-balanced
Cons
- Slightly bulkier than other options
The details
Included knives: 8" chef's knife, 8" bread knife, 3.5" paring knife, 5" utility knife (and magnetic knife board)
Material: High-carbon steel
Full tang: Yes
Spending $400 on a knife set, like the Mac and Shun options above, is a big investment, even if you're getting three high-quality blades. For a more budget-friendly alternative, we recommend this four-knife set (it gets called a five piece set because the knife board counts as a piece) from Mercer Culinary's Renaissance line. It’s a great, cheap option for anyone who wants reliable knives without committing to a premium price point.
Mercer’s knives have consistently performed well in our testing, from the Renaissance line to the more affordable Genesis and Millennia collections. Their Millennia 10-inch Wavy Edge Bread Knife, priced under $16, is even one of our top picks. In our tests, the Mercer chef’s, bread, and paring knives all delivered clean, consistent cuts and maintained their edges well after repeated use. While they didn’t outperform the more expensive contenders, they came surprisingly close considering they were less than half the cost. Made from high-carbon steel with full-tang construction and durable handles, the knives in this Renaissance set feel solid, well-balanced, and easy to control.
A high-performing aesthetic option: Hedley & Bennett Chef's Knife Set
Pros and cons
Pros
- Contains longer utility knife instead of a short paring knife
- Lightweight
- Tapered bread knife allows for improved maneuverability
Cons
- Shorter bread knife
The details
Included knives: 8" chef's knife, 8.6" bread knife, 5.6" utility knife
Material: High-carbon stainless steel core
Full tang: Yes
In our testing for the best chef’s knives, Hedley & Bennett’s chef's knife stood out as well-balanced, comfortable to grip, and easy to maneuver thanks to the seamless transition between the handle and blade. After months of use, our test kitchen editors were impressed with how well it held up. And while testers preferred the Mac, if you’re looking to bring some fun color into your kitchen while still investing in a high-performing knife set, Hedley & Bennett is a great choice.
We especially like that this set includes a utility knife. Unlike a traditional paring knife, the utility knife is about two inches longer (5.6 inches vs. 3.5), making it a bit more versatile for both small and larger tasks, such as slicing an oversized apple.
The bread knife is on the shorter side, at only 8.6 inches, but the sharp, tapered serrated edge allows for more controlled, precise cuts compared to some straight blade designs. Deputy Food Editor Hana Asbrink notes that the slope of the blade also helps prevent your knuckles from hitting the cutting board, which is a common issue with bread knives that maintain the same width along the entire blade.
Best expanded set: Shun Classic 7-Piece Essential Block Set
Pros and cons
Pros
- Durable steel
- Well-balanced
Cons
- Bread knife is a little short
The details
Included knives: 8" chef's knife, 9" bread knife, 6" utility knife, 3.5" paring knife, 9" honing steel, herb shears, 11-slot storage block
Material: VG-MAX stainless steel
Full tang: Yes
If you’re looking for a more expansive knife set beyond our essential three-piece recommendation, Shun’s Classic line stands out. This seven-piece set includes the core trio—a chef’s knife, paring knife, and bread knife—plus two smart additions: a 6-inch utility knife and a pair of herb shears. The utility knife fills that sweet spot between a paring and chef’s knife, perfect for tasks that need more precision than a big blade allows but would overwhelm a smaller one, like slicing citrus or trimming proteins.
The herb shears are a surprisingly handy upgrade. Instead of dragging out a cutting board just to mince some parsley or chives, you can snip them straight into a salad, soup, or garnish. It’s the kind of tool you didn’t know you needed until you have it—and then you wonder how you ever lived without it.
The set also comes with a honing steel to keep your knives sharp and a sleek 11-slot bamboo storage block, which gives you extra space to add other styles down the line, like a nakiri for vegetable prep, a santoku, or even a cleaver.
Best large knife set: Wüsthof Gourmet 12-Piece Knife Block Set
Pros and cons
Pros
- Affordable
- Includes steak knives
Cons
- No bolster impacts balance
- Stamped, not forged
The details
Included knives: 8" chef's knife, 8" Bread Knife, 4.5" Utility Knife, 3" Spear Point Paring Knife, 2.5" Paring Knife, Four 4.5" Steak Knives, kitchen shears, 9" honing steel, 15-Slot Block
Material: High carbon stainless steel
Full tang: yes
While we think a three-piece knife set has everything most home cooks really need, we understand the desire to spring for a more multifaceted option—particularly if you’re in need of a steak knife set and knife storage solution too.
The Gourmet series is essentially Wüsthof’s budget or starter line. While these knives won’t quite afford you the razor-sharp edge or durability of the ones we recommend above, they’re still good knives for the price that will serve you well for years to come, and their high-carbon stainless steel blades will work great for chopping and dicing through whatever your heart desires. The reason we recommend the Gourmet over say, the higher end Classic or Ikon lines is because they will set you back more than $1000. We don't think you should drop that much on big set like this until you're sure you're going to make use of everything in it. The more luxe Wüsthof lines are excellent though.
The Gourmet set includes the three essential knives we’ve been going on about (chef’s, bread, and paring), plus a smaller 2.5-inch paring knife for more precise cuts, a 4.5-inch utility knife, four 4.5-inch steak knives, a honing steel, a set of handy kitchen shears, and a 15-slot wooden block to store it all in. At around $400 at the time of writing, it’s a good deal for a set of cutlery that expands on what we think of as core knives, but isn’t full of niche types of knives you’ll never actually use.
How we picked the best knife sets
We’ve been testing knives for years now, and we have found that the same brands tend to come out on top across each knife category. Luckily for you aspiring knife set purchasers, that means we’ve had no trouble finding three-piece sets from brands we know and love that feature product-test-winning, quality knives our team of experts can vouch for. Each set listed above is made up of individual knives we’ve tested against a long list of competitors and wholeheartedly approve of.
Head over to our individual reviews of the best chef’s knives, best bread knives, and best paring knives for even more information.
FAQs
How many knives do you need in a knife set?
We firmly believe that three knives are all you really need: a chef’s knife, a paring knife, and a bread knife. Together, they cover just about every essential kitchen task, from chopping vegetables to slicing crusty loaves.
That said, if you’re looking to upgrade or expand your collection, three additional knives are excellent additions: a nakiri knife, utility knife, and santoku knife. While not essential, they’re nice to have: the nakiri offers extra precision for vegetable prep, the utility knife is ideal for those in-between tasks that a paring or chef’s knife might not handle quite as neatly, and a santoku knife is shorter than a standard chef’s knife with a flat-edge blade, making it a reliable all-arounder.
Which is the best brand for knives?
Mac has come out on top of our knife testing across the three core knives—chef's, serrated, and paring—but the question itself is sort of like asking “who is the best guitar player.” There are lot of small elite knife makers out there that make items that aren't just kitchen tools, but works of art. However, a single knife from them can cost as much as a full set listed here. If you want to investigate some of those, we'd encourage you to check out a shop like Chubo Knives for elite Japanese blades.
But for an affordable, widely available knife, it doesn't come much better than Mac in our opinion. They are made in Japan from molybdenum high-carbon steel, which blends the durability of Western-style steel with the precision sharpness of traditional Japanese blades. The result is a knife that’s lightweight, versatile, and sharp. Mac’s bread knife took the top spot in our testing thanks to its 10.5-inch blade, which is an inch and a half longer than most. That extra length makes it easier to slice through wide loaves like focaccia in a single stroke.
Are expensive knife sets worth it?
We stand by all of our recommended knives, even the budget-friendly picks, but higher-end knives are made from better steel and finished with more care. That means they’ll hold an edge longer, require less sharpening, and last for years with proper care. For most home cooks, it’s worth investing at least $150–$200 in a chef’s knife since it’s the blade you’ll reach for every day. Auxiliary knives like paring, bread, or utility knives don’t need to be as pricey, but if you use them often, it may be worth upgrading those too. In other words, a small collection of higher-quality knives is often more satisfying—and longer-lasting—than a big block of cheaper ones. Read more about how much you should spend on a knife.
Is it better to buy knives individually or as a set?
It depends on your priorities. The great part about a knife set is that it’s a one-and-done purchase. You get the three essentials (chef’s, bread, and paring knives), and you can trust that each knife in the set has been tested to perform at a high level. That said, buying individually gives you more flexibility. Maybe you prefer a 6-inch chef’s knife over an 8-inch, or a longer bread knife like Mac’s 10.5-inch version over Shun’s 9-inch or Hedley & Bennett’s 8.6-inch tapered blade. Think of a set as a strong starting point: it gets you well equipped right away, but you can always mix and match later as you learn what sizes and styles feel best in your hand.
What’s the best way to store your knives?
Proper storage is just as important as proper sharpening when it comes to keeping your knives in good shape. No knife should ever be tossed into a drawer with other utensils—that’s a quick way to dull the edge, damage the blade, or worse, hurt someone.
The best storage option depends on your kitchen setup and preferences, but our favorite is a magnetic strip mounted on the wall. It keeps blades accessible, protects the edge, and works for all shapes and sizes, whether you’ve got a slim paring knife, a hefty cleaver, or even kitchen shears. Another big plus: magnetic strips take up zero counter or drawer space and are easy to clean with a quick wipe. These are our favorite magnetic strips.
If you do have the counter space, a knife block is a solid choice. It keeps knives organized and shields the blades from damage, which helps extend their lifespan between sharpenings. One pro tip from Ina Garten: store your knives upside down in the block to protect the edge.
Looking for more knife content? We’ve got you covered
- Check out more about all of the chef’s knives we’ve tested over the years from brands like Victorinox, Zwilling, Made In, and J.A. Henckels
- Learn more about the best bread knives
- Shop all of our favorite paring knives
- See why we’re partial to magnetic knife holders
- Read all about why whetstones are the best knife sharpeners, and what honing rods actually do
