I have owned Wustof for about 15 years. I love them.
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Second this. If you treat them right, they will last multiple generations. 18 piece Wusthof Gourmet block(~$350) includes the santoku, which is my most used knife by far. Plus every other blade you'd expect to need.

I have a particular interest in knives and sharpening. Regardless of what you go with, the best thing you can do for your new knife set is to learn to use the included honing steel after every other use at minimum. Even just a dozens runs up and down the honing stone after every use will keep the blade in really good shape for a long time. It really doesn't take much, and it makes a huge difference over time.

Definitely look into FMB's Tojiro recommendations as well. That guy really knows his stuff regarding cutlery. Tojiro makes an equivalent knife block set that's about the same price as the Wusthof set.
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I just have to chime in here and say that there's no justification for a knife to be non-serrated. There's nothing that a non-serrated knife does that a serrated knife can't do equally or better.
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You must not be a cook.

Pairing, filleting or de-boning can't be done with a serrated knife.
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I agree that there is a place for straight-edge knives, the beauty of Cutco is the 'Double-D' edge. They actually sharpen the 'serrations' like a straight edge [that's why they have to be sharpened at the factory].

Paring and chopping/julienne/mince are best done with a straight edge, but the Trimmer does fileting and deboning as good as any.
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Bought a set of Vitorinox knives here while back and I like them quit a bit. I not a knife expert but they have performed well so far.
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Agreed. You pay a lot right off, but they are super sharp and warrantied for life. Just send them back if they need sharpening, but mine never have yet.
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If you ask actual chefs and kitchen knife enthusiasts, they will vehemently disagree with that. Serrated knives should really only be used for cutting items with a hard exterior and soft interior, like bread. For meat, you should always use a straight edge when possible. A serrated blade tears the meat instead of cutting through it. Which can actually affect the taste. There's a reason why you will never ever see a sushi chef use a serrated blade. It's a big No-No. Serrated has its uses, and lots of people use them for everything. But straight edge is where it's at.
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This is an article of the comparison between Cutco and Wusthof knives:

https://prudentreviews.com/cutco-vs-wusthof/
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My Anolon knives from Costco work wonderfully. I just thought I'd throw that in, even though I'm pretty sure it's not snobby enough for you guys.
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First FireTV, then Kodi & Furk, now this. I'm about to trust you with everything in my life at this point :-)

If you wouldn't mind, could you get into more specifics about "honing?" I'm not sure what this is/how to go about it/etc.
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The popularity of Cutco knives is due to its appeal to common folks. As long as it can cut, grandpa and grandma can use them for a long time. The Double-D edge can cut, but in time it does get dull. Since you can't sharp it on your own, a lifetime warranty is a way to go. Our church bought a set of Cutco knives. In a few years they became dull, couldn't cut a tomato without tearing the skin.

This brings to another question on how to maintain the sharpness of the knife without sending it in. You can watch many Youtube videos on how to sharpen the knife. A wetstone could be ranged from $10 to hundred of dollars (the expensive ones are for sushi chefs). The cutting board is an important factor for the knives. A glass one will dull the knives quickly.

Here is the recommendation for various cutting boards: https://www.cuttingboard.com/blog/wh...st-for-knives/
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On the serrated vs non-serrated issue, I agree with Fish.

Generally speaking, a non-serrated blade can do most everything a serrated blade can do, and more. And yes, serrated blades tend to tear rather than cut. I'm guessing that most of us have had difficulties cutting a tomato using a non-serrated blade, while it's easy to do with a serrated blade. I'd offer that the real issue is that your non-serrated blade simply is not sharp. A nice, sharp non-serrated blade will slice that tomato without ANY pressure....like the proverbial hot knife through butter!

Plus, it's MUCH easier to keep a non-serrated blade super sharp while sharpening a serrated blade is a bit of an issue. My 2 cents.
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I do own 3 of the Wustof Classic Ikon pieces but those are really damned expensive but my discount allowed me a really good price on it.
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