HomeGiftsMartha Stewart Collection Cutlery, Classic 20 Piece Set |
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12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
 A Great Value Sep 01, 2007
By Jamison Gray
We purchased this set about a week ago, and are very impressed with the design and construction. I've had a couple of open stock Henckels knives for a many years, and always wanted a full set, but they were always too expensive (except for the newer, lower-quality lines they've put out). So, I was very surprised to find this Martha Stewart set, for hundreds less than the comparable sets from folks like Henckels. I'm not a knife expert, so can't comment on the quality of the steel, etc., but in side-by-side comparison with my triple-riveted Henckels, Martha's knives equal or exceed them in design and construction. They just ooze quality - the blades are one piece of steel extending all the way down the the hefty chunk at the end of the handle, which helps give them a very nice heft and balance in the hand (as well as a very attractive look in the block - these would look at home in the most upscale of kitchens). You could hammer nails with the butt of these knives. All but the steak knives have a full metal hilt (right word? metal blending from the blade to the handle). Despite the lack of this extra metal at the base of the blade, the steak knives still feel very solid, and are a step up from the steak knives bundled with many other sets.
The variety is wonderful - I can't quite foresee how we're ever going to use all of them, but it's nice to have options. The Santoku blades are supposedly better for cutting sticky foods; they do a nice job cutting up fish.
The Martha Stewart Collection branding (an imprinted logo on the block and on the blades) is subdued enough that you don't have to feel self-conscious about it if that sort of brand flaunting isn't your thing. All but the steak knives have a label printed on the base indicating the length and type, visible at a glance when they're in the block. I have no idea how long the labels will last.
I'm keeping my rating at a 5 due to the value of this set, but I do have a couple of criticisms:
* The (unremarkable) scissors don't come apart for cleaning (doesn't Martha watch Alton Brown?). I'd call them the weakest part of the collection.
* The knives go into the block sideways (sharp edge toward the right), rather than vertically (edge down). Maybe this is better for maintaining sharpness, space management, or readability of the labels, but it's a bit more awkward for grabbing and reinserting knives.
* The only instructions for use and care were what was printed on the box. I would have liked a little more. The sharpening instructions were hard to visualize.
* Not recommended for the dishwasher. This isn't surprising, at least for the cooking/chef knives, but I've gotten used to putting the steak knives from our current cheapo plastic set into the dishwasher. I find I still grab one of the old cheapies sometimes, e.g. for cutting up a banana, because I know cleanup will be easier.
You can get knife sets for cheaper that will do the job just fine. But if you're thinking about getting a cheap set now so you can upgrade to some fancy German brand some decade down the road, I'd suggest skipping the cheap ones and going straight for these - you may find you'll never want to buy another knife. These would make a great wedding present, too - we would have been delighted to get this.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Great buy! Aug 22, 2010
By S. Shahjahan
We abused these knives for almost two years by washing them regularly in the dishwasher, not properly drying them, and using glass cutting boards. We never even sharpened them (we only used the sharpening steel that came with the kit, which is really only for keeping an already sharp knife aligned). Only a couple of the steak knives should show a slight bit of rust on the blade, which is to be expected if you either put them through the dishwasher or leave them wet after washing. The rust came off immediately after using the sharpening steel and even this was infrequent. We have since reformed and no longer put our knives in the dishwasher; we use wood or plastic cutting boards. We use a sharpening stone monthly and have had no problem with rust. This is a good buy and they should be treated like one. You don't hear people with super expensive five-star knives complaining about dullness and rust, but that's probably because they sharpen them and don't throw them in the dishwasher. I recommend these knives, but also recommend that you purchase a sharpening stone (about $20) and make sure you hand wash and immediately dry the knives after each use.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Rusting Beware Aug 16, 2008
By J. Goodell
My wife and I got this set for our wedding. After 4 months, rust has started to develop on the blades. It might be better to look elsewhere.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Very happy with these knives Apr 07, 2011
By contrariwise
My husband purchased this knife set as a Christmas present in 2009. I have several expensive German knives and was surprised that he bought me a set of these relatively inexpensive blades. Moreover, I read the Amazon reviews for this set and was very concerned about the reports of rust on the knives. So concerned that I almost returned the set.
I just want to say that I've used all the knives on a daily basis. I've abused them by letting food dry on them, washing them in the dishwasher, and not drying them before putting them away. After a year of use, the only rust I've ever seen are a couple of spots on the steak knives, which were easily rubbed off with a towel.
Overall, these knives work as well as my more expensive German knives and have a nice heft. They take on a razor-like edge after sharpening and tend to keep it. I was dubious of the Santoku blades included with the set, but they are really great for chopping wet and sticky food.
I would have given the set 5 stars except for the poor quality of the scissors which come with the set. I've purchased the identical scissors at a hardware store for 99 cents! They work, but it would have been nice to have scissors that come apart for easy cleaning.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Rust Issues Jun 19, 2009
By Marie E. Dart
I purchased a Martha Stewart Cutlery set for my daughter and her boyfriend. They had been wanting a nice set of knives. Much to our disappointment, the set started rusting within months after purchase. Sorry, no endorsement for this product from us.
See all 12 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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