I ordered this knife block set because I appreciate knives that include good-sized bolsters on each blade in the set (including the steak knives), and this set has them. I liked the idea of an all-stainless set since my current set has a black non-slip coating on the handles which is beginning to wear off. I've included a comparison photo of two knives from this set along with the corresponding knives from my old set. This set feels decent in my hands, but it is light weight; the handles are obviously quite hollow, and the balance would be better if the handles had more heft to them. This knife block set comes with several bonus items: a very nice silicone peeler that has the best grip of any peeler I've used, handy tongs, and kitchen scissors. The knife blades are sharp, and the attractive wood knife block includes a sharpener. I haven't had the knives long enough to discover if they stain or become dulled more quickly than average for kitchen knives. I hand-wash all my good knives, so I can't comment about how these would do in a dishwasher, either. I think the set could be improved by including a bread knife, but I knew that it didn't have one when I ordered it, so I can't complain about the lack. The biggest drawback to this set is the underwhelming quality control; several items are poorly finished. There is a minor burr and a nasty black stain that won't wash off on the bolster of the chef knife (which is my most-used kitchen tool), and one of the steak knives has a poorly finished handle end. These are relatively minor cosmetic issues, but I'm taking a star off the rating for them. This knife set is fine, and far superior to the usual knife block sets from 20-30 years ago.