Side by Side Comparison of: Chicago Cutlery vs Chef Essential

I wanted to wait to write a review until I gave my knives a good try for awhile. These are the best knives I have ever had by far! Super sharp, learned that the first night, thank God I have long fingernails ;)And they slice through anything with ease, I just let the knife do the work where I've always been so use to fighting my way through the every single type of food with my old set. Beautiful wooden block though mine came with a tiny knick on the top corner, but compared to what I was living with these are exquisite. Fast shipping and all the knives came individually wrapped with many safety measures taken to prevent any harm.

The knives in set are so sharp and it has a great variety. The only thing that we were missing from this was kitchen scissors, but we already had a pair so it wasn't a deal breaker. For some reason we thought the steak knives were serrated and they're not. They are very sharp though and we actually like that they're not serrated so we can easily sharpen them.

Fell in love with these. Just got them and used them. They are a good weight and lovely to handle. They cut meat like a hot knife though butter. It was lovely. My kids were thrilled that they didn't have to saw though their food like we have had to do with other knife sets. Very good set.

I love this knife set. I am very picky about things that I am shopping for. I looked for years to find the "just right" set of knives for our families needs. I have even gotten gifts at Christmas from my husband of knife sets but I chose to take them back and deal with my old knife set that we got when we were first married over 20 years ago. Then this Christmas my husband told me to look for the knife set myself and find the one that I wanted, so the search was on. I went store to store, and website to website studying the reviews and what others were saying about what they had bought. I search up company claims and reputations and finally found Chicago Cutlery. I LOVE my new knife set, I was able to find the one that fit our needs and fit our budget. These knives are super sharp and a very handsome addition to my kitchen. They also feel as good as they look they are very balanced and are great to use.

I love my knife collection. Perfect knife for everything. The smaller steak knives are great, sharp, and are completely metal, one piece, no different material for handle - continuous handle from the blade. Great products, love the holder, fits nicely in the corner of my kitchen

These knives blow me away everyday. I only wish I had bought them sooner instead of struggling with subpar cutlery all these years. It may be the best $90 ever spent. I would easily buy them again, but I am confident they will last for years to come. The only con is that they are so sharp that I think it could be quite easy to cut yourself. That sounds like a good attribute in a knife.

I am by no means a professional chef and i know very little about what to look for in good knives. However, i did some research before deciding on a set and these knives seemed to be the best choice, even over some of the more expensive options. I loved the look of them as well. I avoided the white color as i worried those might get stained. The black is super sleek. These knives feel very sturdy and they are extremely sharp. I love the rubberized handle, i dont feel like my hand is going to slip at all. The covers fit over them nicely. I have only had them for a short time by they seem to be very durable. I am just someone who enjoys cooking at home for my family and friends, and these knives make that process much more enjoyable for me. The only recommendation i have is that they ship the knives with the protective covers ON the knives already.

Just had to come back and make sure that I really paid this little for these knives. Okay look, I remember buying knife sets in the past that promised so much, and the price tag was at least 5x higher, and wow did these cut!! Rubber (over metal) handle for good grip, and let me say VERY SHARP knives, all of them. So far I've used these for fruits, vegetables, and cutting various types of bread, and it has handled every task with ease. The ONLY thing I would ask the manufacturer to change (although maybe there's a reason for it?) would be to get rid of the design on the blades. Yeah it's fine, but it looks like white bubbles or white splatter paint, and I'd rather have a clean look, so either full black, or full white, or even full metal. But really I can't complain too much, because the actual usability of the product is amazing, and I would surely buy more from Chef Essential.

I haven't had them very long; I usually wait a month or two to post something but I'm pretty confident here in saying this is worth your consideration. Light. Nicely balanced. I like the painted blades with a splatter job on them. They came sharp. The rubberized handles are VERY grip_able. They are quite comfortable in the hand. I will purchase as gifts for friends as opportunity comes. I am very good at cooking and with gadgets in the kitchen. These are very nice. Service from the seller was good as well.

This really is a surprisingly good set of knives. I have to admit the unusual coloring first caught my eye, but after reading all the other glowing reviews I decided to buy a set for myself. Worst case, I could use them as outdoor knives around the barbecue.I've since used these quite a few times to cut potatoes and onions as well as carve a chicken and pork roast. They work exceedingly well! The feel sturdy and well made. I don't know if these are a full tang or not, bit feels like they are. The edge of the knives is quite sharp to begin with and while a rubberized handle would look odd on another knife, it looks just right on these. It also gives a very comfortable and sure grip.They are very nice to work and feel much higher quality than you would expect out of a $5 knife. They all come with guards so if you don't have a block for them, they can sit in the drawer safely. To try them out a little more, I used the utility knife as a steak knife and it worked very well. Not only did I buy another full set of these knives, I bought several of the utility knifes to use at the table. Chicken and steak won't stand a chance against them, and they look really neat which will be fun for eating outdoors.There is something to be said for having a knife that costs $100 or a full set that costs $2000, but for those who have other demands on their money, this is a good quality set of knifes to get. You can also see which knife you prefer and use the most and then get a higher quality version if you feel the need.As an aside, I combined this with the Utopia Kitchen meat cleaver to round out my selection. That was also a good choice.

Full Review: Very sharp, High quality. Love the look. I bought blue and the speckled paint is a great look, especially when combined with the marbled handles. They are non-slip and feel solid. No wiggle between blade and handle. Weight is fine, not too heavy but they don't feel flimsy. I'm not experienced enough to comment on balance but they feel balanced enough for my hands. I have several pocket knives (Kershaw, Gerber, etc.) and every knife in this set comes sharper than my pocket knives currently are (I need a better sharpening stone, but these kitchen knives are impressively sharp). They cut paper all the way across without sawing. I imagine they will stay sharp for quite a while cutting carrots and potatoes but the fine edge will surely need resharpening over time. My only complaints:1.) The Amazon listing doesn't include the type of metal used beyond "High-Performance Stainless-Steel". There are many grades of stainless steel, each one having its own properties. Therefore I suspect they used a version which is easy to sharpen, gets very sharp, but won't hold an edge for very long, especially against hard materials. This is to be expected, however, when buying knives in this price range. But the listing goes so far as saying "never dull, no need for sharpening"... come on really...2.) I would also like to know what the "food safe slip-free marble finish coating" is made from. Who knows what materials will later be classified as dangerous so every product, especially ones made in other countries, needs to be transparent with the materials they are using. I understand company secrets and patent issues, but my health and peace of mind come first. Even with these concerns I bought the product because I live on a budget and like finding good deals. Hopefully the manufacturer and seller hear my concerns and include this information in the description. The Lifetime Warranty was the persuading element which finalized my decision. I'm all about warranties. The individual packaging was a nice bonus, great for gifts and feeling like you just got a great deal. I cut out the barcode and warranty info on the back of each package just in case they require that. My concerns about the coating are mostly an issue if it starts peeling off. (Always throw away non-stick pans when the coating starts peeling off, it can cause cancer). I like how they provide good knives at a great cost, and as a consequence there is no knife block included. This is fine. However, I would like the seller to provide a fitted knife block for an additional cost, as an Add On Item. People would buy it if the price was right. The included blade covers work well and make it safe (for adults) to toss these in a drawer. Wash the knives and covers before using, factory oily coating on them. I'm looking forward to advancing my cooking skills with these knives :)

Second Update: I must say, I am thoroughly impressed with Chef Essential for being the type of company you'd want to do business with. After writing my reviews, I generally think in terms of relay my experience to future shoppers, however, I am pleased to know the even the businesses who sell the products take a real interest in what the consumers are saying about the products and not just looking for our hard earned money. Chef Essential was so gracious in offering me, a complimentary set of knives and they are in fact perfect! My first said, needless to say, was a manufacturing blunder, but these are the knives I had hoped for. A worthwhile purchase for a standout company! First time updating a product review, so excuse any unintended faux pas. I purchased these knives in July, took proper care of knives(e.g avoid dishwasher, etc) but that was too no avail. These knives started chipping paint and the tips of a couple have been completed removed. Now considering the small window of time I owned these knives, I am appalled that they couldn't even last a year.These knives are even prettier in person! I love the little sheath that they come with. Perfect for not stabbing yourself in the finger when retrieving a new knife.

The advantage of the product: No.1 the block wood is heavy, very wonderful; No.2 the package is well designed, with airbag you can see from my picture; No.3 the details of the product show its quality(with dryer powder, u can see the picture); No.4 the knife is ok for kitchen.The disadvantage of the product:No.1 without glue between the handle and bar for the sharpening rod(it is only a screw u can see from the picture);

I like it but it has no scissors in it...Otherwise, Nice design, good quality, sharp.

We have had these for a year now and generally very pleased. They hold a edge very well over the last year. The only complaint I have is one steak knife dropped off the counter and broke at the handle when it hit the tile floor. The steel is very hard that allows it to hold an edge but it also makes the steel brittle. Metallurgy 101.

Knife set was recommended by a friend who already has it and loved it. I've had it for about two months now and love it! Knives are exceptionally sharp and feel well made. My only concern is the rubber grip on the handle does seem as if it lacks quality a bit. But I have yet to have any issues. I would definitely recommend for the price!

The smaller prep knives were not very sharp when they arrived, however a little sharpening took care of that. They do indeed seem like very good quality so I believe they will be the last set of knives I have to buy. I was worried about other reviews saying things about the dinner knives breaking when dropped, however I now believe that they were at least a tad bit harder on the knives than they admitted to since I have already used/tested all of my knives and I really don't see how dropping one would cause that much damage.

I bought these with a gift card and am pleased with the quality of the knives I've used. They are well shaped and fit just right in my hand, and they cut quickly and easily, very sharp! I appreciate the way they were packaged in the box and the wood block was well protected in bubble wrap.I have one big disappointment: the knives do not line up when you put them in the slots. Yes, I've confirmed that they're in the correct slots (even tried switching them around, as well as trying blade-side up rather than down), but the final look of the set is loose & sloppy. I'm attaching 2 photos so you can see for yourself. I read some good & bad reviews before choosing this set, but I missed the alignment issue which I now see others have commented on. Live and learn.I can recommend the knives as very good kitchen tools, though be careful to hand wash and dry immediately to avoid rust. The physical appearance of the set is an irritation but for me it's not a deal breaker if I have really good knives.

This is the 2nd set that I bought because I liked the first one so much. Not having the block is a big advantage and the sheaths protect the edges very well. The only thing was that the 2nd set did not have the 5" Santoku which is my favorite knife.

These are nice knives, especially for the price. I didn't actually mean to order these...I had broken one of my ceramic knives and did a search for that. As is often the case, these came up in my search (even though they are not ceramic), and I ordered them by mistake. I will use them, though, as they were inexpensive and seem to do the job.

Bought this set with my own money and so far (1 month in) I really like them. Cuts through chicken thighs like a piece of cake and I love the variety of the set. I use the smaller one for cutting up fruits, veggies and cheese. The other day I used the one of the knives to cut through watermelon and was very impressed---I didn't struggle, it cut right through. I really like the grip of the handle too---comfy on the hand and non-slip. Amazing how much a good pair of knives change the way you cook in the kitchen! 4/5 stars only because it would have been nice to have a wood block of some sort to store the knives and I'm curious to see how long these hold up before I have to sharpen them and whether it will be easy to sharpen them or not without losing the sleek black color. Good for the price!

Ordered this set of knives with the expectation that they are not a very expensive set and if they are complete junk or go dull quickly I can buy another set. I have not had them long, but so far I am more than pleased.Pros:- The handles actually have a somewhat animalistic design to them (like snake or alligator pattern) which gives them a little nicer look- All black looks very sleek and goes well with my kitchen- Sharp (new knives, duh)- Come with blade covers so you don't cut yourself when pulling them out of the drawer- Feel sturdy and legitCons:- No bread knife included

Very pleased with this set. The knives are very sharp and make my cook prep time easier. They come clean with a few quick swipes and store nicely in my existing butcher block. Just one thing, I would not put these in the dishwasher because one of the knives already has a chip in the coating and I've only been using them for 2 months.Overall, definitely worth buying for the price!

These knifes are amazing! They are lightweight and easy to use. I love that each come with a shield for the knifes very sharp edge. Unfortunately I had to take one star off as one of the knifes arrived in its packaging with some defects right over the logo on the knife and I'm not sure if it's safe to open and use. I'd just love a replacement but, even if they have poor customer service, I will be keeping the set because they are that amazing.

Love these knives! They cut amazingly and are super nice. Only thing I suggest is not letting them sit in water long, mine already have rust spots on them where they were still a little wet after the drying cycle in my dishwasher and sat for ONE day! :(

The knives are sharp, but my block came with dents on it. And for a product that out in the open, I would argue that Cosmetics is equally as important as functionality.

Good quality knives and by that I mean that they are made well. They arrived very sharp. After two months of use however, some have started to rust already. I will be contacting the manufacturer about the warranty.

Seem to dull easily. We are sharpening them all of the time. They did survive the dishwasher though, so we were happy about that.

The knives themselves are fantastic - they are incredible sharp. I am giving three starts for two reasons: first, when the knives arrived, they made moisture spots. The same occurs if you do not dry them immediately. Secondly, there is no scissors included, which is a shame. Overall, great knives for the price. I would absolutely buy again.

Knives are not well balance ok for the price

Like other reviews state, these are seriously SHARP.... but don't stay sharp for long. I've had them for about two months and they're already dull. I use them with veggies/fruit, but have two specifically for my dogs meals. I feed them a raw diet and need really sharp knives. I guess I'll be buying a knife sharpener asap. The red color is coming off already also. I hand wash all my dishes as I don't own a dishwasher, they're well cared for. Otherwise they are great knives, you get what you pay for.

Nice knives for the price. The handles feel pretty light and a little cheap but the blades are sharp and look pretty sleek. Overall pretty satisfied and will get the job done. Nice variety of knives.

The knives have a good handle but do not seem very sharp, surprisingly. The included knife sheaf's are poorly designed and very cheap. Probably would not buy again, and certainly would not give as a gift.

I love the feel of these knives and they come very sharp. However, I purchased these knives in white and after 2 uses they are already starting to show wear (the white is coming off of the blade), and the blade and handle are stained from cutting a butternut squash. I keep my knives on a magnet on the wall so it's disappointing to have white and now orange knives on display.

Received package on time was super excited to use them they were great cut with ease super sharp cut my prepping time in half ,but by the third use 2 of my knives were so dull I could not cut boneless chicken thighs without a struggle. I hakd washed them and hand dried them. I am now looking for new knives.

They are sharp, and they are affordable. However they have this really cheap wrapping on the hilt which was already starting to come off by the time it was delivered to me...

We bought this set about a month ago and overall we are pretty happy with it. However, the partoku knife edge "broke" tonight when being used to slice carrots.... on a wooden cutting board..... that to me is pretty crappy. I doubt we will buy another Chicago cutlery product again when it is time for a new knife set.

They have been great, until a year and a half later one of the knives just broke in half. Would not recommend as clearly they are poorly constructed.

Knives get dull pretty quickly.... even after sharpening after every use

I haven't used these knives yet so I personally cannot comment on the cutting quality, but I'm considering sending them back. A sharp knife is very important to me, as well as the looks of the set. The knives look and feel fine, but the fit in the wood block is absolutely horrible. Although most reviews rave about how sharp they are and I'm sure that's true, but it looks like a really cheap set sitting on the counter with all the knives uneven. Really disappointed.Decided to return item and requested the same set as a replacement. Hopefully, the replacement knives will fit better. If not, I'll send it back and purchase another brand, hopefully made in the USA....not China.

The knives are fine. But all of the stake knives are a different size and shape. When in the butcher block they look like they've been collected from different knife sets. The appearance is very disorganized and unsatisfying. I will never buy a product from Chicago Cutlery again.

First time I was using one of the knifes to slice garlic the handle fell off. Was very disappointed as I spent $75 and Chicago Cutlery has a great reputation. I called the factory and they did immediately send a new knife to replace it. Happy with how they handled the situation but if I was chopping onions or another vegetable this could have been very dangerous situation and I am worried this may happen again. Hoping this was just a one off.

Unfortunately this knife set started rusting within the first month. At first they seemed to be decent knives, especially for the price. After only two weeks the first knife began to rust at the blades edge. Then within another two weeks, three more knives began rusting. The knives had only been hand washed. They had not been placed in a dishwasher or washed with a water softening system. I didn't expect the highest quality knife set, but based on reviews I figured they would at least be high enough quality to be rust free.

Was a Christmas present and they did not like them.

not at all what I expected does not hold the sharpness well, requires constant sharpening.

Bought along with Domestic corner Steak knife set. Both sets the Knives are not solid. Handles are not sealed and had small holes where the blade is inserted into the handle. I am a stickler for no food getting caught in little spaces, gross! Sent back. Very pretty colors though. Blades were sharp.

I was excited and impressed to have received this Chef Essential set of knives on time. however, after using them for just a few days, I noticed that they are not as sharp as the ones my son owns. I bought this set because my son has been using this same set of knives for now two years, and they have remained really sharp, but mine have not been so efficient after just a few days. I am disappointment and therefore would not recommand them to anybody.

Very nice set loved the color, but didn't last long only about 2-3 months of general home kitchen use. Them edge started chipping and a few of the tips broke off or bent too easy.

I purchased the knives because of the product reviews and the inexpensive price. I didn't notice the pictures of the defective items before purchasing or I wouldn't have bought them. I loved the knives when I first got them, decent looking and very sharp. But on Halloween the girlfriend was carving a pumpkin with one and the handle broke off. I went on here to research some more and it seems to be somewhat of a common trend. I ended up buying some Cuisinart knives that are cheaper, seem to be just as sharp and hopefully last a lot longer than 2 weeks of minimal use.

I just bought this set based on the good customer reviews. I attempted to cut a pineapple today with the largest knife and the handle literally snapped off while making the first cut. This was also the first time I even used this particular knife. I tested the others to see if this was indeed a bad set and they all held strong and showed no sign of bend or fatigue. When looking at the break point, I noticed that the steel was dark and almost rusted in color. I'm summing this up to a manufacturer's defect. I'm just glad the blade didn't fall and strike my leg or foot.

Bought about 3 mo ago and already rusting! They had great reviews so we bought them. Missed the 30 day return deadline. Worthless...do not buy these.

Less than a month and the knifes started to rust

Worst knife set I've had. Rusted after 3 weeks of use. I was away traveling for 2 of those weeks so barely used them and washed in the dishwasher twice. These are not for common use and must be hand washed even if using lightly. I would not recommend as now I have a set of rusty knives which I'm unable to return.

These knives are nice but when I opened them today they were missing two knives gonna have to return them

recalled. Don't buy this item. They will not refund you.

not ceramic only coated very misleading

Returned. These knives came apart from the handle instantly. Hadn't even tried using them yet, just from taking them out of the box. Tried light pressure on the other knives and they wobbled. Talk about dangerous.

These knives are not quality! Not sure what everyone is going on about but they are nothing like most people describe. First of all they look cheap. The handle has a strange pattern that looks like alligator print. They're weren't really sharp to start with and became even duller pretty quickly. I have had them since July and a handle on one of them already broke away from the blade! I definitely took care of them and only washed by hand. Basically the blade doesn't go through the handle so the rubberized handle just separated from the blade and that was that. I guess I should have expected them to be crappy for such a low price!

I'm disappointed that the silver part of the handle is plastic, and the knives aren't balanced. Reading the reviews that chefs use this set gave me hope, but I'm just a cook and I would be embarrassed to bring these into a professional kitchen.Update: I decided I would return and order a solitary chef knife... They want to charge $7 and some change for shipping to return! Don't buy this junk!

Very cheap plastic handles, when you hand wash them the water gets inside the handles. Worthless buy, should be zero instead of one star unfortunately it won't let me