Side by Side Comparison of: Utopia Kitchen vs Kitchen IQ

For $20, this is definitely a solid knife set. The block is solid and durable, and the blades are sharp enough for all my uses. Don't expect super fancy knives, but most of us don't need super fancy knives. Been using these knives for several months now, and have come across no problems. Great knife set for a lower budget.

Thank you very much. This is exactly what I need and my friends like to see it.I very like the new things, very precise and easy to use. Next time I buy will not hesitate. Do not think expensive goods is good, buy for yourself and the quality is good, I am very happy to buy me such a great product. It does a good job. Nice. It has done exactly what I got it for. Thank you very much. This is exactly what I need and my friends like to see it.I very like the new things, very precise and easy to use. Next time I buy will not hesitate. They shipped quickly, goods packaging is also very fine, This works so much better than I thought it would. You can't do better for the price. if you want an economical and cost items will never miss it.

We had this set for several weeks now and have been really happy with it. The block is sturdy and a nice compact size. We don't have a lot of counter space and the block takes up about half as much space as our previous knife block did. The knives themselves are sharp and balanced. They are a good weight for easy chopping but not so heavy it would wear you out. I would recommend getting a sharpening kit as well because like any good knife set they will need to be sharpened to maintain the quality of the blades. Overall I feel like this a good set for the money spent.

Wow! These knifes were amazingly sharp and I love it! The Knives that we had before were extremely dull so when we got these knives they were a nice thing to have. I Love how they look and the knife board can fit most knives which is nice because if I have a nice knife that doesn't come with the set I would be able to put one in there. Cooking at home is a lot easier with these knives and they save drawer space because they are in a block that you can put on the counter. I have no complaints! I love them! 👍

This knife and block set is definitely worth the price. The handles are sturdy and the blades came really sharp which is a surprise. There was no damage to the block and the knives do wiggle a bit when in the block but it is a very minor issue considering the price. The set comes with 11 knives, 1 scissor, and the wooden block set for storage. I would recommend this set to friends and family even if they are not on a budget!

I am a retired meat cutter and I've used good quality knives, everyday on the job, for over 30 years. As a meat cutter, the knives I used every day were some of the finest made knives in the world. They still had to be sharpened almost daily, by hand, to keep them nice and sharp. I was looking for a decent set of kitchen knives, for everyday use, when I ran across this set on Amazon. This set has every knife I will ever need in my kitchen. It comes with a wood block to store them in safely, and is modestly priced. After paying such high prices for my butcher knives, I was a little concerned about the quality of these knives at this price. Not to worry! They arrived at my door just a few days from placing my order. They come protected in a heavy cardboard box with extra protection inside. This set of knives is a fantastic set for anyone's everyday kitchen use. They are made with stainless steel blades that resist rust, if wiped dry after washing. Stainless Steel is a hard metal that can be sharpened easily to a fine straight edge. The construction of the knives is on par with knives in this price range. They are well made very sharp cutting through everything I used them on with ease. This is a complete set of kitchen knives and includes every type of knife you will ever need, including a pair of kitchen shears. The wooden block conveniently stores all the knives in one place. Your knives are handy when you need one, yet it doesn't take up a lot of valuable counter space. The knives may be dishwasher safe but I never put my sharp knives in the dishwasher. I always hand wash using a bacterial soap, rinse with hot water, and carefully dry them before putting them away. This little trick will help keep your knives sharper, and they will last much longer. You will never have to worry about rust, water spots, or bacteria on your knives. To help you with this type of cleaning process, this set comes with a small towel to dry your knives before putting them back in the block. These knives are very sharp and easily cut through everything I threw at them. They are sturdy yet light and easy to handle. For the money, this is a complete set of kitchen knives suitable for all kitchens and lifestyles. It contains quality knives that should last for years, with proper use and care. A statement like that, from a retired butcher, really means something.I received this set of knives at a discounted price in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. I use customer reviews just like this one to make informed buying decisions. It's my intention to write an honest review of the product after actual use, in order to help others make their own informed buying decisions. [...]

This great little gadget will put a SERIOUS sharpening on a knife, from a tiny penknife up to a honkin' big cleaver, very very quickly and easily. And it cost less than a fast-food lunch, on top of that. If a knife is fairly dull, it might be better to start off with a whetstone the way you always sharpen a knife. Once you've got it sharp on the whetstone, this thing will transform a blade from "OK" to "MAN, that's sharp!" very quickly. At this price there is NO reason to put up with dull knives in the kitchen or workshop.

Very practical knife sharpener. Can sharpen serrated knives too. We have some cheap knives that we use too much and this really did the job.
Safest if you suction it to the table or counter. And pay attention to where it is safe to hold the knife. Works very well - my daughter was so excited when she had company for dinner this weekend.

I am a mechanical engineer.
What many reviewers have mistaken for rust around the metal coarse sharpening side is actually an alloy used to 'braze' on the carbide insert that actually does the sharpening.
This is stated in the product description.

Look up brazing on Wikipedia.

If you look closely you'll see the bronze colour surrounds a rectangular block, which is the carbide sharpening material.
It is set in place (into a ground out section, which is why the surrounding bronze colour always fills out a circular arc) using the technique called brazing.

I absolutely love this knife sharpener and can't imagine not having it around.

It is very easy to use. I keep it in the drawer with my silverware and pull it out quick whenever I am about to use a knife. A few quick runs through the coarse sharpener, a few quick runs through the fine sharpener, wipe down the knife with a dry cloth and I am done. Less than 30 seconds and I have a very sharp knife.

And the difference is immediate. I spend a day cubing a pork shoulder to make sausages. After sharpening my knife with this sharpener, it cleanly cut through large pieces of shoulder. It didn't get bogged down or start making rough cuts. If you own any knives at all, you owe it to yourself to have this nearby. It is a life-saver!

I recently bought this to sharpen all of my kitchen knives which had gone dull over the years. At first, I didn't think it worked too well. But then I went to the Edgeware website and watched their YouTube video on how to use it, and realized that you may have to pull the knife throught the sharpener up to 10 times to get it sharp. (I was initially only pulling it through a couple times.)

After pulling through the knives about 5 times, the knives did indeed get very sharp. For my knives, I pulled them through the "course" side 5-6 times, then through the "fine" side about 4 times. Seemed to work well for me.

Another tip I learned by watching Edgeware's YouTube video, was to set the sharpener on the edge of the counter at a 45 degree angle. (That's apparently what the v-shaped groove is for on the bottom of the sharpener.) When the sharpener is on the edge, you can pull the knives straight through and down without worrying about hitting the countertop and scratching it or breaking the tip off your knife.

Lastly, I'm not sure why some reviewers say that this only works on small knives. I used it on small knives, as well as all of my larger chef style knives. The process is exactly the same no matter the size of the knife. So it should work the same, and indeed it worked just fine on all of my small and large knives.

Well, the scissors broke within the first few weeks, and I swapped out the big knife for a better stainless steel one I had but all the other pieces are still going strong after a year of family use. The block is sturdy and looks nice, and keeps everything organized and sharp. The steak knives get the most use and they are all still going! This has made food prep in our kitchen so easy and the price was so worth it.Great for your first kitchen and family cooking!

The quality of the handles could be a little better, I think, but otherwise this is a really great knife set, especially for the price. The wooden block is solid and won't tip over, and every knife is sharp and feels like it will last me a long time. Overall, this was a good buy.

We received our set and all pieces. The knives fit nicely in the block and look nice too. They are very sharp, however there is no blade sharpening tool. So going forward you would be on your own if they became dull. Cut through my spaghetti squash like butter last night, so I'd say they're worth every penny!!!

Ok. Lets be clear. This is a very inexpensive knife and block set. For a set in this price range - great buy. For a knife set overall - they are ok. My 4 star rating is based on value for cost. However, I plan on continuing to shop for a new block and knife set. The knives are thin and the handles don't feel really solidly attached. The block has some fraying around the knife slots. Not what I expect from butcher block. The block is heavy though and I believe it is a solid piece. The biggest issue I have is with the steak knives. Bear with me this is tricky to explain. While they are serrated, they are not smooth with a "wave" pattern where each little peak comes to a point. Instead they are "toothed" so the blade edge looks like the top of a castle wall. Because the peaks are square the blade tears the meat rather than cuts it.Now for disclosure time. I got this as part of a reviewer program. Trust me. You want me reviewing this stuff because I have no qualms about saying something is garbage even if I got it for free. I tell it like I see it.  If you found this review helpful, please check 'yes' below. Thanks

I had 5 stars in my head for the 5 months that I have owned these. they are lightweight, which is deceiving to the tough look of them - they cut perfectly, excellent performance. It is a great set, and I especially love the scissors. However, just today I took the large paring knife out of the dishwasher and it had rust on it right around the top of where the blade meets the handle!! This knife is used more than the others, so I get that it sees water more than the others, but I would think this wouldn't happen to stainless steel. I am still giving this 4 stars because my husband loves his gift so much... and I get more food cooked for me than ever before... But I will not be using this rusty knife. I am going to have one empty space in my beautiful wooden block.

I recently moved into a place by myself and needed to get some of the essentials. I shopped around for knives on Amazon and found the huge differences in price between knife sets. I'm not a chef and I really just needed something that would cut. I liked the idea of having steak knives as well, in case some people came over to grill or what not.This set does what it needs to and the wooden block looks great. Overall the quality of the cutting knives is pretty solid. They do need to be sharpened sometimes but they definitely get the job done. I've also really liked the kitchen scissors that have been able to tackle anything I throw at them. The only thing that could be better are the serrated steak knives. They seem to be thinner and feel cheaper then the rest of the set. Luckily though I use these the least. Overall, with knives I feel like you get what you pay for, and these provide great utility for a great price.Also I don't ever put mine in the dishwasher but I do leave them in the sink overnight from time to time. I have not seen any rust on them. I know some reviewers were complaining about rust. (I've had these for about 4 months)

Easy to use and efficient. I sharpened my knives, and they are better than when I originally bought them. You can cut yourself just by touching the blade. The only problem is that the sharpener tends to slide on the counter. The smalls legs are not sufficient to hold it in place, and you need to maintain it yourself. The first time I used the coarse one and the soft one. Now, I only use the soft one around once each two weeks.

Super small, so great for my NYC apartment. We have a colored knife set, so were concerned this might take the color off near the blade but that was not the case. It worked great and we noticed a difference after using it just once. It says on the package you can use it for serrated blades, but that doesn't feel right to me, so I just used It for my smooth blades.

I bought this knife sharpener after reading multiple reviews and trying to find a price point where I felt I wasn't buying overpriced garbage, but not paying for something that won't work after a few uses. I think I did a decent enough job with this item. The coarse and fine slots do a good job tuning up knives. I have been using the sharpener without any lubricant, but I am sure you could get even better sharpening with more work. I have sharpened numerous kitchen blades such as butcher knives using to clean chicken to smaller knives used on vegetables. This is a great buy for any home user.

This certainly won't replace having a professional sharpen your knives for you every 6 to 12 months, but having your knives taken somewhere to be professionally sharpened isn't something we all can do often. This is good for keeping the blades of your knives in good shape between those exotic high-end sharpenings. I run my knives through this at least once a week. Ideally you could do a couple passes every time before you start cooking, but I'm a bit too lazy for that. Honestly, I'm not sure if this does any better job than the sharpening steel I have for my knives, but it's cheaper and faster to use.

Overall, I'm glad I bought this, but I think it would be a poor decision buying this hoping to take a dull knife and make it perform like a Shun or Wusthof blade. If you own decent knives, this will help keep them sharp. If you own dull knives, this will help them a little bit, but not as much as buying good quality, sharp knives and maintaining them by having a professional sharpen them once or twice a year. You can certainly make a dull knife sharper using this, but I question their claim that this can take a dull knife and get a perfectly good-as-new cutting edge on it. I view this as more of a maintenance tool for already-decent knives than a cure-all for dull, old knives.

I've tried various sharpeners over the years, and mostly stayed with a set of Crock Sticks as they seemed to be the most effective. I absolutely will not use electric sharpeners or grinders on my fine knives as those devices take off a lot of metal and heat up the blades which runs the temper (especially small bladed knives like pocket knives). The problem I've had with crock sticks and sharpening stones is establishing the correct sharpening angle, and keeping a consistent angle from one sharpening event to the next.

I recently tried a Smiths CCKS 2-Step Knife Sharpener and thought it was okay, with some exceptions. But it worked well enough so I tried this little unit, and like it a lot more. It has the same basic design; the coarse sharpener uses carbide blades set at about a 23 degree angle, and a fine sharpener of two ceramic rods set at about a 24 degree angle. With just a little bit of effort I got my kitchen knives and favorite pocket knife as sharp as they've been in years.

I see two features that makes this little sharpeners superior to the Smith CCKS:

1. More stability. The Smith CCKS tends to wobble when I'm resting it on my counter top, pulling a blade across the sharpener. The Edgeware Edge Grip stays rock solid on the counter top, and it is easy to hold without getting my fingers in the way of the blade I'm sharpening.
2. The less distance between the edge of the sharpener and the sharpener blades With the Smith CCKS, I cannot get the entire length of my blades sharpened. With the Edgeware Edge Grip, I can get the entire blade across the sharpener, which makes a big difference when sharpening small blades.

The only drawback this item has is that the sharpening angle is a fixed angle, so you can't use it on single edge knives or knives that use a 17 degree edge. However, most common kitchen knives and pocket knives use a 23-24 degree edge, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. It also doesn't sharpen serrated edge knives; If I found a small sharpener that worked on serrated edges I'd be very happy!

Overall, this is a great sharpener for the price, and I could recommend it to anyone looking for a knife sharpener that is inexpensive, easy to use, and actually sharpens knives.

nice set. but don't expect much. Not like VictorRoll over image to zoom in Nice set but I'd buy the Victorinox brand instead if you want a sharp knife that works well

Knives do seem a little cheap and not super sharp

The Scissors are weak and are pretty useless but the knifes are fine. I guess its a ok set for the money.

Very happy with the knives. The block... not so much. It was poorly put together, with dried glue visible at the seams, and the blocks glued together crooked. The slots for the knives were also rough and had slivers of wood all along the opening that I had to file off. It doesn't seem like the block-maker took much pride in his/her workmanship.While this may seem petty because the knives are really the bulk of the purchase here, I don't keep this set on my counter top as I had intended to because of its shoddy appearance.

Definitely a "you pay for what you get" Amazon item. I've seen much nicer sets for this price point at Target or Bed Bath and Beyond. If you're looking for a starter set like this and don't mind the trip to the store you're probably better off going that route. These are serviceable but look and feel very cheaply made. I suspect they won't last very long and I'll probably be in the market for a new set within the year.

Not that I am that picky per say but they are not very thick, a bit flimsy, very inexpensive so you get what you are paying for but just be aware before you purchase them, they will ultimately rust if you don't dry them and they should be hand washed. The scissors are really flimsy too. I wanted to return them but I would have to pay $10 and the effort just isn't worth it. You'd might as well wait and save up to get a nice set that will last you and that will be comfortable for you to use. I will likely throw these away within the next few months and replace them with a better quality set.

I have been using a little blue plastic knife sharpener that is of the same type as this one, but a small palm-size plastic hex design with rubber on the faces that you use to steady it against the counter while sharpening. I keep it in the corner of my drawer. It worked so well that I though I should get a bit of an upgrade to this one that sits steadily on the counter because I sharpen my knives almost every time I use them. I used this a few times and it just doesn't work well enough. I've found myself continuing to use the old one. I tried to find the item I got in order to recommend it, but it appears that they don't make it anymore. Bummer.

Seems to work well for most knives I have. However it WILL NOT work on an 7" high end knife or my big chef knife I use. Assuming the angle of those two blades are different then the rest. The smaller knife of the two is a wusthof and was very expensive. But you can tell when running along both sides of the sharpener that it's not doing anything (has a different sound) and it won't get it sharp. Very disappointed because this knife is my best one and the one I really needed this for. I am going to keep it because it works on the her knives. Just not those 2.

I'm not proud of this - but I have never owned a knife sharpener and i cook a lot. So I started with this little baby. I like that it has a groove on the bottom for placing on the edge of the counter. I did find I had pull it through the course and fine side at least 15 times each side. Probably due to the fact I'm a goofball who never sharpened her knives! It did make a difference after I got the hang of it. Now I keep it in a drawer under my knife block. Before I put them away, I just run it through this little tool. My knives are much sharper now.

I personally do not use this type of sharpener for myself. This was purchased for my father who I was visiting and has quite a few very seriously dull knives that cuts like a butter knives....Pros:1. It does as advertised2. Rubber V-grip on bottom3. Solid build4. PriceCons:1. Very small, grip on side is just big enough for a child.2. V-Grip (Most counter tops are now rounded edges)3. Slight bit of moisture on grip can cause a severe injury during use4. Cleaning the item is a pain5. Longevity of use may be at question

Today was the first time that I used the knives and the utility scissors. I was not very happy because the knives as well as the scissors are very dull. Thank God, I had not thrown away or discarded my old set because I would have been in trouble trying to prepare Sunday lunch/dinner.

I purchased this set on a Lightening Deal, so I didn't pay much (thankfully). The knives are very light and small, & the handles are incredibly narrow, which makes them difficult to handle. I've already donated the set & will be purchasing something more substantial.

I was looking for a nice knife block that had a good rating but wasn't going to break the bank. This set had a high rating and looked good at the time but, things quickly went sour. The Butcher knife dulled quick to now I don't use it anymore bought a new one separately from a store to replace it and it works great. I also found that they start to rust quickly (even though I clean them by hand and don't put them through the dish washer). The steak knives work great though and are of good quality not bowing or bending with no sign of rust of this time. If I was you I would read over other reviews and think of using money elsewhere because I believe you will be disappointed with this knife set I know I sure was.

The package arrived earlier then expected which is great. The knives are in excellent shape. The wooden block on the other hand was not. On the bottom row the last 3 slots were not cut open enough to put a knife in there. I had to use one of the knives to cut the hole open myself. Also after using the scissors for the second time the handle snapped on them. I was using it to cut the plastic part of a tag off a shirt. I guess it was too much for it to handle. I have used the knives and they work great but the rest of the product is a waste. Do not buy

Bought these knives because they advertise "100% Stainless Steel Blades"The fact that they began to rust after two trips through the dishwasher indicates that this is a lie. True stainless steel does not rust so easily within a week.I am giving two stars instead of one for two reasons. First, you get what you pay for. These are cheap knives, and I should have known better. Second, the scissors included in this set are actually of high quality, and I use them often for non-culinary purposes. Most scissors would have broken from the abuse I have given them. This does not make this package a worthy purchase. Go find some real stainless and drop some real coin on them, because this was wasted money.

Cheaply made .. I rather save my money for some better quality ones :)

Not what I expected. I bought this to sharpen the knives in my kitchen. Unfortunately, it doesn't do the job well. It takes to TOO long to sharpen the knife. I went to Ikea and bought this little $9.00 sharpener and it totally kicked this one in the butt! Don't waste your money on this. And before you think to yourself, "Does this guy even know how to use a sharpener?' Trust me bud, I know how and I'm telling you this one sucks.

Honestly, this really sucks at sharpening knives. I believe some of the reviews on here are people that have never had a sharp knife or took care of a sharp knife. If you have a really really dull knife I could see this having some benefit but its not going to work miracles. I always use a honing steel (aka butchers steel) before using any of my kitchen knives and they don't get dull. The angles of this sharpener seem to have ruined some of the edges on some of my nice knives and they are much harder to keep honed now. I probably don't know exactly what I'm doing but I'd recommend looking at a more professional grade and more expensive sharpener.

Eh, it kind of ruined our knife we tested on it. It left jagged edges and it surely was not a clean sharpened edge. Boyfriend (aka the blade master) did a paper cutting test with the finished knife and it was tugging and ripping the paper instead of slicing it cleanly- no matter the amount of honing even with the fine finishing ceramic would fix it. It just continued to be jagged and catch on the paper fibers instead of slicing cleanly.Overall it works but I recommend you don't use it unless you aren't confident enough to use something better.

Kind of works. The coarse side shreds the blade, while the fine does a decent job of polishing it. Although the slivers may still remain on the edge itself. Dangerous for your fingers or food. Make sure you wipe the slivers off (best done with a soft wood block, under an angle).The fine side is made of two stone pillars which are supposed to spin, but do won't always - as in my case, where only one spins.

Just repeating some of the reviews, but this is not a super sharpener. I could not sharpen my pocket knife the way recommended. Better results with the knife on the counter, blade up and moving this item across the blade. As others said, do not sharpen high quality, expensive knife with this. This will ruin it.edit: I can't sharpen my kitchen knife with this. Instruction or no, I am staying away from this kind of sharpener with v-positioned scrapers. Youtube guy really like Echo (no longer exists I think) sharpener with wheels instead of scrapers. I'll give that a try.

Not crazy about this device. We have a set of Food Network knives we got as a set from a department store. OK, so they are not the best available, I guess, and they got a little dull pretty quickly. Bought this to address that. Not seeing the benefit. After use, the knives are not noticeably sharper and they now have scratches all the way down the blades where this device cut into them. The instructions for use are printed on the back of the plastic packaging, so that you have to destroy them in order to open the device. What are those Amazon return policies again?

Want a knife set to go rusty after one wash ( hand washed or not) it doesn't matter these things go rusty right away. Save your money and buy some better quality cutlery

All the knives did not fit well in the wood block. I gave this to my mom as a Christmas gift and the wood block was cheaply made and you could only put 5 of the 6 steak knives in the block because the handles were too large. It was as if the block was not made for the knives.

I've never returned anything for the past 5 years and I had no choice but to return it. It was garbage. It looked like someone ordered before and returned it. It came with a broken box, wooden block and missing a few knives. DO NOT BUY THIS!PS. It was also very cheap looking!

These knives are cheap for a reason. They are dull, light weight and just plain awful.If you just want a set to sit on the counter that you *might* use one day, then go ahead with these.If you want to actually prepare food on a semi-regular basis...turn the other way! These are plain awful. I'd be scared of cutting my finger bc the blade slips pretty often, but they are so dull I don't think it'd leave any damage.

I dont know how to post pics with my comment othetwise i would. Ordered June 20th. Today is August 4 and my knives are rusting already. Had my husband sharpen and still not that sharp. Pass the 30 days so i can't return. Will keep for 6 months by then all knives should be rusted. I will next time spend money and buy a goid set with a good warranty. They suck. You get what you pay for. 🤐🤐

These are 100% junk and the seller is even worse. Avoid!!!!!!!!

Generally, I wouldn't even seriously consider buying a tool that I will regularly use at a price that is 1/4th of anything else out there. However, the number of good reviews convinced me to give Kitchen IQ a chance. Well, after sharpening my two recently purchased Victorinox knives a couple times, it actually started to dull them. No kidding, I actually tested them after each round of "sharpening" and it kept getting worse. Not sure how all these reviewers got such wonderful results. My guess is that either they only used it once or twice or they simply do not know what a sharp knife is. In any case, don't be cheap, and buy a real sharpener instead.

Product very poor quality. Very disappointed but I guess you get what you pay for. Tried to sharpen knives repeatedly but no actual change sharpness.

I thought this sharpener was great at first and loved its compact size, but after using it a dozen times I noticed my knives were not getting as sharp. After using it another dozen times I threw it out cause my my knife was so dull, I couldn't cut tomatoes without smashing them from the force I was applying.

Doesn't sharpen knives at all. I had it for a long time and I used it properly according to manual. At the very beginning it worked more or less good but very soon it stopped to sharpen the knives.

Terrible product, I have many knife sharpeners and this is by far the worst one I have ever bought. It actually made my knives duller and without a clean edge. I would not recommend this product at all...!!

Not sure why this unit doesn't work, but it definitely doesn't produce a sharp edge on any knife we tried. After many attempts, knives were often more dull than when we started.