10 Best Knife Sets Under $200 [Max Quality & Optimal Price]

One of the most important things that you need in your kitchen is a high quality set of knives. With a single high quality set of kitchen knives, you can accomplish more or less any cooking related tasks. As long as you have at least four or five good knives, you should be able to do everything that you need to do in the kitchen.

With that being said, the unfortunate reality is that the best of the best kitchen knives out there also cost a whole lot of money. However, although they are few and far in between, there are some kitchen knife sets out there that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Sure, finding really good kitchen knives that won’t cost you a fortune is much easier said than done, but it is possible.

Through a whole lot of research we have managed to find 10 knife sets under $200 that still feature high quality products. What we want to do right now is to take a look at the 10 best knife sets under $200 out there so you can make an informed decision as to which one is best for you. Remember folks, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get quality products. As long as you buy the right ones.

Our Top 5 Picks:

Best Knife Sets Under $200 Reviews

1. WÜSTHOF Gourmet Block Set

If you are looking for simple yet beautiful as well as functional kitchen knives, then ten piece set of kitchen knives is a great option to consider.

First off, what you get here is a really nice knife block that is made out of real beech wood, which serves to nicely hold all of the knives in place, as well as the included scissors, plus it helps to protect them from damage too. The block itself does actually look very nice as well, which is always a bonus in any kitchen.

This 200 year old brand has not failed to produce quality products in the past, and they have certainly not failed now, which is evidenced by the high-quality carbon steel blades that are razor sharp, hard, and should stay in one piece for quite some time. Carbon steel may rust over time, particularly if not properly cared for, but other than that, it is great material for these purposes.

Let’s not forget the laser sharpening process which they all go through before they come to your door. You may also like the triple riveted plastic handles that are very comfy, waterproof, and ergonomically friendly too.

In case you are wondering what actually comes included here, what you get is a 2 x 1/4″ Peeling Knife, a 2 1/2″ Paring Knife, a 4 1/2″ Utility Knife, a 4 1/2″ Serrated Utility Knife, a 5″ Spreader, a 8″ Bread Knife, a 8″ Cook’s Knife, a 9″ Steel, and Come-Apart Kitchen Shears, which is really everything you could possible need, especially as a beginner.

2. Cangshan S1 Series Knife Block Set

If what you like is some good old German ingenuity and German steel, then these knives are a great option to consider. One of the most important things to note here is that these knives are made out of X50CrMoV15 German Steel, which is extremely tough, hard, and durable. This kind of steel should not rust easily, plus it also won’t bend, chip, or crack very easily either.

These blades come extremely sharp out of the box and due to the extreme hardness of this metal they will retain their edge for a long time to come. In terms of the Rockwell hardness rating, it sits at 58 +/-2, so the blades are very hard indeed. When it comes down to it, these might just be the most durable knives on the list today. Let’s not forget that these knives have also been heat treated in order to increase their toughness, just that much more.

You may also like how these knives do feature a full tang design, something that makes them even more durable. In terms of the handle, what you get here are very comfortable and ergonomically friendly handles designed for long term use. Now they don’t have a huge amount of texture on them, so gripping them when they’re wet may be a slight challenge, but other than that they’re completely fine. All in all, in terms of functionality, these knives are perfectly acceptable.

The Cangshan S1 Series 1022575 German Steel Forged Knife Block Set comes complete with a 9″ Slicing Knife, an 8″ Bread Knife, an 8″ Chef’s Knife, a 7″ Santoku Knife, a 5″ Serrated Utility Knife, a 3.5″ Paring Knife, and a 2.75″ Peeling Knife, as well as a pair of high-quality scissors, the wooden block itself, and a sharpener. We would also like to note that the block is made out of solid walnut wood, which is not only beautiful, but durable too.

Read our in-depth review of Cangshan S1 Knife Set.

3. J.A. Henckels International Classic Knife Block Set

If all you need are four or five good knives, a nice block and a good pair of scissors, then this is a great product or consider. Although this product does come in at under $200, it is not overly cheap, but with that being said, these Spanish made knives are extremely high in quality and functionality.

For one, these knives are made out of very high-quality German stainless steel with a fully forged construction that offers durability and a great transition from the blade to the handle. Although these are not the hardest knives in the world, which means that they will need to be sharpened fairly often. The reality here is that they are easy to sharpen, they do get very sharp, they are user friendly and they definitely won’t rust either.

The fact that they are made out of stainless steel does make them extremely rust resistant. Let’s not forget that these knives are full Tang. Something else that helps add to their durability and it also helps make sure that they are evenly balanced for user friendliness.

What you may also like are the ergonomically designed triple rivet handles, which are actually quite comfortable, plus they have a shape that should prevent your hands from slipping when they are wet, and yes, these knives are dishwasher safe as well.

In case you are wondering, included with this set is a 4-inch paring knife, a 5-inch serrated utility knife, a 7-inch hollow-edge santoku, an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 9-inch sharpening steel, kitchen shears, and a hardwood block, and yes, it is real hardwood.

4. Calphalon Classic Self-Sharpening Cutlery Knife Block Set

Right off the bat, one of the coolest aspects of this particular knife set is the fact that the real hardwood block that it comes with also incorporates sharpeners into each and every single Knife slot. This means that you never have to worry about your knives getting dull because every time you put them in or take them out of the block, they automatically get sharpened.

Included with this set is a 4 1/2 inch Paring Knife, a 6 inch Utility Knife, a 6 inch Serrated Utility Knife, a 7 inch Santoku, an 8 inch Chef’s Knife, Kitchen Shears, 8 x Steak Knives, and of course the sharpening block too. Let’s keep in mind that the sharpeners are made with ceramic blades, so they should last for quite some time.

What is also important to note is that all of the blades are made out of forged high carbon stainless steel, which means that they are quite tough, not to mention highly resistant to rusting and corrosion as well (with the steak knives being made from stamped steel). Let’s also keep in mind that all of these knives feature a whole tang design, something that definitely helps add to their overall durability.

You may also like how these knives come with very ergonomically friendly handles that actually perform quite well even when wet. Even if something does go wrong with these knives, they come complete with a full lifetime warranty. The fact that these blades are full tang also means that they’re fairly well balanced and user-friendly on that front. This is a huge knife set that comes with everything you could possibly need, all for a very reasonable price.

5. Mercer Culinary Genesis Knife Block Set

If all you need are five knives that can take care of all kitchen related tasks and you want them to look absolutely beautiful with a stunning block for them to rest in, and this is a great option to go with. Now, unlike all of the other options we have looked at so far, the block that you get here is made out of steel and glass, so it is completely see through which means that you can see the knives hanging inside of it. It’s just a really cool design that matches great with modern decor.

What you get here is a nice chef’s knife, a bread knife, a fileting knife, and two paring knives. No, it’s not. The set with the most knives on our list today, but with that being said, quality is always better than quantity. These blades are made out of high carbon no-stain German X50 Cr Mo V15 cutlery steel, and they all feature full tang designs. This makes these blades extremely durable so they won’t check crack or bend on you and they are extremely resistant to rust as well.

You may also like how these blades feature a taper ground edge that allows for much better stability, easy honing and long lasting sharpness. Although these blades are not the hardest in the world, they should be able to retain their edge for quite some time. In case there is something you don’t like about these knives or they get broken, they do come with a limited lifetime warranty. The fact that they come complete with ergonomically designed Santoprene handles that offer a great nonslip gripping service is just an added bonus.

6. Ginsu Gourmet Chikara Series Japanese Steel Knife Set

If what you are looking for is a whole lot of variety, than this particular knife set that comes with nearly twenty different knives. It’s a great way to go, especially if you are looking for something very cost effective.

We aren’t going to list all of the different knives that you get here, but the simple reality is that you will get at least one for every single task that you could possibly think of doing in the kitchen. You also get a really nice bamboo blog to keep it all in one place.

All of these knives are made with Japanese stainless steel, which is extremely strong and durable. To be exact, they are made out of 420J stainless steel, which is not only quite tough, but also resists rusting very well too.

Moreover, these knives are made with a full tang design, something else that helps add to their overall durability, not to mention that it also produces a well-balanced knife that is very user friendly and easy to hold.

We do also think that the handles on these knives are very comfortable to hold, but with that being said, they can be a little bit slippery, so be careful if your hands are wet. They might not stay sharp for an overly long period of time given a high usage, but with that being said they are very easy to sharpen.

Related: drclix

7. Cuisinart C77TR-15P Triple Rivet Knife Block Set

Here we have what is so far the most affordable knife set on the list today. Of course, a good chance why it is so affordable is because there are only three knives included, and yes, they do come from the Cuisinart brand. We say this because although cuisine art is a perfectly fine brand, especially for beginners, it’s definitely not a brand that professional chefs would choose over others.

With that being said, if you need a few good knives and you don’t want to pay too much money for them, and you just need them for basic needs, then they should do perfectly fine. The blades here are made out of high carbon stainless steel, so they are actually quite tough and they also should be somewhat rust resistant. What you get here are precision tapered ground blades that narrow gradually to a very sharp and fine edge.

With that being said, the blades are quite wide and very purposely forged this way to make them extra durable, although this does reduce cutting precision. You may also like the fact that although the handles are not particularly nonslip in nature, they are ergonomically designed and quite comfortable to hold. All in all, although these mines are nothing overly special for the low price, they come in at, there is really nothing to complain about.

8. Victorinox Swiss Army Cutlery Fibrox Pro Knife Block Set

If what you are looking for is quality over anything else, then this knife set that comes straight out of Switzerland is probably one of the best ones out there. In terms of what is included, here you get a 4″ paring knife, a 6″ boning knife, an 8″ chef’s knife, an 8″ bread, a 10″ slicing knife, a 10″ steel sharpener, kitchen shears, and a slant hardwood block, which for the price it all comes in at, is not too bad at all.

The simple reality here is that this brand has been around for something like 150 years, and they still have not failed to produce high-quality products.

Swiss made products are always top of the line, as can be seen by these full tang high carbon stainless steel knives that come razor sharp right out of the box, feature a great hardness level, are easy to hone, and more. All of the knives are conical ground and ice tempered to help them stay hard and sharp over a long period of time.

We do also really like the rubber like handles that these blades feature because not only are they very durable and waterproof, but they also feature a bit of a texture so they shouldn’t get slippery when wet, not to mention that they are ergonomically friendly to boot. Just in case you wanted to know, the handle material here is known as Fibrox, a rubber-like material that is about as tough as it gets.

9. Zwilling J.A. Henckels TWIN Signature Knife Block Set

Here is another knife set that embodies the whole quality over quantity principle, as this is definitely one of the more expensive sets on this list today, yet it also comes with the least knives, just three of them. What you get here is a 6” paring knife, a 5” serrated utility knife, and an 8” chef knife, along with the real birch wood block (that has ten slots), as well as 9 inches of sharpening steel.

By comparison, in terms of the amount of knives you get here, this is definitely the most expensive option on the list today, but with that being said, it might also be the best in terms of quality. For one of these Knifes are all made in Germany with a special formula of high carbon, no stain, steel that is designed to be extremely hard, durable, and rustproof. These blades have a Rockwell hardness rating of 57, which is pretty hard indeed.

What’s also cool here is that these blades are one piece precision stamped, which means that they are much lighter without sacrificing any strength. Moreover, the Blades have also been ice hard and to make sure that they’re just that much harder and then that they retain their edge just that much longer. What you may also be a fan of here are the ergonomic polymer handles that are bonded to the full tangs of these knives, and yes, they are indeed full tang.

The handles on these knives are actually very cool because they have an extremely user-friendly shape that really lets you hug them with your hands. Due to this ergonomic shape, although they don’t really have much of a texture on them, they still should be fairly safe to use even when wet.

10. Sha-Pu Premium Handcrafted VG10 Kitchen Knife Set Block

If you are looking for something relatively affordable that comes with everything you need for all of your kitchen cutting, slicing and dicing tasks, and this is a good option to go with, especially if you like that good old Damascus steel. These blades feature a very hard Damascus steel core combined with 33 alternating layers of nickel and Damascus stainless steel, which results in a very strong and unique 67 layer fine steel handmade blade.

When it comes down to it, not only do these knives look very nice, but they actually perform extremely well too. Now, Damascus steel, although it is not overly rustproof, it is extremely hard, very durable, and sharp too. This is the kind of knife that will retain its edge for a very long time to come even without regular sharpening. If you like Damascus steel, then this is really the only option on the list to go with.

You may also like how these knives come complete with linen micarta resin handles that are able to withstand extreme temperatures, are completely waterproof, and very durable too. The handles are also ergonomically friendly and comfortable to hold, although they may get a bit slippery when wet. You may also like. The fact that you get on 100% satisfaction and money back guarantee here.

Final Words

When all has been said and done, if you need a great set of kitchen knives that will cost you less than $200, then you should definitely choose one of the ten sets that we had reviewed today. Yeah, we have picked ones that are very cost effective as well as ones that get extremely close to that $200 mark. Our aim was to provide you with a whole lot of variety, so now you can make your own decision.