Reddit reviews Mercer Culinary M23500 Renaissance 6-Piece Forged Knife Block Set, Tempered Glass Block
We found 3 Reddit comments about Mercer Culinary M23500 Renaissance 6-Piece Forged Knife Block Set, Tempered Glass Block. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Triple-riveted, ergonomically designed Delrin handleHigh carbon, no-stain German X50 Cr Mo V15 cutlery steel resists rust, corrosion, and discolorationOne-piece precision forged construction for better strength and durability with a full tang that runs the entire lengthof the handle for superior balanceTaper-ground edge allows for added stability, easy honing, long lasting sharpness, and increased efficiency when cutting and choppingLimited Lifetime Warranty
I just wrote a long reply in this thread discussing some Japanese $80 options, but Mercer also deserves praise in this discussion.
If we ask the hypothetical question "what's the cheapest way to outfit a kitchen with professional-quality knives that will tackle all kitchen tasks with aplomb?", I think Mercer's X50 lines are the answer. The Mercer Renaissance, Zum, and Genesis lines stack up right against Wusthof and Henckels for performance and quality (while costing a whole lot less), and the Mercer Millenia stack up against the Victorinox lines.
Mercer even sells small sets that contain every knife you'd ever actually need to cook (Chef's, Paring, Bread, Boning) for $125 or $130 or $139 depending on which handle you want, and even a set with the working-kitchen giant grippy handles if you can handle that and no block for $80.
Buy something to keep them sharp, and there would never be any actual culinary/cooking-related reason to upgrade. Everything above that level is preference, enjoyment, hobby concerns. If you just want to outfit a kitchen with quality sharp knives for every task (and hence, be safer and cook better) I'd buy the $130 set and be done with it. I'm tempted to buy a set for my girlfriend's parents so I don't have to use their 20-year-old Cutco junk over the holidays.
This is what they recommended when I took some classes at the local culinary school.
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Any of the forged sets from Mercer
https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Genesis-6-Piece-Tempered/dp/B000IBU9FW/
https://www.amazon.com/Mercer-Culinary-Renaissance-6-Piece-Tempered/dp/B004A8NMEO/
They sell similar with different holder, count etc...
They're as good a value as you'll find. You can get the whole set for the price of a single Shun, Henckles etc... Also note that Henckles sells many different grades of knife. This knife is just as good as the bulk of them.
RE cutting board... Just get a decent thick wood cutting board... (Never Glass)
I'd recommend this set: Mercer Culinary Renaissance 6-Piece Knife Set with Tempered-Glass Block