Mercer Culinary Millennia 8-Piece Knife Roll Set, Black Handles

Never before have we been complimented on our knives!
We love this knife set. After owning other amazonite knife sets which we were extremely unhappy with (“stainless” steel that rusts after one wash, constantly dull and doesn’t take an edge, etc.), we found these from the subreddit “BIFL” – Buy it for life. Wow!Never would have thought we’d be getting compliments about our knives from guests. These things are the real deal. They sharpen well and they stay sharp, they clean easily and don’t stain, they feel balanced and are comfortable to use, and the grip feels sure in my hands. Our favorite is the santoku knife, we use it for just about everything, but every knife in this set is amazing. Highly recommend these knives, you will not be disappointed!

Amazing quality for the price, don’t be tempted to buy cheaper knives
I wanted some quality knives that I could keep separate from the knives my wife uses who tends to cut on the counter (not on a cutting board), put them in the dishwasher, or use them for the wrong items…ruining the knives. Being in foodservice I work with Certified Executive Chefs and asked them what kind of knives to purchase. We looked at all different kinds of knives on Amazon avoiding the ones that were super cheap with a name brand we didn’t recognize. Mercer was a brand the chefs recognized and actually used so they suggested them. Got the knives in and they are really sharp, was cutting through raw steaks like butter. The roll they come with is really nice and keeps them all packaged together. I would highly recommend these knives for anyone looking for sharp knives, with durable and “grippy” handles, packaged in a nice and easy to transport roll. Sure you can spend hundreds of dollars on one knife but these cut exactly as good as some of the Shun and Wustof knives

Inconsistent sharpening is a disappointment on an otherwise good value set of knives.
This set has a lot to recommend it – you get a very complete set of knives in a high-quality knife roll for a very good price. However, I give the set only 3.5 stars for two reasons.First, I reduced my rating a half star for aesthetics and weight. These knives are a little too lightweight for my taste. I bought my son the Mercer Culinary Genesis 8-Inch Forged Chef’s Knife last year, and that knife is amazing. The Millenia Chef’s Knife in this set is quite nice and I use it often, but the Genesis knife has just enough extra weight and with the bolster it feels sturdier. Also, the Genesis’ handles look nicer/more upscale.Even so, the Millenia knives offer a secure grip and are well-balanced and easy to control.However, I deducted a full star for quality control. Some of the knives are beautifully sharp – the boning knife in particular has an excellent edge and was a joy to use right out of the package. The sandwich knife is also sharp, which is good since it has a serrated edge. However, the 11″ granton slicer knife arrived quite dull. The others were somewhere in between, but other than the slicer, they all arrived at least usably sharp. The good news is that the knives do take an edge. So, I kept the set.This is a very complete set of knives, with honestly more knives than most people really need. At first I thought it was overkill to have both a Santoku and a Chef’s knife in the set, but having both means I can use one for raw meat/poultry/seafood prep and one for veggie prep to avoid cross-contamination. This is my first Santoku knife, and the grantons really help when slicing foods like potatoes that tend to stick to the blade, so I use the Santoku a lot. Also, having a honing steel in the set is nice if you don’t already have a good honing steel.If you need to use the knife roll, then I have good news: it’s great. It’s made of heavy material, securely stitched, and has an adjustable carry strap. The knives are well-protected in there. I would expect it to last many years, even for a culinary student who has to carry knives around every day.Like all fine knives, these must be hand washed. I do not put them in the dishwasher.Summary: This set of knives is a good value for a culinary student or someone who doesn’t have a lot of money to spend. (If you can’t afford a whole set at once, you can buy just knives individually from Amazon here: Mercer Culinary Millennia 6-Inch Wide Boning Knife – just use the drop-down box to select the knife you want.) Hopefully my experience with getting some dull/less sharp knives in the set is a fluke. I plan to keep and use this set of knives until my second son moves out in a few years. Then I will get myself a Genesis set for the extra weight, the bolsters, and the styling.

Quality steel, Grip and Balance
Lots of cutlery on the market these days, can’t seem to hit YouTube without some company pushing their knives. I had the opportunity to handle a set of these that a friend got when he attended chef school and was convinced these were a better alternative.The set I received was very sharp, well packaged, and the knives hold up well. As with any high end set, you do need to know how to use the hone steel to keep them super sharp, and clean and care for them properly.I especially love the balance and grip of these knives. Sure fancy wood makes a nice looking knife – and when it slips and cuts you all of your friends will be super impressed. Even with wet hands these are easy to hold and control.

I’ve had these for some weeks now, they have a knife for every job. Very happy with the quality. As per the review’s i went with these and i’m glad i did.I am yet to need to sharpen, so couldn’t comment on that yet.

Best knives I’ve ever owned, come well packaged and presented too. Brilliant!