The Best Knife Sets Under $200 of 2023

While knives included in the J.A. Henckels International 35342-000 Classic 7-Piece Knife Block Set didn’t lack anything in the sharpness department, we found this set generally lacking. The chef’s knife was a touch on the heavy side in an unbalanced way, making it a little awkward to use. The edges on the handle weren’t as rounded as other knives, so it wasn’t very comfortable, either.

What we love about this set is the paring knife, which is effortless to use as well as comfortable to hold. We're also fond of the santoku knife, which has a better handle and improved balance compared to the chef’s knife. In the end, we think these knives are a touch pricey considering the contents and the fact that this set doesn't come with a serrated bread knife.

This set includes four knives (an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 7-inch santoku knife, a 5-inch serrated utility knife, and a 4-inch paring knife) along with a honing steel, kitchen shears, and a large, wooden block.

There are no complaints to be made when it comes to the Victorinox Fibrox Pro 7-Piece Knife Block Set. The Swiss Army owned company is well known for making great knives at a fair price point.

What we don't love about this set, though, is the lack of a serrated bread knife. The chef’s knife performs incredibly well, and the super minimalistic paring knife is one of our favorites. Unfortunately, the set includes a small serrated knife instead of a larger bread knife, which we find to be a grave oversight.

This set includes 4 knives (an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 3.5-inch paring knife, a 4.5-inch serrated tomato/bagel knife, and a 5-inch utility knife) along with a honing steel, kitchen shears, and a large, wooden block.

With the incorrect knife, cutting down vegetables into tiny cubes or slices can be tedious, which is why we love the Cuisinart C77TR-15P Triple Riveted Collection 15-Piece Knife Block Set. Although they aren’t as sharp as more expensive brands, the design itself is practical. Plus, they are much more budget friendly than high-end knife sets.

You’ll find that the handles on the knives are comfortable to hold in your hand and stay steady as you slice up your favorite fruits and vegetables..

What's better: this set of full-sized knives also come with a 5-inch Santoku knife, which is more ideal for cutting up onions into tiny pieces or if you just have tiny hands.

Overall, we would certainly recommend these knives to anyone looking for some under $200, especially because they meet our standards of quality.

This set includes six knives (an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 5-inch Santoku knife, a 3.5-inch paring knife, an 8-inch serrated bread knife, a 4.5-inch utility knife, and an 8-inch slicing knife) along with a honing steel, kitchen shears, six steak knives, and a large, wooden block.

The Victorinox Swiss Classic 5-Piece Kitchen Knife Set comes with lightweight knives that are very sharp; although this set doesn’t include a wide-blade chef’s knife which is an ideal knife for small-slicing duties. Instead, it comes with a long, thin carving knife, which is good for general cutting functions; it just isn’t our first choice for chopping.

What we find odd about this set is that it comes with both a serrated and straight-edge paring knife, yet doesn't include a wooden block to store them properly on the kitchen counter.

Please note that these knives are not dishwasher safe. Therefore, you should always hand wash them in order for them to hold their quality.

This set includes five knives (a carving knife, a bread knife, a serrated tomato and table knife, a serrated paring knife, and a straight-edge paring knife).

If you’re a home cook newbie or own a vacation home that you want to stock up to rent, then the Cuisinart 15-Piece Stainless Steel Hollow Handle Block Set would be ideal. To be honest, they aren’t the best knives performance wise. The knives themselves aren’t super sharp nor do they have great balance while cutting, but they are an affordable option for someone who needs a set of knives in general.

What we do like is the storage block that’s included with this set. It’s a bit large and heavy, meaning it may take up some space on your countertop; but if you have the room in your kitchen, then that shouldn’t be an issue.

This set includes six steak knives for cutting meat and sheer knives for all other chopping needs, such as for cheese and vegetables.

This set includes seven knives (an 8-inch chef’s knife, an 8-inch slicing knife, a 7-inch santoku knife, a 5.5-inch serrated utility knife, a 3.5-inch paring knife, and a 3.5-inch tourne knife) along with a honing steel, kitchen shears, six steak knives, and a large, matte black block.

We love the vintage look of the three-piece Five Two Essential Knives set. The soft-to-the-touch knife handles are available in several colors: Smoked Salt, Nordic Sea, Maple, and Rhubarb, and each one has a gorgeous washed-out appearance. These triple-riveted, forged, Japanese steel knives are a little on the heavy side, but they have great balance that makes them easy to use.

Where the set loses the most points is in the sharpness department. To put it plainly, they just aren't as sharp as other knife sets. The set only contains three knives, too, so it isn't able to keep up with similarly priced sets that come with more styles (like santoku blades, utility knives, and kitchen shears).

This set includes three knives (an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 9-inch serrated bread knife, and a 3.5-inch paring knife).

As far as beginner knife sets go, you could certainly do worse than the Calphalon 1924554 Classic Self-Sharpening 6-Piece Knife Block Set. For starters, these knives are as sharp as some of the more expensive knife sets, and we love that the block has a built-in sharpener, which is great for beginner cooks—it takes the question mark out of how to use a knife sharpener or honing steel.

This set’s major downfall is the lack of a serrated bread knife (something we think is essential in a good starter set). We also think the knives are a little on the heavy side, and the chef’s knife has a very long handle, which can throw off the balance and make it difficult to use for extended periods of time.

This set includes four knives (an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 5-inch santoku knife, a 6-inch utility knife, and a 3.5-inch paring knife) along with kitchen shears, and a large, wooden block.

For the price, the J.A. Henckels International 35309-000 Statement 12-Piece Knife Block Set isn’t a terrible deal. The kitchen knives themselves are lightweight and have sharp blades that can tackle any cooking job you throw at them, but the handle design gets in the way of making this a stellar set. The handles are a little clunky for our liking, making them awkward to hold.

We also didn’t love the paring knife, which features a wide blade and thick handle, making maneuverability difficult. That said, if you’re looking for a budget knife set that comes with steak knives and you prefer getting a santoku knife instead of a utility knife, this would be a fine starter set for most kitchens.

This set includes four knives (an 8-inch chef’s knife, a 7-inch santoku knife, an 8-inch serrated bread knife, a 3-inch paring knife) along with a honing steel, kitchen shears, six steak knives, and a large, wooden block.

Material products are known for being both beautifully crafted and functional, and this set of three knives is no exception. They are beautifully made of stainless Japanese steel with a Damascus steel finish. We believe pairing them with the Material plastic cutting board (one of our top picks, in fact) would bring a wonderfully elegant look to your kitchen.

You only get three knives in this set, but that’s because each one is crafted for quality. They are sharp enough to cut through any food product and the round-shaped handles are not only comfortable to hold, they’re also designed with a smooth matte, ivory finish that is absolutely beautiful to look at!

What’s better: the paring knife transitions perfectly off your hand as if it is a part of it. The 6-inch serrated knife is even long enough to slice a large, crusty baguette.

This set includes an 8-inch chef’s knife, an “almost 4-inch” paring knife, and 6-inch serrated knife.

This wallet-friendly stainless steel knife set is designed with both professional chef level and affordability in mind. It comes with a chef's knife, paring knife, carving knife, utility knife, serrated bred knife, knife sharpener, and a hardwood block to keep your knifes organized and in great shape, as well as a built-in knife sharpener.

With almost 12,000 reviews and 4.6 stars, reviewers love these knives for their sharpness and price-to-quality ratio. Some reviewers claim that they rust easily, so their durability is questionable; but overall, this is a solid set for the price.