Review: Henckels Statement Kitchen Knife Set with Block ·12 Piece Set
By Kitchen Expert
Alex L.
12 photos
The Curated Take
3.5/5
The Henckels Statement Kitchen Knife Set with Block is an excellent choice for beginner home chefs seeking a reliable and reasonably priced collection. The set includes essential knives and sharpening steel, all stored in a convenient knife block. While the blades are softer and require regular sharpening, they are easy to care for. The knives offer great handle quality and balance, enhancing the user's experience. Overall, this set provides a solid foundation for kitchen tasks and is a good value for those starting their culinary journey.
Ideal for
- Easy to take care of
- Great handle quality and balance
- Easy storage in the knife block
Not ideal for
- Blades are rather soft and can be damaged easily
- Knives need to be sharpened regularly
- Set only has the basic knives
Blade Quality
I have found that the blades on these knives can be sharpened to a good sharpness; however, they tend to lose their sharpness quickly. However, in my experience, these blades...Read more
Storage
The knife block is nothing fancy; however, it keeps the knives protected and organized. Each knife has its own slot, and the wood block is soft enough not to damage...Read more
Blade Sharpness
These knives came with a great edge to them and cut very nicely. However, I found that the sharpness quickly dulled, meaning the knives needed to be resharpened often. Since...Read more
Variety
This set has a good yet basic variety of knives for beginning chefs. It features five different types of knives: a chef’s knife, a hollow-edge Santoku knife, a bread knife,...Read more
Handle Quality
These knives feature the classic handle makeup and style of a Henckel or Zwilling knife set. They are durable and make for ergonomic use due to the triple-riveted handle with...Read more
Balance
These knives feature a full tang (the part of the blade running through the handle) along with a stainless steel end cap to create a well-balanced knife. While I have...Read more
Curated Experts are not sponsored by brands. Their reviews are based on their honest experiences testing products.
Alex L.
About the cutlery
- Model: Henckels Statement Kitchen Knife Set with Block ·12 Piece Set
Test conditions
- When I bought this set: Over two years ago
- Where I’ve used it: I use these knives in my home kitchen almost daily.
- How many times I've used it: 500
Expert Reviews of the Henckels Statement Kitchen Knife Set with Block
Alex L. I purchased this knife set as my first real collection of knives, and it is everything that I expected and hoped it would be. I recommend this set of knives to any beginner home chef who wants to upgrade from a random smattering of knives to a real, yet reasonably priced, collection.
What makes this set great for beginners is what it includes for its price. This set has all the basic knives a new chef needs (chef’s knife, bread knife, Santoku knife, paring knife, and six steak knives). This set allowed me to get used to all the basic knives without being limited in what I could make. Although it does not have any specialty knives such as a boning knife or a carving knife, I didn’t have a reason for either which allowed me to focus only on the essential knives and how to master them.
The knife set also has a sharpening steel and knife block so the knives can be properly maintained and stored instead of being loose in a drawer.
The only downside of these knives is that they are on the cheaper side, meaning they don’t hold an edge as well or are as sharp as more expensive knives and need sharpening more regularly.
Overall, I use these knives for everything in the kitchen, from trimming chicken to chopping vegetables to serving steak dinners. They have treated me really well and have helped me take the next step in my cooking journey.
Product Specs
| Set size (pieces) | 12 |
| Tang | Full |
| Production method | Stamped |
| Blade material | German stainless steel |
| Made in | China |
| Handle material | ABS |
Review Ratings
Blade Quality
3/5
Alex L. gave 3 of 5 stars. I have found that the blades on these knives can be sharpened to a good sharpness; however, they tend to lose their sharpness quickly. However, in my experience, these blades are easy to sharpen as they are a slightly softer steel, so I find it best to give the knives a quick sharpen every use or every other use. This keeps them functioning at their best and means I don’t have to do any major sharpening unless the blades get damaged.
Storage
4/5
Alex L. gave 4 of 5 stars. The knife block is nothing fancy; however, it keeps the knives protected and organized. Each knife has its own slot, and the wood block is soft enough not to damage the blades.
The spacing on the knife block provides easy access to each knife, which is always easy to take out and put away. I also like that the sharpening steel is placed within the knife block for easy access and a reminder to always sharpen my knives.
Blade Sharpness
3/5
Alex L. gave 3 of 5 stars. These knives came with a great edge to them and cut very nicely. However, I found that the sharpness quickly dulled, meaning the knives needed to be resharpened often. Since these are made of softer steel, they are very easy to sharpen. For me, sharpening the knives every use or two leads to the best results. Overall, these knives are sharper than generic or cheap brands but are less sharp than higher tier knives I have used.
Variety
3/5
Alex L. gave 3 of 5 stars. This set has a good yet basic variety of knives for beginning chefs. It features five different types of knives: a chef’s knife, a hollow-edge Santoku knife, a bread knife, a paring knife, and six steak knives. I consider these to be the basic knives that any home chef needs, but it does not include any of the more specialized knives, such as a boning knife or a carving knife. So, more experienced chefs would find this set lacking in variety. For me, it does the trick of a basic at-home knife set.
Handle Quality
4/5
Alex L. gave 4 of 5 stars. These knives feature the classic handle makeup and style of a Henckel or Zwilling knife set. They are durable and make for ergonomic use due to the triple-riveted handle with a steel base for balance. I have found that the handles on these knives have held up well over time without showing any wear or tear. They also provide a good, secure hold on the knife. While these handles may not be the best fit for everyone, I find them to do a great job and look good enough in the kitchen, even if they don’t have that "wow" factor of other knives. But overall, these handles are classic for a reason.
Balance
4/5
Alex L. gave 4 of 5 stars. These knives feature a full tang (the part of the blade running through the handle) along with a stainless steel end cap to create a well-balanced knife. While I have found that each knife is balanced well, some of them, especially the larger knives such as the chef’s knife, do tilt towards the blade slightly. Overall, however, they are well-balanced and were a major upgrade from the generic, cheaper knives I previously owned.
FAQs
What do you love about this product?
Alex L. My favorite feature about the Henckels 12-piece knife set is that it has all the knives and accessories that I need and nothing extra. Each knife has a purpose, and none sit around, never being used. It even comes with a sharpening steel and knife block for easy care. Overall, I love this product because it is a great starter set and covers all the basics a knife set should.
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Alex L. Getting to use these knives for the first time was a fantastic moment. Since this was my first real knife set, using a proper chef’s knife that is sharp and well-balanced made cooking not only so much easier but also more fun. Feeling the knife slide through veggies easily on that first cut instantly made me happy with my purchase. And while that first use was the best, these knives have continued to make cooking much more enjoyable all around.
Why did you choose this product?
Alex L. I purchased the Henckels 12-piece knife set as it was the proper balance between trusted name brand quality, number of knives in the set, and overall price. As this was my first proper set of knives, I was looking for a cheap set as an entry point to properly learn how to use and take care of the knives before investing too much money. I was happy to find a set of Henckels as I knew them to be a reliable brand, even if they weren’t part of the top tier.
In addition to the price and name brand, I was looking for a knife set that included all the knives I needed regularly but no specialty knives that would drive the price up. Since this set had a chef’s knife, a Santoku knife, a bread knife, and a paring knife, it had everything I needed. I was also happy to have the steak knives, sharpening steel, and block included. Overall, I chose this set because it had the right balance of price and quality.
What is the value for the money versus other options?
Alex L. It is really hard to find a comprehensive knife set for around $120, especially from a known and trusted brand. Within my price range of about $100 to $140, the 12-piece Henckels set was the largest set I could get from a trusted brand. While there are better knife sets out there, this is the only one in the price range with all the knives an at-home chef needs. The available sets from other knife brands in this range usually don't include at least the steak knives and, typically, the sharpening steel, bread knife, and/or Santoku knife. The only other set in this range that I found with everything this set has was from Cuisinart, and while I like their kitchen items, I wanted to get knives from a knife-specific manufacturer. Overall, these knives have been well worth the money, and I would be hard-pressed to find a better deal on a full knife set.
