Who doesn't love a sharp knife? Quality knives are a requirement for culinary enjoyment. The drawback is that a really good knife is expensive. That and they're all so different in their application. I'm not a 4 star chef, so all that razzle dazzle gets lost on me. Mind you, I have a lot of knives. Many sit in the safe untouched, for a variety of reasons.

Basically, I have a wood block that contains most of my cutlery needs. It's a Chicago Cutlery product. Chicago makes an excellent product that will last a long time if cared for properly. I also have a few other knives of various brands that I absolutely love. Don't we all?

This post is about a product I found on Amazon. They get used regularly and sent as gifts to loved ones as it's that good, and the price can't be beat.
Note, these are not 'specialty' knives designed for any particular purpose (cleaving/boning/paring/etc.). They are simply based on the size of the product being used on.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RD9ZU7E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Pros: Extremely sharp. I cut a finger once and didn't even know it. Other than the peeler, they all come with their own plastic sheath. The handles are very grip friendly, and not slickery. Did I say sharp?

Cons: They are ceramic and should not be sharpened at home by the usual methods. That said, using care in the cutting/cleaning process should yield years of use before requiring re-sharpening. Heck, at that time, just order a new set!

About 50 years ago I thought that ceramic was the wave of the future.  I thought we would see ceramic pistons in ceramic engine blocks.  Never happened.  Then a few years later ceramic knives became fairly common but my father, the butcher, pooh-poohed them.  In about 1983 I gave him a Boker ceramic pocket knife.  He put it away.  So I bought one for myself.  It was okay but nothing exceptional for someone who knows their way around a whetstone and butchers steel (that is as smooth as glass).

Nevertheless, thanks bobitis, for this lead.  I may give a few sets to my friends who have no idea of the pleasure a sharp knife can provide.

Great price, sharpening would be the blocker for me.

Great price, sharpening would be the blocker for me.

They'll hold an edge forever (almost).  Don't sharpen them.  Throw them away and buy a new set.

At that price, that is a realistic philosophy...as I am pretty sure it would be at least $3/knife to sharpen?

Yeah, there's four knives there @ $4.50 each.  Even if the factory said they'd resharpen them free but you have to pay some postage it would be advisable to just replace them.

I have a collection of Update International knives.  Most of them are under $10.  High Carbon blades and plastic handles.  I consider them "disposable meat packing facility knives".  They are very cheap and very easy to sharpen.  You can get them on Amazon or some restaurant suppliers.  I have a couple of Victorinox curved boning knives as well that are less than $20. 

I use a Smith's #3001 10-Inch Oval Diamond Sharpening Rod for sharpening.  It works great.

I don't have the nicest set of knives or the sharpest, but they get the job done and more without breaking the bank. I've been really happy with them.

It's not just the sharpness, but having the right knife for the job, too. I always had a lot of trouble thin slicing with our regular kitchen knives, no matter how sharp. I bought a 14" slicing knife and it really makes all the difference. I bought a relatively cheap Mercer for about $35 and I've been really happy with it. I keep it in a knife roll and only use if for this one purpose, so it should stay sharp for years. I'm also super pedantic about only using it with an end-grain wooden cutting board and washing it only with a sponge. My wife thinks I'm crazy, and she's not wrong about that for many reasons.

I have a collection of Update International knives.  Most of them are under $10.  High Carbon blades and plastic handles.  I consider them "disposable meat packing facility knives".  They are very cheap and very easy to sharpen.  You can get them on Amazon or some restaurant suppliers.  I have a couple of Victorinox curved boning knives as well that are less than $20. 

I use a Smith's #3001 10-Inch Oval Diamond Sharpening Rod for sharpening.  It works great.

I don't have the nicest set of knives or the sharpest, but they get the job done and more without breaking the bank. I've been really happy with them.

The Victorinox knives are hard to beat.  The folks at Americas Test Kitchen love them and they are readily available on Amazon.  I used to think knives like the Henckels were the way to go until reading some reviews a few years ago on knife sharpeners.  Real chefs commenting in the reviews almost never use the high end "pretty knives".  They prefer Victorinox knives and others like them.   

I have a collection of Update International knives.

I'll second UI knives.  I bought this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Update-International-KP-10-German-Cimeter/dp/B004XY4DUW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505584692&sr=8-2&keywords=update+international+cimeter

Very happy with it.  Stupidly sharp, blade takes a nice edge with steel, nice sized grip, just happy all the way around.  Really good for breaking down and cubing meat for sausage making.

I think the knifes are very nice, but I don't like things that will cut off my fingers
Table saw bit me in high school shop