Every time I buy a new knife, I promise myself that I’ll keep it nice and sharp. Yet sometimes, I’m just a little too busy and forgetful to get the knife on that sharpening stone.
So what about forever sharp knives? Is it possible for a knife to always be sharp? If you’re tired of always reaching for a dull kitchen knife, and aren’t comfortable to sharpening yours, the Forever Sharp Knife Set is a great choice.
Check out our Forever Sharp Knives review to see if these knife sets really are all they claim to be.
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Things To Consider Before Buying a Stay Sharp Knife Set
The number one reason for buying a Stay Sharp Knife Set is always to have sharp kitchen knives on hand.
These steel blades won’t disappoint you, even when you haven’t used them in a long time. They will always be reasonably sharp for their long life.
The ideal customer for this product is the typical at-home cook, who doesn’t have professional training or elaborate knife skills.
You might consider yourself a cut above the average home chef. Maybe you obsessively watch home cooking or chef competition TV shows. If you do, you might not be happy with this set.
In those shows, you see professional chefs continually chopping with chef knives. They’re after perfectly chopped vegetables or meat.
The steel blades on the Forever Sharp Knives are serrated knives. They won’t work with a professional chef’s chopping motion.
These are some of the things you should consider if you want to purchase a Stay Sharp Knife Set.
Usability
When you picture yourself cutting in the kitchen, are you more of a chopper, or is your action more like sawing?
If you saw more than chop, then a serrated knife set is for you. Serration means there are multiple blades, not just one. All knife sets that claim not to need sharpening are serrated knives.
What these knives are good at is cutting through things like meat, tomatoes, fruit, and bread.
Maintenance
Luckily, these steel knives require very little maintenance.
You may be the kind of busy person who doesn’t end up sharpening regular kitchen knives often enough. As a result, they’re usually dull.
Knives that don’t need sharpening are a great solution to this problem.
Another benefit is that they’re dishwasher safe. The handles have no wood, so they will be fine with the high heat of your dishwasher.
More expensive knives actually require more maintenance.
Materials
When it comes to metal and cooking, we’re almost always looking for stainless steel. This resists rust and corrosion.
A wooden handle feels good in your hand, but so does a sturdy plastic one. Plastic can feel smoother against your skin too, and be more comfortable for longer uses, and is also dishwasher safe.
Value
Have you done a price check on chef knives recently? They can be very expensive. And don’t forget, you’re going to have to keep them sharp by purchasing a knife sharpener or paying someone to do it.
If your budget is tight, a knife set that doesn’t need sharpening is a sensible alternative.
Forever Sharp Knife Set
The Forever Sharp Knife Set is a budget knife selection that promises steel knives that stay sharp forever.
The large set includes three stay sharp knives, one filet knife, two paring knives, and four stay sharp steak knives. Some sets also include a plastic juicer.
You can’t sharpen the stay sharp knives because they have an airflow ridge system that keeps the blades from getting dull.
It doesn’t include a knife block, which some of its competitors do.
All of their high quality knives are certified by NSF International and come with their Forever Sharp lifetime guarantee.
The Forever Sharp Knives have similar features to the top of the line Henkel’s Classic Bread Knife. The entire set is close to the price of this single knife.
Pros
- Don’t need sharpening.
- Comes with additional knives.
- Handles are comfortable.
- Surgical steel won’t corrode.
Cons
- Metal is thin.
- Not good at cutting hard vegetables.
- Doesn’t include a block for storage.
Features and Benefits
These are some of the principal features of this set we looked at in detail for our Forever Sharp Knives review.
Variety of Knives
In your knife set, you’ll get three forever sharp knives. These are identical, so you can place them in different drawers around your kitchen, always having forever sharp knives at hand. You could also gift them to friends, or use them for camping or at the cottage.
You will also get four stay sharp steak knives, which aren’t for preparing food but to use at the dinner table when eating steak or other meats.
In addition to the three forever sharp knives and four steak knives, you will get three other knives. These knives aren’t forever sharp series knives; they will get dull and need sharpening over time.
One is a fillet knife. A fillet knife is a tool used for cutting fish and removing the bones of fish. Maybe you need something like this; maybe you don’t. In my experience, this is the knife that collects dust because we usually buy our fish deboned and ready to cook.
You will also get two small paring knives; these are small bladed steel knives that are good for intricate cutting. They’re also great for removing the peel of fruit and vegetables.
Are They Actually Forever Sharp?
The three forever sharp knives and the steak knife set will remain sharp over their lifetime because they’re serrated knives. This means that instead of one blade edge, there are many tiny blades on the edge to cut with.
As mentioned, you can’t sharpen blades with serration. Not without a lot of patience or paying a high price.
Whatever these forever sharp knives cut, they cut well. You can count on them for cooked meat, squishy tomatoes, and softer fruit and vegetables. I’d go as hard as an apple but not much further.
Raw meat is okay, but you may get more of a tear than a nice slice. You can saw through frozen meats with the Forever Sharp Knife. It does take a while, though.
The foods they don’t do well on are hard vegetables. Cutting through a hard potato or carrot can, in some cases, be dangerous. The knife tends to buckle or slip when you put a lot of pressure on it. Once this happens, your hand can smash into the cutting board and the knife.
When slicing a hard vegetable, I’d go with the paring knife that comes with this set.
Surgical Stainless Steel
The metal in the blades is surgical stainless steel. This makes the knives less likely to rust or corrode. However, surgical stainless steel is not really a precise term. Some companies use it to make customers imagine using a metal that’s similar to a surgeon’s tool.
Plastic Handles
What you’re looking for in a knife handle is comfort. You will hear the word ergonomic when describing anything from an office chair to a floor mop. It refers to the interaction between the user and the equipment.
The black plastic handles of the Forever Sharp Knife Set are ergonomic in that they’re smooth and comfortable. They have rounded bumps that let you know where to rest your fingers for the greatest ease in cutting.
Value
I’ve heard many stories of these steel knives lasting for 10 or 15 years. For the price, that’s great value.
You also get a lot of steel knives; it will take you many years to work through three of the forever sharp kitchen knives. Not to mention the other knives included in the set.
You can add to the value by calculating the cost of sharpening traditional knives. Either by purchasing a knife sharpening tool or getting a pro to do it. It all costs money.
Alternatives
Here, we point out some of the top competitors of the Forever Sharp Knives and how they compare.
Farberware Never Needs Sharpening Stainless Steel Knife Block
This set of knives is significantly larger than the Forever Sharp set. There are 22 steel knives in total. In addition to the knives, there’s an all-purpose kitchen shear, a set of five measuring spoons, three spatulas, and a wood storage block.
Not only is this set of knives larger, but it’s also less expensive. It seems a little too good to be true, so maybe they’re not as high quality knives.
Some customers report that the metal gets rusty pretty quickly, especially if you don’t dry them immediately after washing. I don’t know about you, but I’m one to leave dishes and utensils air drying in the rack. That would be a big no-no with these kitchen knives.
The accessories that come with them are pretty basic when it comes to quality. You may not find much use for them.
Each of the handles has rivets that make them look strong, but it may just be a look.
This knife set will appeal to home chefs who like wide varieties of knives and are looking for a set at a low price. It will also be great for someone outfitting an entire kitchen on a budget.
- More knives.
- Other tools included.
- Knife block included.
- Rusts easily.
If the huge number of knives in this set appeals to you, check them out for yourself.
McCook MC29 Knife Sets
The biggest difference here is that these steel knives don’t stay sharp forever, so you will need to sharpen them. There’s good news, though; there’s an easy-to-use sharpener built into the wood storage block.
The knife sharpening tool concerns me because I know they don’t last forever. So you’ll eventually have a useless sharpener permanently attached to your block.
Because the chef’s knife is not serrated, you can use it for chopping. It more resembles a professional knife.
This set will appeal to home chefs who want to copy some of the techniques they see on celebrity cooking shows.
The McCook set comes with six knives for cooking prep and six steak knives. There are also two shears and a wood storage block.
- Looks good on your counter.
- An easy to use sharpening tool included.
- Need sharpening often.
- Not dishwasher safe.
If you’re interested in this set with a built-in sharpener, take a look for yourself and see if you like it.
The Bottom Line
If you’re tired of always reaching for a dull kitchen knife, Forever Sharp Knife Set is the choice for you.
It doesn’t include a sharpening block, but you won’t need one with the airflow ridge system as it keeps the blades from getting dull.
The surgical stainless steel resists rusting, and the plastic handles are durable and comfortable in your hand.
These economy-priced knives are great for the casual cook who has little or no culinary training.
