Best Knife Set Under $100: A Comprehensive Guide

Nothing can surpass the importance of a sharp knife to cut down meals to sizes. You should’ve known the struggle and frustration a blunt kitchen knife can give you.

But it’s not always the knife’s fault to become useless. You probably bought one at a lower price. Or, you could’ve used only one knife for all cutting tasks in the kitchen.

Why not resolve both problems at once? That’s right, all you need is a knife set within a budget. Setting the budget to $100 should do finer than expected.

Believe it or not, the market offers plenty of top knife sets from leading brands in the range. And we’ve dug up the best knife set under $100 to save you the trouble.

Number

The first specification you’ll encounter is the number of pieces in a set. You’ll find 9, 10, 12, 15, or 18 pieces for the projected $100. You can choose less numbered kits for frequent kitchen uses. Getting higher-piece sets may not provide good quality.

Knives

You’ll have to know which knives you need for the cutting tasks. A kit for a home kitchen should have at least three tools – a chef’s knife, a utility knife, and a serrated bread knife. However, not all the sets under $100 come with the bread knife.

Still, a full set should feature chef’s and utility knives as well as paring and steak blades. Some collections have multiple steaks with or without more than one utility knife. Make sure the chosen set includes every knife necessary for your kitchen prep.

Sizes

Also, don’t forget to check out each knife’s blade size or length. You may require slightly longer or shorter blades for personal comfort. Most of the knives maintain standard sizes. But smaller ones can come with alternate specifications.

Blade

High-carbon stainless steel is the universal choice for the blade material. They offer superior durability, edge retention, sharpness, and cutting support. However, the exposed steel is prone to rust and water spots on regular use.

Try to choose a blade with a protective non-stick surface coating. Pay attention to the bolsters, as those spots often slip while cleaning. Also, consider the blade thickness from your perspective to avoid the steel from breaking apart.

Handle

The grip lets you use force to chop veggies and meats on the cutting board. The slippery and flat-surfaced handle can eventually lead to severe cut injury. Hence, you must choose something non-slipping, well-textured, and perfectly balanced.

Take your palm size into consideration while opting for the best knife set. Unnecessarily long or short handles can easily cause accidents. Keep up with the handle material, preferably wood, polypropylene, or rubber.

Tang

Always go for complete tang construction to enjoy more strength and stability. Tang refers to the length of embedded or connected blades within handles. And full tang knives have blades running through the entire length of the handle.

Block

Most blocks you’ll get within a $100 tag are wooden frames. And not many blocks can last long due to poor quality or no maintenance. Therefore, you should look at the block to justify its overall reliability.

Make sure you can comfortably clean up the block from time to time. The slots to contain a single knife requires special attention for proper placement. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to properly store, access, and organize the blades.

Tools

Knives aren’t the only tools required for prepping a meal before cooking. Sometimes, shears, scissors, and peelers can do the job better. That’s why you can choose a more numbered kit with extra kitchen cutleries.

Factors like serration, design, and styles are more dependent on personal preference. However, the included sharpener should work well with the knives. Exceptions are rare for which you’re to spend some extra cash.

Our Top Picks

Top 10 Knife Sets Under $100

You can find many different options using the guidelines mentioned above. However, only a few can meet the satisfaction at cheaper tags. And we had the experts narrow down the top knife sets under $100 from the market. Keep rolling to explore the best 10 knife sets you can buy for your budget.

1. Home Hero Kitchen Knife Set

Turn your meal-prepping task a gentle breeze with a top-class knife package. The all-in-one complete cutlery set is ready to meet all your chopping requirements. These 17 pcs promise the quality you should have for slicing everyday foods.

You’ll receive 13 different-sized chef knives in a decorative stand. The main 8.3″ chef knife comes with two 8.3″ sized bread and carving knives. It also features utility, cheese, paring, pizza, and steak blades of standard measurements.

These multi-purpose kitchen blades of stainless steel guarantee precise cutting. Non-stick paint coating on the exterior undergoes no rust, pitting, or stains. And the ergonomic pp handle with a textured outline will deliver comfortable grips.

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2. Oster Lindbergh Cutlery Set

Level up the precision cutting performance with the beautifully crafted knife set. The comprehensive set features 14 pieces to fulfill all your kitchen demands. However, its teal handles are the catchy highlights to make an initial impression.

There’re 12 knives and a scissor with a solid rubberwood block for organized holding. You’ll get different-sized carving, chef, boning, bread, utility, paring, and steak knives. Likewise, the package includes six pcs of the 4.5″ sized steak blades.

Highly durable materials retain the outlook, performance, and quality. Steady grip through handles ensures precise cuts without compromising safety. And the matching block will add further aesthetic to your countertop with the teal.

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3. Farberware Kitchen Knife Block Set

Enjoy quality, value, and reliability with the multifunctional cutlery package at once. It’s a perfect option for cutting your foods to enjoy the optimum delicacy. The 15-piece set promises to cover all your needs in the kitchen.

You’ll get an 8″ slicing knife and an 8″ chef knife with extra scissors. Santoku, utility, paring, and steak knives of different but standard sizes are also there. Don’t forget the convenient rubberwood block with built-in sharpening slots.

Its EDGEKEEPER tech features a sharpener on every slot for automated honing. Hence, the blade edges remain sharp without requiring extra work. And the ergonomic handles are more practical with catchy surface outlines.

4. Cuisinart Kitchen Cutlery Set

Enjoy total control of your meals with the perfectly cut-down sizes through Cuisinart. It’s another 15-pcs knife set with a similar outlook to Faberware. What makes it different is the hollow handle for additional gripping support.

It comes with chef’s, slicing, paring, santoku, utility, and steak knives. Likewise, there are six steak blades in the pack. You’ll get two 3.5″ paring knives – one standard and a bird’s beak. Sharpening steel, shears, and a wooden block is also available.

Well-tapered ground blades feature exceptional strength, sharpness, and precision. Even the handles are from stainless steel for your total control. Use the wooden block to organize, access, and store all knives securely.

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5. Cuisinart C77WTR Advantage Knife Set

Cuisinart makes our list again with another great alternative to the hollow-handle set. This all-purpose cutlery pack also contains 15 dependable pieces. Its overall outlook, knife handles, and block makes all the difference.

Otherwise, you’re still getting the utility, santoku, slicing, paring, steak, and chef’s knives. The household shear, sharpening steel, kitchen scissors, and wooden block is also present. Steel blades run through the entire backlight-like handle.

It imparts a classic look to the forged steel on the wooden block. Sturdy steel rivets ensure stability and strength while handling the knives. Also, wide safety bolsters help you with the simplified cutting process.

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6. Farberware Kitchen Knife Tool Set

Find all your necessary kitchen tools in one sleek collection from Farberware. It’s a versatile package to suit your prepping as well as gifting others. The 22-piece kit contains nearly everything you’ll need to chop raw food items.

You’ll have chef, slicing, utility, paring, santoku, and steak knives of different sizes. Likewise, there’re six same steak blades against two other utility knives. One pair of scissors, five spoons, and three spatulas are available with the block.

High-carbon steel with serrated edges retains razor-like sharpness. Its processing nearly eliminates any resharpening after hours of kitchen use. Standard polymer covers the handle for ergonomics and to control the cuts.

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7. Amazon Basics Premium Kitchen Knife Set

Enjoy a high-rated countertop set at a reasonably lower price with Amazon Basics. The premium block set comes with a total of 18 cutlery pieces. These knives will make cutting and chopping tasks easier and more pleasant.

You’ll have 7 traditional kitchen knives against 8 steak knives in the pack. It includes shears/scissors and a sharpener with a wooden block. The pinewood support delivers a classy look while keeping all the blades secure and organized.

Riveted steel blades run through the entire length of black polypropylene handles. You can utilize their long-lasting sharpness to obtain optimum cutting precision. Handling is also secure and comfortable with the ergonomic design.

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8. Cuisinart ColorPro Knife Set Collection

The pioneering cutlery brand hits the list once again to inspire your inner chef’s enthusiasm. It’s a classic collection of beautifully crafted kitchen knives. This 12-piece block set can add elegance to food prep and countertop outlook.

Again, you’re getting the chef, santoku, slicing, utility, and paring knife. However, the pack includes four steak knives instead of six or eight. A sharpening tool and household shears also come with a wooden block.

The shiny metal blades held by a clean white handle give a luxurious look. The handles are good enough to provide strength, stability, and safety while working. Comfortable grips promote your cutting efficiency for optimum precision.

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9. Amazon Basics Premium Knife Set

Keep up yourself with top-class kitchen products at cheaper rates through Amazon Basics. And you can opt for another premium cutlery set from here. However, this mini collection features 9 pcs to meet the fundamental needs.

It includes 7 knives – chef, santoku, slicing, boning, bread, utility, and paring. You’ll also have a knife sharpener to restore the edges of these differently-sized blades. And enjoy their perfect storage and access facility with the pinewood block.

Using the organizing block can add further beauty to the kitchen countertop. These standard knives have traditional black polymer handles. A textured finish with a non-slip surface ensures comfortable, solid, and practical grabs.

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10. HENCKELS Mastery Chef Knife Set

Accomplish all your cutting tasks with the essential kitchen kit for exceptional value. This 10-pcs block set can handle almost any chopping and slicing tasks. Serrated blades from high-carbon German steel promise superior sharpness.

The pack has paring, utility, prep, carving, santoku, bread, and chef knives. Kitchen scissors are available with the large 9″ sharpener for these blades. And keep these tools within your countertop reach using the handsome wooden block.

Traditional handle design imparts ergonomics, comfort, and reliability. You don’t have to confront issues like blunt edges, poor balance, or slippery grips. A non-slip grab on the polymer handle will let you chop veggies and meats.

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Types of Knives in a Knife Block Under $100

You can buy individual knives based on your requirements separately. However, modern trends beg to differ with complete knife block sets. You’re getting all the needed tools with a matching storage option.

Also, it provides superior elegance to random and differently designed knives. But the pack may have more knives than you need. Some don’t even know the uses of certain blades coming with the package.

Available options under $100 are no different, with more knives than you probably know. That’s why you should know what you can expect from such sets. The most common knives included in a set are –

• Chef Knife – The large-sized knife with a straight edge is good for chopping, mincing, and dicing. It measures around 8.0″ to 8.5″ under $100 sets.
• Santoku Knife – The blade with dimples, called Granton, turns down at the tip. They can measure 5.0″ to 7.0″ with somewhat straighter edges for cutting.
• Utility Knife – The narrow-bladed knife falls between chef and paring knives. It usually measures 4.0″ to 5.0″ or sometimes larger in cheaper block sets.
• Bread/Slicing Knife – Bread or slicing knives with serration are only available in luxury sets. As the name suggests, it slices bread, tomato, sandwich, and cake.
• Paring Knife – They are readily available in under $100 sets with multiple copies. Their small size with a straight edge can handle intricate cutting.
• Steak Knife – These knives are either serrated or flat-edged, depending on the models. You’ll need their tough blades to size up thicker meats and steaks.

You shouldn’t expect anything more than the ones mentioned under a tight budget. Luckily, there are cutlery sets with extra knives in the collection.

• Carving Knife – The long, narrow, and taper-tipped blades can measure 7.0″ to 10.0″ in length. You won’t need it much unless you’re up for many roasts.
• Boning Knife – This knife contains an agile yet maneuverable blade to separate meats from bones. But they barely make it in under $100 kitchen knife collections.
• Bird’s Beak Knife – A curved blade features the almost-similar paring knife sizes. Few knife packages include this, allowing you to create a spiral cut.

Additionally, kitchen shears or scissors are also available in most of the top-branded sets. But the quality often remains questionable in cheaper kits. And a sharpener is more like a constant tool in any block set.

Some users don’t know how to use the honing steel. Many others don’t know how to use the sharpening steel properly. And it eventually makes the once-sharp blade either irreparable or significantly blunt.

The sharpeners in $100 knife sets range from 7.5″ to 9.0″ in length. However, the 9.0″ sized steel is the best one for honing. And we’ve prepared a simplified guide to let you learn the knife sharpening task.

The process may vary based on the blade specifications, especially the angle. Also, contact the supplier to hone the serrated blades. Don’t go for honing blindly, as errors can discard blades’ effectiveness.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Verdict

Knife sets under $100 can come in many different combinations. However, you shouldn’t forget the expected quality while on a budget. That’s where only a few options are worth consideration.

It isn’t easy to choose a particular winner from the best knife set under $100. Still, we believe Home Hero and Oster Lindbergh should top the others. They’ve nearly everything of a good cutlery set.

You can pursue other options to reveal their suitability using our guidelines. The perfect set will let you enjoy a pleasant meal prepping. Plus, it can add an impressive countertop décor to your benefits.