Chicago Cutlery Essentials 15pc Knife Block Set Review
Knives Included:
3 Peeler, 3.5 Paring Knife, 4.5 Serrated Fruit Knife, 4.75 Serrated Utility Knife, 5 Santoku Knife, 7 Santoku Knife, 8 Scallopped Bread Knife, Serrated Steak Knives, and Kitchen Shears
Blade Material:
- Not as Durable As Higher-End Brands
- Mass Produced in China
If you are on a budget and looking for a nice knife set, Chicago Cutlery would be a good choice. As you can see, they offer some great knife sets at a great price point. They also offer a lifetime warranty which helps protect against factory defects. These knives probably wont last a lifetime, but you wont have a lot invested in them either. If you have the budget for a higher quality set, we recommend checking out some other brands such as J.A. Henckels or Wushtof. Both of these brands offer a budget-friendly series along with their higher-end collections.
If you came to Chicago Cutlery because you thought it was a brand made in America, were sorry to disappoint you. However, if this is important to you, there are other American made knife brands worth checking out. Lamson makes great quality forged knives, though they do cost more. Rada and Case offer less expensive, stamped options that also have great quality.
Chicago Cutlery Elston 16pc Block Set
Just like the Chicago Cutlery Fusion set above, this set is a subtle shift from one of Chicago Cutlerys other lines. This time, its a riff of the metal-handled Insignia 1 design. This knife set is beautiful, compact, and extra inexpensive. While it doesnt come with a built-in sharpener, you still get a fully-stocked knife block and honing steel that you can use to maintain any grind or edge.
The biggest difference between Elston and Fusion is the handle type. I tend to think that the modern-looking Elston handles look much better on the countertop, while the more comfortable, grippy Fusion handles feel better in my hands. Your experience will vary, of course. Feel free to choose the set that fits your own tastes.
The other difference, of course, is cost. Check the price of both sets to see which one is cheaper in your area. They both feature similar forged high-carbon stainless blades with excellent balance and very, very good value per money. You really cant go wrong with either.
Again, serious kitchen hobbyists and professionals will certainly get a lot out of shelling out for a more expensive Dalstrong or Zwilling knife . If youre a less serious chef or youre looking to save money, this Chicago Cutlery Elston set is very, very good, as long as you sharpen it regularly.
Quality Of The Chicago Cutlery Steak Knives
Quality should come first when looking to buy chicago cutlery steak knives that will last. The first thing you should think about is the products construction material. Something shouldnt start to malfunction after a few months of use. The best way to assess a products quality is to read reviews from customers who have used it. If they believe buying it is worthwhile, then it probably is. The cost of an item can also be considered when evaluating its quality. Anything that is too inexpensive likely has a flaw.
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Chicago Cutlery Steak Knives Buying Guide
There is so much selection and variation in chicago cutlery steak knives that its hard to know what you should choose and avoid. To enjoy great results, choose the product that best fits your needs. While shopping, you are likely confused by the variety, quantity, and quality of the products available. The article will offer many indications to help you choose a product worth buying. Before making a purchase, be sure you are doing the right thing. You should go for the best that suits your needs.
Before making a purchase, take into account the following advice:
- Pick a high-quality item: The items quality is important. If you want to be sure that your purchases will perform flawlessly and last for years, only spend money on high-quality items.
- Products durability: If it doesnt last long, whats the point of buying it? Think about user experiences when developing something that will last for years.
- Brand reputation: Since many brands offer comparable goods, its important to find those with a strong track record and attentive customer service.
- User feedback: Check out what other users say about chicago cutlery steak knives in their reviews. You can tell from this how well it works and whether they think their investment was profitable.
- Warranty: A warranty ensures that, if anything goes wrong, your product will be fixed. You can pay either a small fee or nothing to fix or replace it.
You should consider the following factors when buying chicago cutlery steak knives:
Bottom Line: Are Chicago Cutlery Knives Any Good
Now that you know the facts, should you buy Chicago Cutlery?
Are these knives any good?
The main advantage of Chicago Cutlery is its price. Simply put, these knives are cheap. Theyre not your forever knives, but if they dull or chip, you can pick up a new set without breaking the bank.
Sure, you can get better performance with other, more expensive brands, but Chicago Cutlery gets the job done, and they have thousands of happy customers to prove it.
If youre looking for decent knives and youre on a tight budget, Chicago Cutlery is a fine choice.
The downsides of Chicago Cutlery knives are the construction and performance. You wont get the same quality, durability, or edge retention as other brands, such as Wüsthof, Zwilling, or Shun, provide.
If you can afford more expensive knives, I wouldnt recommend Chicago Cutlery. Although other brands cost more, theyre built to last a lifetime. Theyll make cooking prep easier, especially if youre making fresh meals every day.
On that note, if youre looking for comparable alternatives to Chicago Cutlery in terms of price, high-end brands do offer discount lines. Check out the Wüsthof Gourmet collection or the Henckels International collection. Both of these collections are discount stamped knives produced by renowned brands.
If youre still in the market for Chicago Cutlery knives, check out the prices and reviews .
Read Also: Are Omaha Steaks Worth It
Is Chicago Cutlery Good Knives
Chicago cutlery is a line of knives to make knives for household works especially. Home cooks mostly use these knives. There are so many famous brands and lines that make knives for professional uses.
Those knives are heavy-duty, they comparatively need more maintenance. They are mostly heavy. They require some professional cooking skills to handle these kinds of knives.
They need knives, which can perform well enough to do the household works. They will give a fantastic performance to the home cooks. They do not require much maintaining. They are easy to use and handle. Overall, if you are an enthusiastic home cook, a Chicago cutlery chef knife set will be enough for all your cutting purposes.
What Is Chicago Cutlerys Shipping Policy
Chicago Cutlery offers free shipping for orders of $99 or more. Certain surcharges may be added to your order depending on the items weight and size. Unfortunately, they do not offer international shipping besides to Canada. Heres how long different shipping types can take:
- Standard: 5-7 business days in the US, 10-15 business days for Canada, Alaska, and Hawaii
- Express: up to 3 business days in the US, up to 5 business days in Canada, Alaska, and Hawaii
The brand also provides order tracking for those eagerly awaiting their new kitchen essentials.
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Chicago Cutlery Knives Review 2022
To have good cutlery in your kitchen means that you have an asset. This not only makes your kitchen one of the most beautiful places in your house to be at, but it is that precise thing that adds peace and joy to your food.
Selecting the perfect cutlery for your kitchen and dining has always been a challenging feat for most. Not all cutlery that looks good could be expected to be functional.
Also, cutlery could be an expensive business, especially if you want to go for some of the top and trusted brands for securing functionality with good looks.
However, with the advent of newer brands by the day, the range of affordable kitchen supplies has broadened considerably, so much so that we can now be hopeful of actually finding just what we need at a comparatively affordable price tag.
One such brand is Chicago Cutlery that had consistently delivered as much in quality as it has maintained an authenticity for all its product designs. But even with all this, how much exactly can you expect it to perform when it comes to providing high-grade cutlery?
Welcome to my review of the Chicago Cutlery sets!
Chicago Cutlery Malden 16 Piece Knife Block Set
Chicago Cutlerys Malden line of knives set is their most popular and sought-after model. If youre looking for a steak knife set that wont break the bank but will still offer an excellent cut, this is undoubtedly it!
With the forged design, full tang construction, 26-degree edge sharpness, and precision steel blades, the Chicago Cutlery Malden knives are great for cutting through any food product without so much as breaking a sweat.
This set features a black-finish wood block with the option for some different knife slots from chef knives to steak knives, this is an all-inclusive set just waiting for you to take home and start cooking some mouthwatering meals.
Whats included in this knife set:
8 Chef, 6-3/4 Serrated bread, 6 Santoku, 4-3/4 Utility, 3-1/4 Paring, Eight 4-1/2 Steak knives, shears, chop assist, and ebony-stain wood block.
What we like
- High carbon stainless steel makes the blade sharp, strong and protects it from rust.
- The blade has a 26-degree taper grind serrated edge.
- The stainless steel handle is comfortable to hold and fits well in your hand.
- The black finish gives an elegant look to this 16 pieces knife set.
- These high-performance knives feature full tang construction.
What we dont like
- Sometimes it becomes difficult to cut small pieces of foods with heavy knives.
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Is Chicago Cutlery A Good Brand
It depends on the type of knife you are looking for. Chicago Cutlery is relatively a good brand in terms of the quality of the knives at a reasonable price. They stock a wide range of kitchen knives and professional cutlery products. The company provides different types of knives with rust-resistant stainless steel blades, including some other special features.
Chicago Cutlery Insignia2 Reviews
Following the same route as that of the former model of the complete Insignia set by Chicago Cutlery, Insignia 2 which is the second version also brings the combination of magnificent design with superior performance for every cut that it makes.
Price-wise, it stands on a middle-ground between the Insignia and the Avondale, which still makes it an expensive purchase.
My experience with the product
The Insignia 2 bears almost all the characteristics of the Insignia in the design and build construction of its knives. They are constructed from high carbon steel of course, like the rest of two sets from the brand that I reviewed earlier for you.
The set carries almost all the models of kitchen knives that you may require under normal circumstances.
I found this to be a pretty functional set after the first Insignia version, providing similar benefits at a lower price than the latter. The blades are super-sharp and can cut, chop and dice meat, vegetables, and fish with ease.
These are fitted with heavy-duty forged bolsters to maximize the performance of the knives on harder substances.
The blades have fully extended tangs that are fitted securely with triple-stainless steel rivets into the handles, providing strength and balance to the knives.
You can use the knives to cut through pretty much anything without applying much effort or pressure.
The handles on these knives are made of polymer. These are contoured to provide an anti-slip grip for you.
Also Check: Is Steak Bad For Weight Loss
Chicago Cutlery Knife Sharpener Review
Dull knives are difficult to work with, as they can become a nuisance at best and a health hazard at worst.
Replacing sets is an expensive feat, so youll probably want something to keep your blades sharp and durable. Sharpeners lengthen the life of your knives and are a great tool to have with your knife set.
Chicago Cutlery Dual Sharpener
The Chicago Cutlery Dual Sharpener is the ultimate cutlery-care tool. It has 2 sharpening surfaces: a coarse-grit side that smooths rough edges and a fine-grit side that hones a sharp edge.
Dont worry about the sharpener slipping while in use, as the added suction cups can secure the tool to any countertop. Its handy to have around to keep your knives precise, durable, and free from any kitchen accidents.
You can use the sharpener with any products mentioned in our Chicago Cutlery knife set review for a cool $20.
Best Splurge: Wsthof Classic 9
A great upgrade set, or the first set for a serious cook, this doesnt include a whole kitchens worth of knives but they are the knives you will use most. Even better, the slim knife block will be easy to find room for, even in a small kitchen. If you feel that you need a specialty knife, youll have no trouble finding one to match this set.
The blades are high carbon stainless steel with a forged full tang and a bolster. The handles are comfortable to hold and triple riveted for security. The handle material is a dense synthetic that resists fading, so these knives will look good for years. The set includes a 3 1/2-inch paring knife, a 4 1/2-inch utility knife, a 5-inch serrated utility knife, a 6-inch prep knife, an 8-inch bread knife, an 8-inch chefs knife, and kitchen shears that come apart for thorough cleaning. The set also includes a honing steel for maintaining your knives’ sharpness between heavier-duty sharpening. The knives should be hand washed.
While our tester found that the pairing knife and the straight utility knives were essentially the same knives, both performed extremely well. The favorite knife in the set was the 6-inch prep knife, also known as a kiritsuke knife, which could handle any task thrown at it and made prepping a wide variety of ingredients a breeze.
The Spruce / Renu Dhar
Blade Material: High carbon stainless steel | Number of Knives: 6 + scissors | Sharpening: Honing Steel
Also Check: Wusthof Classic Ikon 4 Piece Steak Knife Set
Chicago Cutlery Fusion Set
While the Insignia blocks try to impress with their ease-of-use and automatic sharpening block, the Fusion line tries to compete with more serious knives in terms of build quality and aesthetics. It does a rather good job of approaching brands like JA Henckels in terms of balance, materials, and design, falling only slightly short of the mark. This set comes with an impressive array of fully forged, full-tang knives, a beautiful wooden block, and a matching set of steak knives.
Honestly, while the design of these knives definitely seems a bit nicer than the Insignia sets, that might just be my personal preference speaking. The grippy synthetic handles are comfortable and give you plenty of control over the knives, especially given their excellent balance, while the thicker forged construction helps give them a bit of heft. The block itself is a clear improvement over the Insignia blocks in my opinion, no doubt partially due to a gleaming metal faceplate that protects the holes in which you insert your knives.
While the Insignia set comes with a built-in sharpener, this set comes with a honing steel. Its a clear nod to the intended audience: Chicago Cutlery expects you to maintain these knives yourself. The metal is still the same high-carbon stainless as the Insignia lines, but you get the big advantage of being able to choose your own angle should you sharpen them yourself.
Best Chicago Cutlery Steak Knives: Reviews
What makes us trustworthy:
We spent hundreds of hours researching an array of chicago cutlery steak knives until we figured out which of these chicago cutlery steak knives displays the highest degree of performance and functionality. We gathered data from several metrics to come up with some hard numbers. We judged these chicago cutlery steak knives according to our rating metrics. When considering your purchase, you must contemplate the tasks you will be using one of these chicago cutlery steak knives for and how tough they might be. Depending on your needs, one feature or function of a chicago cutlery steak knives might be essential to you and useless to others. Thats why we created a list of the top 10 chicago cutlery steak knives below so that you can choose one that fits your needs. A few research metrics helped us choose these 10 products, including:
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Chicago Cutlery Insignia2 18 Piece Cutlery Set Review
Knives Included:
3 Paring Knife, 3.5 Paring Knife, 5 Boning Knife, 5.5 Utility Knife, 7 Serrated Bread Knife, 7 Santoku Knife, 8 Chefs Knife, 8 Slicer, 4.5 Forged Steak Knives, Kitchen Shears
Blade Material:
- Block is Large and Takes Up a Lot of Counter Space
Chicago Cutlery Insignia2 Review:
We love the classic look of the Chicago Cutlery Insignia2 Knives. They have the classic German style that is similar to popular brands such as J.A. Henckels or Wusthof knives. Though the Insignia2 knives dont use the same high-end steels as those brands, they are still a decent set for the novice chef. The forged knives have a full bolster which adds strength and protects your fingers while cutting and, the in-block sharpener is convenient for keeping your blades sharp over time. All-in-all if youre looking for a good set of knives at an affordable price, the Insignia2 collection is worth considering.
