Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm having so much fun with these! Now I worked in a high-end kitchen supply store for a while, we sold Wusthof, Zwilling J.A. Henckels, and Shun knives. Wusthof was my go-to, the Henkels lost my interest with their International collection, and the Shun were intimidatingly expensive; granted, they were all a bit above my means. Unfortunately, while I could use them in the store for demonstrations, I couldn't take them home. I cook constantly. Dinner every night, dishes for most special occasions, and despite me being one of the younger members of my family I'm the main person for holiday meals. I was doing all this with an aged set of CuisineArt knives. Now, not to slam CuisineArt, but their knives are what you give college students getting their first apartments or people who prefer to eat out rather than in. They don't hold an edge, have a distinct lack of balance, and are as brittle as a dried dead beetle. I finally saved up and got 3 Wusthofs of my own, A small santoku, a paring, and a general steak knife. Very nice. At nearly $80 a piece... Ouch. Then I bought my new home and decided I deserved a decent set of knives to go with my gorgeous new kitchen. I promptly began checking prices for Wusthof sets. The most basic set that would suit my needs was a little over $1400. Not happening. Henkels wasn't going to fly either. I don't like their balance and don't think their quality quite matches up to Wusthof. Was there anything else? I checked Amazon and it randomly threw Cangshan at me as a recommendation. Cang-who-whasit? Never heard of them. Research was necessary. Hmm... Good Amazon reviews, good knife-guys reviews, full tang, German steel, deal about to start on prime. Might be worth taking a chance on! So I did and got some major bang for my buck. They are a little lighter on the heft than the Wusthof, but that doesn't bother me. They've got a full tang, excellent balance, magnificent cutting edge that stays delightfully sharp, and are flexible as I need them to be. In addition to that, the full set cost about what I paid for my sad little 3 knife Wusthof collection. The wood block is gorgeous on my counter too. Now... If I could just keep my jealous mother's hands off them. I'm sure I'll think of something while I go prepare dinner.