Unless you’re a chef, most of us will have dealt with bad kitchen knives at some point in our lives. Maybe they were the cheapest knives you could get your hands on for your university halls, or the single serrated knife with a wobbly handle that all Airbnb homes seem to have. No matter the dilemma, getting the best knife set for your kitchen is key to upping your home cooking game.
Investing in a set of knives made from high-quality materials and designed with the practical demands of the home kitchen in mind is key to quicker and more enjoyable food preparation. When searching for the right knives, you want ones with well-balanced, comfortable handles and blades that can slice, chop and cut smoothly through even the toughest produce.
The three most important knives to have in your food prep arsenal are a chef’s knife, a serrated bread knife and a smaller paring knife. These three workhorses are the knives you will likely reach for the most – but with so many different knife sets available out there, which ones meet your needs?
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The best kitchen knife sets for 2026 are:
- Best overall – Sous Chef ARC edge Damascus steel knife duo: £160, Souschef.co.uk
- Best three-piece knife set – Kuhn Rikon iced essential knife 3-piece set: £84.95, Kuhnrikon.co.uk
- Best five-piece knife set – ProCook professional X50 contour knife set: £299, Procook.co.uk
- Best knife set with block – Hexclad six-piece Japanese damascus steel knife set with magnetic knife block: £733, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Stellar classic three-piece knife set: £50, Ocado.com
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Sous Chef ARC edge damascus steel knife duo
Best: knife set overall
Why we love it
- Perfectly balanced
- Strong, sharp steel with a fine edge
- Comfortable to hold
Take note
- Does not come with a smaller paring knife or a serrated knife
Sous Chef stocks some of the most exceptional knives from around the world, and now the retailer has produced its own set: the ARC edge Damascus steel knife duo, both of which are a dream to use.
The blades are very strong and sharp, with a fine edge that makes extremely fine cutting possible.
I used them to prepare a dish for eight people that required plenty of chopping through shallots, long beans, lemongrass, and various herbs, and it did the job perfectly.
The chef’s knife is long and gently curved, which enabled me to get into a comfortable rocking motion that made food prep so quick and easy. The straight-edged Santoku knife chopped and minced vegetables with extreme precision. These knives are simply a must-have – and they’re beautiful to boot.
Key specifications
Buy now £160, Souschef.co.uk
Stellar classic three-piece knife set
Best: budget knife set
Why we love it
- High-quality set for a decent price
- Easy to sharpen
- Covers a wide variety of everyday knife skills
Take note
- No serrated knife included
If you’re keen to level up your kitchen knife game, you don’t have to spend tons of money on a solid, dependable set of knives. I’d recommend the Stellar classic three-piece knife set as the best budget option.
Each knife has a really sharp, honed edge that easily cuts through fruits and vegetables. The cook’s knife isn’t as wide as I would have liked (it’s a bit difficult to get that rocking motion), but it is still a great knife that works through anything I put it through.
The handles are thinner than some of the other knives tested, but this worked particularly well for the smaller paring knife, as the smaller handle was better balanced with the blade. This set does not have any serrated knife options, which would make slicing through ingredients like tomatoes and aubergines easier, but they are easy to sharpen and keep clean, which I liked.
Key specifications
Buy now £35, Stellar.co.uk
Kuhn Rikon iced essential knife three-piece set
Best: three-piece knife set
Why we love it
- Thin, sharp blade
- Comfortable weighted handle
- Easy to clean
Take note
- Quite lightweight
- Plastic handles
For a three-piece knife set, I’d recommend this trio from Kuhn Rikon. The set includes three workhorses of the kitchen, and they did not disappoint. The fine blades on the chef’s and paring knives are very sharp and thin, easily sliding through anything from onions to fish.
Despite the weighted handles, which are comfortable to hold, these knives are on the lighter side – this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you are a bit heavy-handed like I am, then they will take a bit more getting used to. I personally prefer a heavier knife, but each one in this set performed well, making various food preparation tasks straightforward and quick.
If you are keen on a plastic-free kitchen, keep in mind that the handles on these are made from plastic.
Key specifications
Buy now £49, Kuhnrikon.co.uk
ProCook professional X50 contour knife set
Best: five-piece knife set
Why we love it
- More specific uses
- Weighty yet balanced ergonomic handles
- Stylish
Take note
- Smooth steel retains appearance of water marks after washing
Having more knives to choose from in your kitchen arsenal means you can turn your attention to some precision knife work. I was impressed by the balance of each knife in this ProCook set.
The curved handles feel very natural in the hand, so you can get to chopping straight away. The chef’s knife is nice and wide, giving it enough height to get a rocking motion, which helps get into the rhythm of chopping and mincing.
The serrated edge on the bread knife features widely spaced teeth that make easy work of even the thickest sourdough crusts. Both the paring knife and the utility knife made quick work of smaller tasks, like peeling and coring. As for the carving knife, the length and sharpness make it easy to slice through large cuts of meat. Overall, this is a really solid set that offers many practical uses in the kitchen.
Key specifications
Buy now £299, Procook.co.uk
Hexclad 6-piece Japanese damascus steel knife set with magnetic knife block
Best: knife set with block
Why we love it
- Double-sided magnetic walnut block is slim and stylish
- Hard-wearing knives
- Well-balanced and comfortable to work with
- Sharp performance
Take note
- Expensive
Hexclad is a favourite among celebrity chefs, including its ambassador Gordon Ramsay; some sceptics might say it’s just hype. However, the brand’s knife set is more than worth the hype. The knives are strong, high-performing and beautiful kitchen tools. The magnetic knife block is sleek and takes up very little space, so you can keep it on display without a big, hefty block taking up precious kitchen counter real estate.
Each knife has a large, rounded handle that is perfectly balanced with the Japanese Damascus steel blades, making it really easy to get to grips with. They felt larger than some of the other knives I tested, but they still have a really fine, sharp edge, and the blades are strong and hold up to lots of chopping, slicing and cutting.
This set comes with a honing steel that may take some practice, but you’ll always have sharp knives once you know how to use it.
Key specifications
Buy now £733, Amazon.co.uk
Henckels seven-piece knife block set
Best: knife set with sharpener
Why we love it
- Self-sharpening knife block
- Includes kitchen shears
- Wide selection of knives with specific uses
Take note
- Heavy knife block
When I heard there was a self-sharpening knife block on the market, I had to try it for myself. Sharpening knives is one of the chores that I avoid the most, simply because most people don’t know how to do it. A whetstone can be too much faff, and a really high-quality knife sharpener can be way too much of a financial commitment.
This self-sharpening knife block by German brand Henckels, part of Zwilling, is the answer. Each time a knife is pulled from the block, it is honed with built-in ceramic wheels within each slot, ensuring you never have to contend with a dull blade. It really is an impressive bit of kit.
The block is understandably heavy and does take up some space, but I think that is a small price to pay to have always-sharp knives on hand. The knives themselves perform really well, and the set includes all the essentials – as well as a pair of kitchen scissors, which none of the other sets I tested has.
Key specifications
Buy now £199, Zwilling.com
Joseph Joseph elevate carousel five-piece multicolour knives set
Best: space-saving knife set
Why we love it
- Saves space on small kitchen worktops
- Easy to rotate and grab the knife you need
- Practical selection of knives
Take note
- Carousel can feel a bit flimsy
- Knives are quite lightweight
Joseph Joseph’s carousel knife block is brilliant for tiny kitchens. The knives themselves are also a bit smaller than most of the other knives I tested, but they still do a perfectly good job of slicing and dicing.
The set contains all the knives necessary for efficient food preparation – the addition of a smaller serrated knife was also welcome for when you need to cut a tomato but don’t want to use a very large bread knife.
Each knife has its own designated slot within the rotating block, so you never misplace them. I particularly liked the integrated knife rests built into the handle, as this prevents the blade from touching the work surface when you put them down, reducing the risk of cross-contamination.
Key specifications
Buy now £100, Amazon.co.uk
Katto three-piece knife set
Best: for gifting
Why we love it
- Very stylish and beautiful
- Perfectly balanced
- Strong steel that slices easily through meat and tough vegetables
Take note
- Slightly thicker blade so less effective for fine cutting
- Expensive
If you’re looking for a luxury knife set to gift someone, Katto’s stunning knives, which are handmade from Japanese steel in Sheffield, are the ones to buy. Their character is really clear from the moment you pick it up. Each knife differs in looks and texture, but all are visually beautiful and well-crafted. You can choose from walnut, olive, beech or rosewood for the handles, with each wood giving the knives a different look and feel.
They look much heavier than they actually are. I thought they may be a bit unwieldy, but I was pleasantly surprised to find them perfectly balanced between handle and blade, satisfyingly weighty yet nimble when put to the test.
As they are handmade, the blades are not as razor-thin as some of the other knives I tested, but they are still nice and sharp, perfect for chopping more robust ingredients like pumpkins and thicker cuts of meat.
Key specifications
Buy now £378, Katto.shop
Opinel red le petit chef 3 piece children's knife set
Best: knife set for children
Why we love it
- Rounded blade and safety features are perfect for young chefs
- Sharp enough to cut through most vegetables
- Finger guard is highly useful
Take note
- Still a sharp object, supervision is essential
It’s really important to introduce children to kitchen tasks at an early age, as the more they interact with food and cooking, the more likely they are to be adventurous eaters and build confidence in the kitchen. Once they’re at an age when it’s appropriate to start teaching knife skills, usually between five and seven years old, you can introduce them to safe ways of holding a knife and cutting easy vegetables so they can help out with making a meal.
This Opinel le petit chef set includes a very sweet little chef’s knife that is sharp enough to cut through plenty of ingredients, and it also includes several safety features to keep little fingers safe.
The finger guard is shaped so children learn how to form the “claw” with their hands in order to safely hold down ingredients and protect their fingers from the blade as they learn how to chop and slice. The peeler is also a brilliant addition to this set. Both the knife and the peeler have round finger guides, so children learn the right way to hold the tools.
Key specifications
Buy now £37.99, Souschef.co.uk
Abode premium chef's knives set of three
Best: knife set for beginners
Why we love it
- A great starter set
- Large curved handles are easy to grip and hold
- Easy to sharpen
Take note
- No smaller knives included
If you’re a budding home chef wanting to upgrade your knives just a smidge, these knives from Abode are a really solid choice. The high, curved handle is easy to work with, giving a really comfortable hold on the knife as you practice your finer knife skills.
The curve and width of the chef’s knife, combined with this handle, enable you to practice the rocking motion for seamless and quick slicing and mincing. It also tackles all the other tasks with ease.
The bread knife is strong and slices easily through thick crusts without struggling – I even got through a slightly stale sourdough without feeling like the bread was fighting me off.
If you’re just starting to build your confidence in the kitchen and want a set of knives that feel almost professional without being intimidating, these are the knives you’ll be reaching for time and time again.
Key specifications
Buy now £46, Abodegastronomy.co.uk
Wusthof classic three-piece chef’s knives
Best: for advanced home cooks
Why we love it
- Highly durable for daily use
- Sharp, fine edge
- Well-balanced and comfortable to wield
Take note
- Smooth steel means water marks show easily
If you’re an advanced home cook looking for a new set of knives, I’d recommend this trio from Wusthof, a brand known for its durable and precise knives.
I found each one to be really satisfying to use. The knives are crafted from a single piece of German steel, making them really strong and resilient, and the ergonomic handles add an extra layer of durability.
The entire knife is smooth, with no ridges or edges where bits of food or bacteria can hide, so it is very easy to keep clean and sanitary. They perform extremely well, thanks to the really fine blade that still feels strong even when chopping or smashing garlic with the flat of the blade.
A confident home cook will take to these right away, and they will certainly make meal prep a whole lot quicker.
Key specifications
Buy now £299, Amazon.co.uk
Your kitchen knife set questions answered
What is the best kitchen knife set?
Sous Chef’s ARC Edge was the best kitchen knife set I tested. I reach for them again and again. They are just so well-balanced and practical, and make me look forward to cooking. If you’re on a budget, I’d recommend Stellar’s classic three-piece knife set, which offers great performance at a very good price. But if you need a more extensive set, Hexclad’s six-piece knife set performs excellently, as do ProCook’s.
How I tested and selected the best kitchen knives
Each knife set was tested on a variety of different ingredients, from everyday vegetables like onions and garlic to more complex produce such as butternut squash, bone-in chicken thighs and fish.
I tested and reviewed each knife set using the same set of criteria – considering everything from blade sharpness and selection to ergonomics and storage.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Kate Ng is a food writer. She has previously tested a range of kitchen accessories for IndyBest, including saucepans, Tom Kerridge’s cookware range and the best woks, making her well placed to decide a verdict on knife sets. As with all IndyBest reviews, the products were tested in real-world settings to bring you practical recommendations.
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