9 Best Knife Sets Under $100 in 2023

Photo: KitchenAid

If you’re considering getting a good knife set under $100, you’re not alone. You’ll also be amazed by the offers out there.

There are so many good offers for knife sets below the $100 mark that you really don’t need to budget more money to get a package that you’ll be proud of.

This knife sets under $100 review aims to make the selection process easier for you by providing a list of the top sets under $100, as well as a guide to help you make the right choice.

9 Best Knife Sets Under $100 – Review

IMAGE	PRODUCT	FEATURES
	1. J. A. Henckels 19480-012 (Best Overall)	Top-quality knife set with precision blades 12-piece set also includes a polished knife block Includes a santoku and a serrated knife Backed by a lifetime warranty
	2. Vremi VRM020015N (Most Exciting)	Set of five colorful knives Includes a chef, utility, paring, carving, and bread knife Each knife comes with a protective sheath They also feature comfortable ergonomic handles
	3. Cuisinart C77TR-15P (Most Stylish)	Very stylish knife set from Cuisinart Features a 15-piece package with block and shears High-carbon stainless steel blades The package is covered by a lifetime warranty
	4. Emojoy 15PC (Elegant German Set)	Expertly crafted with elegant wooden handles Includes 12 knives and 3 accessories Top-quality and design Backed by a lifetime guarantee
	5. AmazonBasics HL-005986 (Best Budget)	14-piece knife set at a great price Includes kitchen shears and a knife block The blades are high carbon stainless steel
	6. Victorinox Fibrox Pro (3-piece Swiss Quality Set)	Swiss-quality knife set From the maker of the Swiss Army knife Includes a chef, bread, and paring knife Backed by a lifetime warranty
	7. Ginsu GES-KB-DS-014-3 (Serrated Blades Knife Set)	Top-quality 12-piece knife set Features serrated super-sharp blades Comes with a lifetime warranty
	8. Chicago 1106276 (Most Classy)	13-piece knife set with class Features a perfect knife and block design Comes with top-quality forged blades Includes a lifetime warranty coverage
	9. KitchenAid KC12STENBXOBA (With Best Block Design)	The best knife block on this list Also features beautiful handles High-carbon stainless steel blades Comes with a lifetime warranty

1. J. A. Henckels 19480-012 – Best Overall Knife Set Under $100

Photo: Henckels

• Number of Knives: 9
• Blade Material: High-carbon stainless steel
• Handle Material: Plastic

This 12-piece set is one of the top-rated knife sets under $100 and the best package you can get here. It features high carbon stainless steel blades and beautifully designed full tang handles.

These should be German knives, it helps to keep their price below $100. The set includes a beautiful and well-made hardwood block to hold all the pieces, including the shears and sharpening steel.

There’s a 3-inch paring knife, a 5-inch serrated knife, an 8-inch chef knife, a 5-inch santoku, an 8-inch bread knife, and four steak knives.

If you’re the type that likes modern-looking stuff, then this set might not fit you because it has more of a classic feel to it. You can also get cheaper sets elsewhere.

It’s such a top-quality set however, that J. A. Henckels backs it with a lifetime warranty.

Pros:

• 12-piece set includes a sharpening tool and shears
• Best quality knives also includes a nicely polished knife block
• Precision blades designed to make the neatest cuts
• The manufacturer backs it with a lifetime warranty

Cons:

• There are cheaper sets in this list
• Its design is neither modern nor stylish

2. Vremi VRM020015N – Most Exciting Knife Set Under $100

Photo: Vremi

• Number of Knives: 5
• Blade Material: Stainless steel
• Handle Material: Plastic

You don’t always have to use ordinary knives, with their classic black handles and shining blades. Why not go colorful for a change?

These colorful knives will surely bring a level of excitement into your life. The blades are stainless steel, but they come with a nonstick coating. The handles are plastic and ergonomic, making them comfortable and pleasant to use.

There are five knives in this package and with five matching sheaths, making it a 10-piece set. They include a chef knife, a utility knife, a carving knife, a paring knife, and a bread knife.

For downsides, the set lacks a knife block for storage. More matured cooks may also find its design a bit too youthful.

However, the box the set comes in is great for storing the knives in any drawer. And since the blades are stainless steel, you can also hang them on a magnetic wall holder. They come with a 1-year warranty.

Pros:

• All five knives feature a high-quality stainless steel blade
• Very colorful design, perfect for color lovers
• Each knife comes with a protective sheath for storage
• Features comfortable and ergonomic handles

Cons:

• Does not come with a block or sharpening steel

3. Cuisinart C77TR-15P – Most Stylish Knife Set Under $100

Photo: Cuisinart

• Number of Knives: 12 knives
• Blade Material: High-carbon stainless steel
• Handle Material: Plastic

This Cuisinart offer is great for those who are after the best value knife sets. You get a 15-piece set with 12 knives, kitchen shears, and sharpening steel.

What sets these knives apart is their handles’ smooth and curvy design, mixing its stainless steel blade and plastic handle with a triple rivet design.

You get a chef knife, a bread knife, slicing, santoku, pairing, and utility knives. Plus you also get six steak knives.

For cons, the knife block isn’t sealed against water but very lovely in a Cuisinart way. The knives feature full plastic handles that are only available in black. 

If you want a stylish and precise knife set that’s offered at a great price, then this Cuisinart offer is definitely worth looking into. It comes with a lifetime warranty.

Pros:

• A stylishly designed set featuring a triple-rivet handle design
• Precision blades for clean cuts
• This set includes a knife block, shears, and sharpening steel
• Cuisinart backs this offer with a lifetime warranty

Cons:

• The handles are plastic and only available in black
• Its knife block is not sealed against water

4. Emojoy 15PC – Elegant German Knife Set Under $100

Photo: Emojoy

• Number of Knives: 12 knives, 3 accessories
• Blade Material: Stainless steel
• Handle Material: Wood

Few things make a knife as elegant as a wooden handle. This set comes with lovely cherry wood handles, which combine with the knives’ fully exposed tangs to create an absolutely elegant knife set.

The blade is a German high-carbon stainless steel, guaranteed to never rust nor stain. It also guarantees accurate cuts and long-term sharpness.

You get a chef knife, utility knife, six steak knives, a bread knife, and sharpening steel, all with their storage spaces in the included knife block.

For cons, the lovely wooden handles are not available in other colors. Emojoy also does not recommend dish-washing the knives, so you’re only advised to hand-wash them.

On the brighter side, the set comes with a 100% full refund with no time limit. And this shows you just how confident the company is about this knife set.

Pros:

• Features beautiful cherry wood handles
• Made from quality high-carbon stainless steel
• The set includes kitchen shears and a sharpening steel
• Emojoy backs the set with a lifetime warranty

Cons:

• The wooden handles are only available in one color
• They are not dishwasher safe, only hand-washing recommended

5. AmazonBasics HL-005986 – Best Budget Knife Set Under $100

• Number of Knives: 11 knives
• Blade Material: Stainless steel
• Handle Material: Plastic

Coming from AmazonBasics is this 14-piece knife set with a knife block, kitchen shears, and sharpening steel. AmazonBasics is an Amazon.com brand and this set comes with a 1-year warranty.

It’s the best budget knife set on this list, featuring an 8-inch chef knife, six steak knives, a pair of kitchen shears, a peeling knife, a slicing knife, a block, sharpening steel, and other knives.

On the downside, the knife handles are from a cheap looking plastic, which is also completely black and offers no stylish features.

The block itself is from pinewood, which normally looks great in certain situations but looks out-of-place here as a knife set block. However, if you want the best knife set for the money, then this is a great offer.

Pros:

• Best budget knife set with high-carbon stainless steel
• The 14-piece set includes kitchen shears and a knife block
• Full-tang design with triple rivets
• AmazonBasics backs it with a 1-year warranty

Cons:

• This set features a basic and unstylish design
• The plastic handles look cheap

6. Victorinox Fibrox Pro – 3-Piece Swiss Quality Knife Set Under $100

Photo: Victorinox

• Number of Knives: 3
• Blade Material: High carbon stainless steel
• Handle Material: Fibrox

This offer comes from Victorinox, maker of the Swiss Army Knife, which is well-known for its high quality worldwide.

It’s for just three knives: An 8-inch chef knife, a 10.3-inch bread knife, and a 3.3-inch paring knife. There are no accessories, no sharpening steel, and no knife block.

For this reason, this package is relatively expensive when compared to other offers in this review. On the other hand, Victorinox enjoys an undisputed knife quality, so this is a sort of offer that you can’t refuse.

If you are the type that likes to keep things simple, and you really don’t need all sorts of knives, then this offer becomes very attractive as one of the best knife sets under $100.

Pros:

• Made by Victorinox of Switzerland
• The blades are stamped but of very good quality
• Comes with patented Fibrox handles
• Victorinox backs it with a lifetime warranty

Cons:

• The set is costly for just 3 knives
• There are no included accessories

7. Ginsu GES-KB-DS-014-3 – Serrated Blades Knife Set Under $100

Photo: Ginsu

• Number of Knives: 12 knives
• Blade Material: Stainless steel
• Handle Material: Plastic

Looking at these knives inside their knife block, they seem just like any other set, and you wouldn’t notice anything different about them until you see the blades.

Ginsu draws on its decades of experience and innovation to develop these knives with their unique serrations. This enables them to make clean cuts while needing sharpening.

From the 3.5-inch paring knife to the six steak knives, chef knife, and others, you’ll find these serrations, except on the santoku blade, which is fine edged and needs sharpening.

In addition to that, the set does not include sharpening steel and the knives aren’t dishwasher safe, but this offer comes with kitchen shears and a lifetime warranty.

Pros:

• These knives come with serrated super-sharp blades
• Includes a knife block and kitchen shears
• Modern and trendy looking knives
• Ginsu backs the set with a lifetime warranty

Cons:

• They are not dishwasher safe
• Does not include sharpening steel in the package

8. Chicago 1106276 – Most Classy Knife Set Under $100

Photo: Chicago Cutlery

• Number of Knives: 13
• Blade Material: Stainless steel
• Handle Material: Polymer

This offer proves that it’s possible for the best kitchen knife sets under $100 to still look impressively good because unlike most of the other knives in this review, the makers of this set took their time with its design.

You start to see this beauty from its knife block, which is adorable in its espresso stain. Then there are the gentle but careful curves of the handles, including their unique sideways tangs.

In addition to mere style, this set also features forged stainless steel blades, which are precision sharpened to offer the best cutting experiences.

The set includes eight steak knives, a pair of kitchen scissors, sharpening steel, a chef, a bread, a utility, a paring, and a peeler knife. This most classy set also comes with a lifetime warranty.

Pros:

• 13-piece knife set with a matured design
• High-quality forged knives with full tang
• The set comes with eight steak knives
• It comes with a lifetime warranty

Cons:

• The set lacks a boning and santoku knife
• Forged blades are good but heavier

9. KitchenAid KC12STENBXOBA – Knife Set With Best Block Design

Photo: KitchenAid

• Number of Knives: 9 knives
• Blade Material: Stainless steel
• Handle Material: Plastic

Two things stand out from this offer. The first is the red handles of the knife set, and the second is the simple but very stylish design of its knife block. These combine to make this offer one of the best knife sets under $100.

This knife block is something you would find on costlier knife sets, although this set is one of the costliest in this review anyway, so it still fits.

For the blades, you get high-carbon stainless steel for longer sharp edges, plus the handles are nicely contoured to offer the best comfort and handling when cutting.

KitchenAid recommends only hand-washing of these knives and this can present a disappointment for some people. However, it comes with a lifetime warranty coverage.

Pros:

• Features beautiful and ergonomic red handles
• Comes with the best knife block in this review
• High-carbon stainless steel guarantees better sharper edges
• Set includes kitchen shears and a sharpening steel
• KitchenAid backs it with a lifetime warranty

Cons:

• The knives are not dishwasher safe
• They are comparably costlier than most sets in this review

How to Buy the Best Knife Sets under $100

Photo: Ginsu

If you want to make the most out of a knife set, therefore, you’ll need to understand the important aspects of a knife, so you’ll know what to look out for when reaching a decision.

These aspects are as follows:

1. Budget

Although the knife sets in this review are all under $100, you really don’t need to make it your maximum budget. Since we are all slightly different, you’re also free to set any budget of your choice.

You can choose to only go after offers around $50, such as the Cuisinart C77TR-15P or even choose high-quality sets with only a few knives but a higher price tag, like the 3-piece Victorinox Fibrox Pro. The choice is yours here.

2. Types of Knives

You must have noticed by now that all knives don’t look the same. This is a result of specialization, which grew out of the gradual evolution of knives over the ages.

Different knife shapes and sizes have proven more efficient at certain tasks, turning them into specialized knives, which has given rise to buying knives in a set, so you can get different types. Following are the most popular ones.

• Chef Knife. These are very common knives that are about 6 to 14 inches in length. The blade is usually curved from the handle all the way to the tip and they are ideal for a range of jobs.
• Utility/Paring Knife. This is a shorter version of the Chef’s knife and they can have serrated of straight blades. The blades range from 2 to 4 inches and they’re good for peeling fruits, vegetables, and other similar tasks.
• Serrated Long Blade. Also known as the bread knife, the serrated blade and the long blade make it easy to cut through a loaf’s hard crust and interior easily and without making a huge mess.
• Others. Asides from these three major knife types above, there are other types like the boning knife, the carving knife, filleting knife, and the santoku knife, which does the same jobs as a chef knife.

3. Blade Material

A blade is one of the most important parts of a knife and something you should keep an eye on when making your choice. The material that it’s made from determines many of the knife’s properties, so the following are the major blade materials that you’ll find:

• Carbon Steel. This is a popular material for making cheap knives because carbon steel blades stay relatively sharp for long periods and they are cheap as well. The disadvantage is that they are prone to corrosion.
• High-Carbon Stainless Steel. Blades made from high-carbon steel are stronger than those made from lower carbon steel, but they still suffer from the same corrosion issue. High-carbon stainless steel, however, solves that problem. It is strong and rustproof.
• Stainless Steel. By adding at least 12% chromium to steel, you get stainless steel, which will never rust because the chromium in it prevents corrosion. Stainless steel blades are also strong and stay sharp for long.
• Ceramic. Blades made of ceramic are very sharp and can stay sharp for extremely long periods. They are also very lightweight but they are brittle. If you accidentally drop a ceramic bladed knife, then the blade will break. Also, if you’re cutting meat and hit a bone, then it might chip.

4. Handle Material & Shape

Knife handles can come from a variety of materials, including plastic, wood, stainless steel and composite. Costlier knives will often feature unique and decorative handles, so this is a personal decision.

5. Set Size

This consideration is a personal one and is different for different people. You need to check yourself to know your cooking style and how many knives you think is ideal for you.

If you don’t cook that often, then a set of about five knives can serve all your kitchen needs, especially if it’s your first buy. If, however, your knife skills are more advanced, then feel free to go for a set of 10 or more knives, such as the Emojoy 15PC. Also, if you want a large set for any reason and you can afford it, then go for it.

6. Storage & Accessories

Some knife sets come with a storage system, while others don’t. Most sets will come with a block that’s either made of plastic, wood, or some other material.

It’s left for you to make sure that you’re getting a suitable storage system or that you have other plans for storage. You’ll also find lots of interesting blocks and other knife storage systems on offer, including magnetic wall hangers, for instance.

Conclusion

We’ve reached the end of this knife sets under $100 review and you’ve seen all the lovely and high-quality offers that you can get for less than a hundred dollars.

If you are young and can handle some fun in your life, then the Vremi VRM020015N can surely solve your needs.

For the discerning gentleman or lady, the Chicago Cutlery 1106276 will bring some class into your kitchen.

Else, you can always go with the J. A. Henckels 19480-012, if you just need a great knife set under $100 for your kitchen.