Baccarat Kitchenware

Great Knives – There are 8 knives in the set plus a steel and the block itself. The full retail price of $399 or thereabouts was probably a bit hopeful and they… Read more

were routinely available for $140 or so. At that price they are very good value indeed (this set is discontinued but I note you can still buy individual knives at $30-$40 each).

These look to be a copy of Wustof Classic Ikon, and they have done a great job:

- Bolsterles design

- Very cleanly forged

- Great heft and balance (except for mini chef knife)

- Good steel (same as Wustof DIN 1.4116, ice hardened HRC 55)

- Great factory edge

- Good looking block

After nearly a year of use there are no chips on the blades and the synthetic handles are like new (I don't put them in the dishwasher, that will weather the handles and blunt the edges). Now 8 knives is essentially too many - I really only use the Chef, Mini Chef and Paring knives. The bread knife is superfluous as either of Chef's cut crusty loaves easily. My only complaint about the design is the balance of the Mini Chef - it is handle heavy, whereas the Chef is completely neutral, would have been great if they were both the same (and neutral).

Edge retention is good. I started using the steel to stop them losing their edge, but probably could have prolonged that for 3 months or so. The steel makes the edge a little rough looking compared to the factory grind, however you can use a stone to get a completely clean edge again.

You can modify the grind (I've got mine re-edged to 15 degrees instead of the factory 20), but then retention does suffer noticeably - only do this if you like sharpening knives! However the usage does improve immensely (I note that the Wustof Ikon is edged at 15 degrees...so the steel is in theory able to handle it).

Probably worth noting that the bolsterless design (remember I said they are a copy of Wustof Classic Ikon), means you can cut yourself really seriously on the heel of the blade. Proper finger/hand guarding is needed, especially as the Chef's knife is heavy - if it gets you it will hurt!

Great balance of quality, price and finished product – Like many of us (amateur cooks) I could not see how I spend big on knives. Let's be honest, if there is a knife that does the job and doesn't require… Read more

a second mortgage to buy one - that's a great outcome... Well, maybe... Recent events around the world made us stay home more. As a result I found myself in the kitchen more than I ever imagined I'd be. This is when I discovered that my budget, no name knives, were not doing a good job at all. I started researching what can I afford to buy so cooking will be a pleasant task again? My research led me to fenomenon that many refer to as a "rabbit hole". To conclude - there is NO such thing as a "best knife". There are a couple simple characteristics of knives people refer to when they choose one, let's unwrap them. 1. Cutting ability. Simple, right? Not so much. There are serrated knives, straight knives, funky shaped knives, big, small, heavy, light etc. Well, if you're not going for the cheapest knife, most of them cut well. However, different shapes, sizes and forms are for different cutting. So there, no perfect knife here - you most likely need multiple knives to cover all bases. 2. Stainless steel (corrosion resistance). Without going to the chemistry of blade composition, most medium range knives from reputable brands will ensure that. However, any composition that will use metals that prevent rusting will compromise blade hardness in one shape or another. Again, no best knife here 3. Hardness (how long it will stay sharp). Long story short... Hard knives are brittle, they need skills to work with, they're not for everyone. Softer knives are great, but will need frequent sharpening. No best winner here. All above leads me to the point where instead of choosing brand of knives or how they look like I'd suggest focusing on blade chemical composition or as people refer to - hardness. After assessing my cooking skills and available budget I decided that 420j2 or 56HRC steel is good enough for my needs and won't be too hard on my finances. Here is how I ended up with something that I call - value for money product: Baccarat Damashiro Bodo 10 Piece Japanese Steel Knife Block. The set is affordable, handles household chemicals well, can be sharpened at home (no need to visit a specialist) and performs superbly for what it is. The set also includes a magnetic cutting board, which is an added bonus. I'm under no illusion that this set is NOT the best set of knives out there. However, what is the best knife? :-) There are many forums that focus on Brands rather than on steel, or or rubbishing 420j2 steel altogether. Well, it is "budget" still that is sufficient enough for many. Hence I won't hesitate to recommend Baccarat Damashiro Bodo 10 Piece Japanese Steel Knife Block with Chopping Board to anyone who is not pro cook by trade. Watch out this space for the "right price" if you are in the market for the set: https://amzn.to/3dTI47G Also, while you're there don't forget to get your sharpener that will save you time and money in the long run: https://amzn.to/2ZYfnhW

Beautiful, lightweight and a joy to use – These are beautiful looking, efficient and high quality knives. Made from German stainless steel, they are lightweight with fine very sharp blades… Read more

and polymer handles, contoured for a comfortable grip with full tangs and triple riveting for durability.

Simply a joy to use especially when working with bulkier or delicate fruit, vegetables or any kind of meat. It’s much quicker and easier to slice effortlessly, smoothly and thinly through any texture, such as soft tomatoes, shredding cabbage, slicing mozzarella cheese, crispy base pizza and crispy crust apple tart. Easy to slice meat (fresh or cooked), fish (fresh or cooked) or easily dice cheaper cuts of meat for stewing or buy meat in bulk from butchers and cut it up yourself and save a lot of money and the environment from harmful supermarket packaging and support small businesses in the process.

These knives are manufactured in China for Baccarat who back this product with a Lifetime Guarantee if care instructions are followed by simply washing by hand and immediately drying with a tea towel after each use. Full guide about the knives and warranty is provided inside the box.

They are well worth the high price tag and come in beautiful packaging which makes them great for gifting. Fortunately I bought them from House and Robins Kitchen when they were on sale at around half the usual price so I spent $220 on five knives and only regret not buying decent knives a long time ago and made our family’s food preparations so much easier.

Average cookware, probably avoid – We've had about 4 or 5 of these frying pans in different sizes and initially they are great, non stick works well, they aren't too heavy, handle is… Read more

comfortable and cooks evenly.

Unfortunately within 6 to 12 months, the non stick wears out and they are pretty much unusable unless A LOT of oil is used.

I am happy we got them at 50% off or better, otherwise I'd give a 1 star review. They are priced at about $150 each which is overpriced for how long they last.

Bad finish - very poor quality – After washing the the base of the pot holds water in the seam between the heavy base and the bottom of the pot and also in the handle of the lid. For $160 retail that is ridiculous!

Not worth the money – The knife is blunt even after sharpening I used to sharpen it with a manual chef quality two stage sharpener it would cut for one go with difficulty then I got the baccarat manual sharpener and it wouldn’t sharpen it