Bismarck Classic 9pc Knife Block Set

Great knives for price, not worth full RRP – Bought from King if Knives on sale. I too am shocked by other reviews about the knives becoming blunt after use. Clearly ignorance about knives is common. I use a premium knife sharpening tool often. Tip to amatures: avoid dragging the sharp edge along the block. Use the back of the knife. Any knife will need regular sharpening. Just like a… Read more

"razor blade" , the sharpness dulls with use. I love the weight and balance of these knives. They have a reasonable quality for the price paid, though not at full claimed price. They are comparable to Mundial, Scanpan and other such Chinese products that use German steel.

Great hard steel – I absolutely love my knifes and yes I got them from king of knifes closing down sale. Now for a novice I can understand the comments here. They are a knife that is really hard steel thus making them a bit of a crap to get the first sharpening good I got rid of the steel that comes with it and got a diamond steel and it works a treat had them for years and expect to continue loving them for years to come. Show details

Exceptional quality and value – I have owned this set of knives now for just on 10 years. Only the paring knife is showing a little wear. Very sharp out of the box. Do not expect any knife to not require sharpening for weeks or months. I am amazed at some of the foolish reviews on this site. I have owned Bizmark, Wusthoff, Svord, Victorinox, Buck, Bark River and many other… Read more

cutlery brands over the years.

I rate Bizmark Classic in the top 3.

These knives come with a sharpening steel for a reason. Learn to use it. There are countless youtube videos showing you how. Ideally, you should put your knife to the steel each time you use it (assuming you use it every night), then put it on a fine whetstone once every six months. My knives are razor sharp.

If you are feeling particularly lazy, buy a rolling wheel sharpener with a course and fine stone. No brainer. Simple and fast.

Take them out of the block and mount them on a magnetic strip on the wall. Space efficient.

Use them every day and give them a quick hit with the steel. Learn how to easily on youtube.

Have fun and you'll love these for years.

Don't be a nancy boy like half the men posting reviews on knives on this site. It's embarrassing.

Stay away – I got this a couple of months ago as my main knife set for my kitchen. During the first couple of days, the knives worked great. They were very sharp. However, after a while, the knives that I regularly used started losing their edge very quickly. I then had them sharpened but after about a week, they became dull again. Based on the other reviews… Read more

here, it seems I'm not the only one who encountered this problem. I have already discarded the Bismarck knives and replacement them with a new set from a different company.

I too was suckered on 21 knife block at half price of $800 from King of Knives – I bought these knives many years ago and regret my purchase every time I use them. They don't hold an edge for a reasonable period, i know how to use a steel and have bought sharpener to keep them sharp, but have to sharpen before every use. I never really checked weight but should have, too light. The kitchen scissors are atrocious. Wish a had bought 4 or 5 of the better known German Brands e.g. Wusthof. They are nicely balanced though.  Show details

They only look good – Bought this set of knives at "The knives Shop" Chermside and also purchased a very expensive electric knives sharpener. I can't wait till get rid of them as they always go blunt a week after been sharpened. As I said before they only look good but... poor quality steel Mr Bismarck!!  Show details

Great set of knives – The steel does a great job of keeping them sharp. Well balanced. Used daily in a semi professional manner and very pleased. Surprised that there are negative reviews as I've tried many others and these are great!  Show details

Keep on keeping on – Bought mine on special from King of Knives a few years ago and have had no trouble keeping an edge on them. No rusting either. The largest knife is a little heavy but then again I like that in a knife.

Best hunting knife ever!! – I had Bizmark knifes of Deloraine Tasmania make me a huntining knife and haven't looked back!! I can't fault it and it holds an edge like no other knife I've owned before!! I have skun out over 60 too and wallaby before it needs resharpening!! He will make any knife you want from the highest quality steel and wood!!

Crap – After my recent review of these knives (AdrianF) have had the large knife snap at the handle while trying to cut a pumpkin, only just managed to get my bare foot out of the way of falling knife. Bismark won't answer emails concerning this.

Disappointing – They look the part but the Birsmarck block set of knives has proven to be a dud. Very quick to lose their edge, difficult to keep sharp, rust forming around the handle and blade join, and the blade on one of the smaller knives recently broke clean off the handle. Rubbiish. Don't touch them with a barge pole (which arguably would be just as good at cutting after one of these knives after moderate use). The name They're rubbish

Dull – These were an impulse purchase from a king of knives closing down sale. Almost from new none of the knives made a clean cut chopping a carrot, and not sharp enough to trim fat from chicken thighs either. I've tried a couple of different sharpeners to no avail. They're supposed to be European knives but even by that standard these are heavy and… Read more

unwieldy.

In contrast I've replaced these one by one with Henckels 4 star and Wusthof classic - those are razor sharp, much lighter comfortable to hold, respond well to home sharpening tools and hold their edge for ages. Even if the bismarcks are made from German steel these are not German knives; invest in some real German blades (the worst thing is the RRP is cheaper than bismarck) and you'll see the difference. Good bread knife and scissors Expensive, everything else in set dull

Disappointed – I bought my Bismarck set of knives 6 months ago from Chef King. Lately I've noticed rust forming on the hilt of those knives that I use all the time (where the blade joins the handle). This is the part that touches the block. I carefully dry my knives after washing them. On complaining to the retailer I was informed that the franchise had changed… Read more

and they could not give me a refund or change them for another set of Bismarcks. I was offered a set of Brasilia knives as a replacement. Both have German steel blades. The Bismarcks are assembled in China and the Brasilias are assembled in Brazil. Right now I'm researching Brasilia knives. has anyone had experience using them? They work well when sharpened but blunt quickly which is probably due to my poor sharpening technique Rust on blade after a short period.

Excellent! Great Knives – I purchase these knives 18 months ago from king of knives. These knives are still as sharp as the day I bought them with out any honing being done to them. They have stood up to my wife's harsh knife skills. The weight in them is great for cutting through hard objects such as frozen meat and pumpkin. I would recommend Bismark Knives to anyone. Well priced kitchen knives, great for domestic use. Great sharp edge that last. Good price

I have no problems – I purchased a set of Bismark Knives from King of Knives and the girl seemed friendly and helpful and told myself and my sister she was a chef and that the Bismarck were a good brand. So I took them home and tried them out. I haven't had a problem since! The only drawback I'd day is that they are a heavy knife. Price & Reliability Weight of the Knife

Lies about Bismarck King of Knives – I bought a two Bismarck knives from King of Knives. The deciding factor was that I was told they were German. In fact when I unpacked them, I found that, Yes the steel is German but they are made in China. They may still be OK but I am feeling ripped off Price Made in China

Blunt within 2 months – I purchased this knife set, as a birthday gift for the wife in January 2012, as she was desperate for a good quality knife set. I decided to visit a knife specialist, to ensure that I got a quality set of knives, instead of the usual rubbish we have picked up in the past. In my mind, I had already decided to avoid anything Chinese, as rarely do… Read more

"Chinese" and "Quality" belong in the same sentence. On doing some research, it became apparent that when purchasing knives, you need either German Steel or even better, Japanese Steel.

Turned out that all Japanese knives were out of my budget, as were many of the German knife sets. However, the friendly shop assistant, turned my eye to the Bismarck brand, who while assembled in China, used only the finest German steel and manufacturing techniques. What's more, the knife set was on sale, at a staggering 50% off. Despite this seemingly incredible deal, I was still cautious and questioned the very friendly and knowledgeable sales person further, until I was finally assured that the blades are German and it is only the assembly of these goods that takes place in China. If the handles fall off, the warranty will cover this anyway.

I was convinced, so I brought into this product and took them home for my wife.

She was very impressed and the knives were super sharp and fantastic to handle. Seemed I had done good!

I directed my wife to read the knife care pamphlet, which came with the knives, courtesy of the retailer, so as to ensure the longevity of the knives and sustained sharpness. She vigorously, followed the regime (as she does), only hand cleaning the knives and Honing them after every use.

Within the first month, the smaller knives were blunt. Completely blunt. I mean, like spoon bluntness.

The large Cooks knife, which in all fairness, she used the most, actually lasted the longest. 2 Months!

It too, is now as blunt as a pickaxe handle.

Now, I am fully aware of how poor all products made in China are and I avoid all products that are made in China, where possible. This product however, is sold as a German product, in which the main component, The Blade, is German. The rest of the product is not really a factor, one would assume.

I'm not sure where the Germans are sourcing their Steel from for this product or what techniques are being implemented, but they are clearly no where near the level of quality that the knives are sold at.

I will likely be forced to take these back very shortly and I will attempt to utilise their generous Lifetime Warranty. I shall keep you all posted on how that goes. Cheap, look good and handle well. Blunt within 2 months of light, domestic use.