Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsVery Pleased
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2012
You won't find a better deal than this on such a solid set of knives.
The Case:
I may have been more excited to see the knife bag than the knives themselves, and it did not disappoint me. Each knife slot fits snugly (I actually had to use the pointed-tip 8" slicer to open up the slot I wanted to put the rounded-tip 10" ham slicer in, which is definitely a good thing) and is slightly magnetized to ensure that they do not shift during travel. The materials feel very durable. On my first day carrying the case I ended up walking home in the rain because I forgot to check the forecast, and the knives and case made it back in perfect condition. The case as a whole feels a lot like expensive airline luggage.
In addition to this, the case has multiple features that I was not expecting. It comes with extra slots for expanding your set (one large, one small, and one for a cleaver) with whatever knives you please. There are two elastic holsters to carry pens/pencils in, along with a zippered pouch in the center and an extra clip dangling from it. The exterior spine of the case has a clear plastic sheath for putting identification information in.
When the case arrived, however, there was some damage. Specifically one of the buttons that the zipper snaps down to was broken. I emailed the owner of the company the next day through his web site ([...]), and received a response in minutes. He cautioned me that this is a sensitive part of the case that should be cared for appropriately and said that he will have a replacement sent immediately. No hassle.
The Knives:
Awesome. These knives were well sharpened before being packaged, and only require a light honing on the steel to bring out their full potential. They have a very nice heft and decent balance for German-styled knives without being monstrosities like Wusthofs or light and tiny as Victorinox always seems to feel in my hand. The handles feel slightly wider than what I am used to, which is surprising comfortable. I have large hands (10" span) and have no trouble getting these in my grip, yet my 5'3 girlfriend enjoys how they feel as well.
If you start looking for flaws in the knives, however, you will find small evidences of where they cut corners. The granton edge is poorly done, and in most cases the side of the knife is scuffed a little around it by the tool that was used in machining them. The tangs on some of the knives are not perfectly straight with the blade, and the handles were made lop-sided around them so that the knife would still hold straight in your hand. The handles themselves frequently don't match up perfectly with the bolster and the gaps were filled with some kind of resin. The 4.5" pairing knife is actually one of the steak knives, but whatever.
On the other hand, none of these flaws affect the performance of the knives. The granton edge still functions beautifully and is found on every knife, the handle is level with the blade even if the tang itself isn't, the resin used to fill the gaps between the handle and the bolster prevents bacteria from getting down into your knife, and the steak knife makes a wonderful 4.5" pairing knife. And if I had to choose (as I'm sure the owner of the company did) between paying $50 more or fixing these inconsequential flaws, I'd keep my $50.
The only thing I cannot comment on is how long these will hold an edge (as I just got them) or how they hold up to the tests of time. For now I look forward to using these daily, so if I haven't updated this review by the time you read it then it's safe to assume they are still serving me well.
TL;DR:
The case wins life. The knives are excellent for their price. These knives will require love and care, same as any, but if you're looking for a knock-around set so that you don't have to travel with your Shun or just something to start off your first kitchen, you can't go wrong with Saber. I would -highly- recommend this specific product to anyone entering culinary school.
