Cangshan Seagull Series 12-Piece Knife Block Set X-7 Steel Maple 503916

This is a beautiful set. If you like a red, white and blue theme, you will love this Seagull Series even more. But if you don't do blue, don't have blue-themed or plain white place settings or have blue in your kitchen, this set can easily look out of place. The blue in the handles is really blue--not a blue "shine" on black. And if you are considering gifting this set, you should remember that, and think twice. With the red trim, the Seagull Series is more of a USA look than something you'd find at the seashore. These knives look to be made thoughtfully and with care. There are no flaws. The Damascus is real Damascus. There is a full tang on each knife. (Tang is where the steel of the blade extends all the way (full) through the handle.) But the blades, the knives, themselves are very nice: Well balanced, easy to grip, sharper than sharp. Pictures show the style has definite edges, rather than curves. I worried a bit about that, wondering if the grip would be comfortable. It is. And it is a familiar grip if you have tried some German-made cutlery. You have probably wondered about some (much) cheaper knives advertised as "Damascus steel". Those cheap(er) knives have a Damascus pattern printed into the surface of the blade. Sometimes those knives don't even have a full tang. If you buy one and look close, you can see the same exact pattern on the knife in your hand as the product page picture shows. But with these knives from Cangshun, each blade is actually layer upon layer of steel sheets, pressed, hammered together, then ground and polished. So each shows slight variation in pattern. While the pieces themselves are great, I would not voluntarily choose this set: It is a set for a beginner's kitchen since it contains a honing steel and kitchen shears. If you already have those items, you are better off choosing an extra knife. Personally, I get much more use from a 6" or 7" chef's knife. Read more

I am really impressed by this Seagull Series 12-Piece Knife Block Set from Canshan. The knives all appear to be very well made. Fit and finish is excellent, as is the initial sharpness. The weight and feel of these is very good. I compared the 7” Canghsan Santoku with my 7” Wusthof Classic Santoku and I honestly prefer the Cangshan Santoku. Despite the same blade length, the Cangshan handle is about a half-inch longer than the Wusthof. The Cangshan also has a thicker mateal at the tang. The longer handle and thicker tang of the Cangshan result in a heavier, yet more balanced knife. I like the way they feel in my hand and I find myself reaching for these instead of my Wusthofs ever since I received them. I can’t say if the proprietary “X-7 Steel” used on these Canghsan knives is truly any better than the X50CrMoV15 steel used in my Wusthof knives for practical purposes. Both seem to have comparable sharpness out of the box, so the winner in my book will be which one can hold that edge the longest before needing to be resharpened. No appreciable loss in sharpness after a week of daily use. My Wusthofs generally go about 3-months before needing to be sharpened, so it’s a bit too soon to make the call for these Cangshan knives. The only thing I dislike about this set is the 5” Serrated Utility Knife and the Shears. I would much rather have had a 5” Nakiri, which is more useful than a serrated utility knife IMO. Also the serrated knife does not share the sharpness of the other knives in the set. The shears seem out of place, they don’t match the same quality of he rest of the set. I don’t like the rubber handles at all. I would have preferred their D Shape 9-Inch all-steel shears. Overall, this is a very high quality knife set that can directly compete with other high-end cutlery. I am very pleased with the performance. At the current price point, I think it is a great value for what you’re getting. Read more

This knife set is ideal for the person who is already a foodie who is first headed off on their own. The craftsmanship is amazing and the knives are extremely well-built, ergonomic and sharp. However, I found the knife selection to be a bit odd: 4 steak knives with a sort-of random selection of other tools including a honing steel and shears. I would have preferred to omit the steak knives (make them a separate set) and add a few other actual food prep knives. These knives are well-balanced, full tang and are comfortable to use both with a pinch and pistol grip. The handles are very slightly angular, which I find more secure than completely rounded handles. They are extremely sharp out of the box. The serrated knife at 9" is not quite long enough to handle larger boules flat; I prefer my 11" serrated German knife for breads. I like the handling of all the other knives. The block is well-made and angled such that it may be accessed even when placed under a run of upper cabinets. This is absolutely a pricey set, but if you are a cook (or know a cook) these will be much-appreciated and well-used. And please don't ever put knives this nice in a dishwasher! Read more