Sabatier Reviews

While these knives are not as good quality as the Henckels Pro-S knives my husband uses at his restaurant, the Sabatier Copper Balance is a good set for the price I paid. I actually bought a second set as a Christmas gift for my parents and they love them!

The value for price was good, but I still use my
Henckels 4* more - this was just to have the extra
knives and steak knives, which are great for dinners.
And the block alone is worth all the money

As starter set it is unbeatable - is is good set of knives to
get used to good knives.

I bought this set to use as a gift because the price was too low to turn down. For young/beginning cooks on a tight budget, it's a very decent starter set and a good way to become accustomed to using straight-edge (versus serrated) knives in the kitchen. But these knives are made in China -- I wonder if perhaps there is just one big factory in Shanghai turning out dozens of brands. They will not come with, nor ever take, the same edge you get with Sabatier's made-in-France Grand Chef or Provence series, or with Wusthof's or Henckel's made-in-Germany knives.
I strongly recommend hand-washing these knives. A few trips through a hot dishwasher might just peel the protective shiny coating from the handles. I think that, relative to their cost, these knives rate four+ stars. But head-to-head with other knives, including much-more-expensive ones, three stars is tops.

While this set of knives does look pretty cool (and for that reason alone, I've rated them as worthy of two stars, vs. none). They were not even remotely sharp upon arrival-I was able to run my finger across any one of the blades without having fear of injury. Right then I should've sent them back, but my failure to do so has understandably left me "stuck". Even so, my opinion would've been somewhat positive if they could be quickly sharpened by using the steele included, or else if they held an edge once sharpened, but that's not the case ... not by any stretch of optimistic imagination. Fortunately, they were obtained at half price during a Yahoo sale; if not for that, I'd be thoroughly disgusted.

I own a restaurant in southwest Arizona with the rest of my family. I've spent years in and out of kitchens. Recently, I ordered the Sebastier Balance set listed above here.

Here's how I see the knives:
First, the good-
The handling on the set is fantastic. These are very good-quality knives overall, especially at amazon.com's listed price. I'm impressed with the level of dexterity afforded by the blades, I'm VERY impressed with the quality of the utility scissors included, and of course, the set is easy on the eyes, and would make a beautiful display in the appropriate kitchen.

Now, the bad-
The blades themselves are, perhaps, a bit thin for my tastes, but I *have* worked with thinner and been satisfied, so I think that most cooks will be equally happy. As many people have mentioned, the blades aren't very sharp upon arrival. DON'T, for the love of GOD, use the sharpening tool included in the set. It's no good, it's not worth it. I actually wish that Sebastier would have left that piece out or replaced it with something a bit higher quality. However, a counterpoint to that arguement: These are $$$(m.s.r.p.) knives. Were you to spend $$$ on knives at home, you would probably have a pretty decent sharpening instrument, yourself. I suggest purchasing one: they're not all that expensive, and they're worth the money.

This is definitely a 4 out of 5 star knife set, in my opinion. They're by no means the best knives out there, but for what you're paying, they're worth every cent.

I'm not really much of a cook, so I have made do with a drawer full of cheap knives for a long time. What attracted me to this set was the appearance and the price. I'm not the type that is going to spend $250 for a set of knives at Macy's. I have no idea if the 'list price' on the Amazon page is anywhere near a real number, but at $35 this set seemed to be a bargain. And I was really struck by the appearance of the copper handles. I wasn't disappointed. They look just as good sitting on my kitchen counter as they do on the Amazon page. Better really. And for the money, I haven't seen anything to beat this set.
The knives are lightweight relative to their appearance. They are nicely balanced. I find myself inventing things to chop just to hold them. The knives were very sharp right out of the box. I haven't had to sharpen them yet. I have had to learn to be a little careful, however. I am not used to sharp, efficient blades like these, and I have a small puncture wound in one pinky to prove it.
I don't think anyone would be disappointed in this set of knives. They are really beautiful, a pleasure to hold and cut with, and for the price I don't see how you can go wrong.

I got this set through a Gold Box deal on Amazon. I have a large set of Wusthof that I baby all the time. My wife is not a "knife person" and uses glass cutting boards, tosses my Wusthof's in the bottom of the sink(!), etc.
I'm giving this set to her, so I don't have to worry about them being abused.
As for the knives themselves, they are not up to the standard of say Henckle International (consumer line) or some of the other lower end, department store lines. But, I paid under the cost of a burger combo meal at McD's for a 14 piece set. So, for that amount they are a GREAT value.
BTW, there is a difference between honing steels. Just like blade steel, handle material etc in cutting utensils, there are high and low quality honing steels. To handle soft metal like this set of knives is made of, the hone doesn't have to be and isn't as good of quality as an F. Dick, Wusthof, Henckles, or even a higher end Sabatier knife set.

I consider myself a chef and when I was in school learning, carving and cutting, slicing and dicing, well all I can say is these knifes fit all my at home needs from cutting steak to slicing bread and even to cutting chicken into the parts I want it to be in... They seem to be VERY strong, and they STAY sharp. Not needing to use the steel to much for sharpening. I give this set a 5+ star rating. These were a GIFT but I am looking at the price someone paid for them and for this price you are getting a really nice sturdy durable set of knifes that also look very good. Have a GREAT day.

I am so shocked at the reviews I have read here so far - frankly I'm scared to put knives in the hands of some of these people. The set has THIRTEEN knives, 14 slots, 13 knives. They are good quality, decently heavy and sharp knives. Some of the comments like "I expected to cut tin cans and throw tomatoes on the blade" prove that some reviewers watch too many infomercials, or can't cut properly. Take care of your knives - sharpen them, HAND WASH them, and keep them nicely, and you wont have trouble, and a nice useful set of knives for [item price]. And for those of you complaining about having these made in China - read the product info before you buy! No, they are not french knives, no they are not professional quality knives that retail for $100 or more a knife. But they will get any family of cooks through their normal cooking incredibly well.

These are very cheap knives. Don't even pay attention to the brand "Sabatier" because they should be ashamed to sell junk like these. They come dull, and need sharpening very frequently. They rust if they are in water for more than a few minutes, or sometimes even if you don't towel dry them immediately after hand washing them. I don't mind hand washing quality knives, but these just aren't worth it. I got them for twenty bucks and I wish I'd just bought one quality knife or put that money towards a decent set.

Well as a avid online shopper i read many reviews of products that i am interested in buying people are so negative This set for instance i was so excited to order until i started reading all the bad reviews which now i can proudly say are wrong. Thats right WRONG!! I recived this unblivable set yesterday 09/29/03 and its unblievable. Now relize that its 20 bucks so just keep that in mind. Great knives, Sharp realy sharp look great clean easly nothing bad to report my order came quickly and it was so much more that i ever expected essecially after reading all the bad reviews. If you want chef grade 500.00 dollar knives you must spend 500 dollars If yo want good nice looking knives that regular people can afford you want these. Also for people just staring out what a great inexpenssive gift that they can really use!! Well take it or leave it a deffinate value for 20 heck even 100 dollars in my book

Another prefessional chef here. The box clearly states what is the case with ALL high-carbon stainless steel: Do Not Put In Dishwasher!!!! Have washed them at least 100 times now, no rust.

The handles are comparable to many higher end commercial/ professional, non-consumer knives. Polyproplene, or whatever, easy to grip, and slip resistant far more than wood ever is, and more hygenic. Fine cutting instruments should be sharpened each and every time they are used, on the included steel, at least a few strokes. ANY knife will loose its edge quickly, if one cuts with it on ceramic, glass, formica, corian, etc. Always use wood!

Is it well worth the $20 bucks? Heck yes! Would it be worth $150? YES! $300? No. They are well balanced, and look great, the wood block is hardwood, and nice looking. This is a great deal, and don't be put-off by people who are obviously used to a Ginsu knife, and not high quality knives which need care and attention, not a dishwasher and no sharpening ever...

You get what you pay for....... I wouldn't have bought these if I could have put my hands on them. Actually the handles are OK, although maybe a little large for a woman's hands. The blades are way too thick for my liking. Typical Chinese quality.

Please , spare yourself some misery and DO NOT buy this product.
It is not worth your penny. I am not a chef , just a regular guy and my standard when it comes to kitchen products is really relatively low. But this one is way below substandard.

This product is good because you can make your kitchen look complete for just fifteen smackers. It's also nice because it includes a block, so you have a place to put decent knives as you grudgingly purchase them one at a time.

The blades are not ground in a way that makes them cut well. I give the set 2 stars because you might want to buy it to have when you hide your good knives from the company. Other than that, you will be happier buying a half-decent single knife for the same price. There isn't much point in having 7 knives if none of them are usable.

I shopped for steak knifes, the edges are not fine and they
do not slice nice and easily.
Not the quality I expect for the NAME, definitely the quality for the price.
If you are shopping for price this is a good deal, but if you are thinking true "Sabatier"
forget it...... these are made in China.