The Chicago Cutlery Prime Black Knife Block Set is a seven-piece knife set that promises a black, modern design and includes a knife block. Let’s see if these knives really have the edge.
The knife set comes with:
- 8-inch chef knife
- 5-inch Santoku knife
- 5-inch utility knife
- 4-inch paring knife
- 8-inch bread knife
- shears
- natural wood block.
As can be seen from the box side view, the knives come with a number of features–most notably a stain-resistant block oxide finish. Also, the blades are made from a high-carbon German MoV steel, for corrosion-resistance, strength, and hardness.
The back of the box shows the relative sizes and shapes of each of the knives as well as the shears. Note that the shears are not meant to fit your entire hand–they are meant just for two or three fingers.
My main concern with these knives is one of their main selling points. The bottom part of the blade handle is made of a “responsive” silicon material that is meant to feel softer and more comfortable in your hand. To me there are two problems with this. First, when I am cutting or slicing something with my knife, I want to have the most control I can over the blade. However, the silicon grip does not give me that precise feeling of control, since that part of the handle is squishy. Also, you can actually leave dents in the silicon part of the handle if you squeeze or grip too hard. Second, there is a gap at the interface between the silicon part of the handle and the metal part of the handle. This gap is to be expected, since the interface is of two different materials. But the problem is that you don’t want gaps and crevices in your cooking utensils from a health perspective–bacteria can easily get into the gap and stay there, since the handles make the knives difficult to keep clean, especially being hand-wash only.
Just out of the box these knives look sharp (pun intended), and the black oxide finish gives them a modern, futuristic style. However, though the company says the black oxide finish won’t chip, peel, or flake off, you can see from where the knife edge was ground away that the oxide finish is not permanent. Unless you are very careful with these knives, I suspect the finish will become scratched over time. Except for the silicon part of the handle, the metal handle, bolster, and blade are from one single die-cast construction.
The chef knife has a good overall balance and feel. The knife’s design and shape makes the knife very versatile in the kitchen. The balance on the chef knife is about where the handle meets the blade.
I did note that the balance for the smaller utility and paring knives, however, made the knives feel handle-heavy. Some people like the balance into the handle (better tip control), some like the balance to be between the blade and the handle, where your thumb and finger form a pinch grip. But just realize the balance across all the knives in the set are not equal.
All in all, I would say this is a good knife set for the home cook who’s starting to get more serious about their cooking. The knife block has unused slots for expansion as more knives are acquired, including unused slots for a set of steak knives. While a professional chef probably might not prefer the black oxide coating or the silicon grip handle, this set is a stylish way for the budding cook to upgrade their knives towards higher quality standards.
- Pricing and Availability on Amazon: Chicago Cutlery Prime Black Knife Block Set
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