I got one of these three knives at a hoity-toity kitchen store for $9.99. For $19.99 including shipping, it's like getting a knife for free. The paring knife I own (in solid blue) is one of my favorite knives because it's so sharp. I use it for just about any cutting - from vegetables to meats. I love that it has its own case, which keeps it from getting dull when it clunks around in the drawer with other, less snobby knives. The case also keeps me from getting sliced when I'm fumbling around in our knife drawer, since it's really the only super-sharp knife we keep outside our knife block. And for those of you who are worried about the print chipping off, I haven't had any issues with the color coming off the blade.

arroyoko wrote:Badly conceived. Knives are not play things. Children might be tempted to pick them up because of the animal prints...

Awesomely conceived if you've chosen not to breed.

snarp wrote: The steel is simply too thin and light for a cleaver or a chef's knife.

The mini cleaver is cute. I never thought of actually putting it to use.

they should come with fur covers. lol

worldwidewebfeet wrote:Don't forget to pick up a BIG box of Band Aids.

LoL. Thanks for the concern. I have never cut myself.

Apparently, you are basing your opinions on no first-hand experience. On the other hand, I use these every time I cook with them at my lady's place and they work fine. Not Shun or Berghoff fine, but if cutting tomatoes pose no issue with these knives, I don't think that it would rank with what you called "dollar store rejects". It's significantly better than those.

If you look on Amazon.com, you would see that the rating for any Kuhn Rikon knives are over 4 stars, with MANY 5-star reviews. I concur with those reviews, with first hand experience.

Also, for those who are worried, the prints don't come off at all after many uses. I also don't have any bending blade issues, but I do know proper knife techniques.

For $15, this is the perfect set of knives for any beginner cooks, for college students, for a lot of things. It would even be a conversation starter.

curli76 wrote:The mini cleaver is cute. I never thought of actually putting it to use.

It would be fun for fruit, I think. That's what I would use it for.

hasopt wrote:What would you expect for the price? If you want high quality, go with Shun or Wusthoff.

But there's no reason for the handles to be so cheap and poorly designed, which is the main complaint of the original post. It has nothing to do with cost since the handles are molded plastic. For example, it costs them no more to give it a matte finish rather than glossy, which can be less slippery. Or to put slight bumps or grooves to add friction, as I've seen on many Dollar Store knives. Or to give it a more contoured shape to fit the hands and fingers. All very easily done with plastic.

These are possibly the least ergonomic and cheapest-looking handles I've ever seen from a name brand. Except for the coating, my guess is that these are cheap generic knives from China that Kuhn Rikon embellished and put on their name. Yes, even Wursthof and Henckel have such knives, i.e. EverEdge, that they didn't design, manufacture or hone, but nevertheless sell under their name.

Being inexpensive is no excuse. Keep in mind that they're not that cheap outside of Woot. As an example of quality on a budget, the highly-touted Victorinoxes are often praised for their plastic handles. The below paring knife is only $4.99 with free s/h on Amazon. Got 4.5/5 stars. Other models are similarly highly rated and inexpensive. Their Chef's knife got Cook's Illustrated's top spot. Note the matte finish, curved outline and indentation along the entire handle which improves grip.

curli76 wrote:The mini cleaver is cute. I never thought of actually putting it to use.

It's way too light to cleave anything.

Coming soon to a Bag of Cuuuuuuuuuute! near you. . .

What would Woot! be without knives and cameras, really?

My two-year-old daughter loves animals, so i bought her the zebra set. She absolutely loves it!

CowboyDann wrote:Hey guys be very careful with these knives. Despite the fact that they come in cute animal prints
They are still Very sharp.

I brought one of the earlier knives to a lunch BBQ at work and I handed it to a mechanic to cut some watermellon. He didn't believe me when I told him it was sharp (zebra print can be deceiving I suppose) and sliced his finger open on the first swipe cleaning off the blade. The knife cut right through the detail rag and into his finger! The cut wasn't too deep and he superglued it shut, but seriously be careful with these.

Yeah... I have the polka dot ones. I was not as lucky and required 6 stitches. This guy isn't lying. It's a great set of knives for the price that's for sure.

I ordered the giraffe didn't no it had a ugly brown handle how do i change before they send it.

Who buys this crap?

bigkevin20 wrote:I ordered the giraffe didn't no it had a ugly brown handle how do i change before they send it.

service@woot.com should be able to help you change your order to something more aesthetically pleasing!

If I use this to skin my Leopard, Zebra, or Giraffe, how will I know when I am finished?

Awww, you guys made it onto Gizmodo's deal of the day!

arroyoko wrote:Badly conceived. Knives are not play things. Children might be tempted to pick them up because of the animal prints...

How about we go with buyer beware rather than badly conceived. I thought the same thing you did but then I remembered that I have no children and as such I can have as much cute and cuddly cutlery as I want without having to worry about children.

I was a little worried when I bought my last set because of comments about slippery handles. However, I have used mine many times now and I have never had any problem. I also tend to make sure my hands are dry before I handle a knife, so I suppose that might help...

marceepauff wrote:Awww, you guys made it onto Gizmodo's deal of the day!

Aw thanks for the heads up, I hadn't gotten to reading Gizmodo yet today!

jeez, everybody is snippy today. Usually you are a bit more friendly in here.

labrat0017 wrote:jeez, everybody is snippy today. Usually you are a bit more friendly in here.

A bit more cutting in remarks than usual, you say?

Hmmm... not a bad deal for some cheap knives to have around the kitchen, but they're certainly no substitute for Wusthof!

How difficult is it to remove the pattern from the knives?

Moochelle would just love these.

I am under the impression that the particular steel used in these knives rusts very easily, so the coating is there to keep the knives rust free. They can use a steel that holds an edge well, and solve the rust problem by just sealing in the steel. I could be wrong here. Anybody know for sure?

Ironic.

You know, I heard giraffe is the new pink.

i miss when woot was woot.

I have the red and white polka dot set of these knives and they are great. Handles are not slippery and the blades are very sharp. I have had no problem with blades bending even on very hard veggies. Kuhn Rikon is a very quality brand that makes high quality cookware and pressure cookers.

disparky wrote:Who buys this crap?

I did! I did! Great birthday present for my new-age niece, 30yo.

I have the 6 inch chef's knife, and IT IS FABULOUS. Super sharp and super well-balanced. I recommend that knife, but I don't know about the other two knives.

I can't *BELIEVE* these top of the line professional chef tools aren't sold out yet!

lll0228 wrote:LoL. Thanks for the concern. I have never cut myself.

Apparently, you are basing your opinions on no first-hand experience. On the other hand, I use these every time I cook with them at my lady's place and they work fine. Not Shun or Berghoff fine, but if cutting tomatoes pose no issue with these knives, I don't think that it would rank with what you called "dollar store rejects". It's significantly better than those.

If you look on Amazon.com, you would see that the rating for any Kuhn Rikon knives are over 4 stars, with MANY 5-star reviews. I concur with those reviews, with first hand experience.

While it's true that Kuhn Rihon makes good kitchenware, you're making a false assumption -- that all knives with the Kuhn Rihon name are of the same high caliber. That simply isn't the case. Even Wursthof and Henckels put their names on cheap knives that they neither designed, manufactured or hones. An example is Henckel's Chinese-made EverEdge, commonly available for about $40 for an entire set including knife block, sharpening steel and 6 steak knives. I owned a set in college and they just barely better than Dollar Store knives. This set on Woot probably belongs in that category. Cheap Chinese junk with the Kuhn Rihon name.

You cite Amazon's stellar reviews of their knives. What you failed to mention is that this set is not sold on Amazon, and is mostly available on closeout outlets like Woot and QVC. That suggests that these didn't sell well and are discontinued. Furthermore, all the ones are Amazon are significantly better. They remedy the biggest complaint of these: the handle. Look closely and you'd see that the Amazon offerings have soft rubberized handles or otherwise have indentations or grooves for better grip. In other words, you can't judge these cheapies based on Kuhn Rihon good name.

I bought the 4 piece set and stand last month in the zebra print. I am always cooking and have used each knife SEVERAL times. I don't have any issues with the handles, even sitting on the couch cutting off pieces of cheese from a block to eat with crackers (the knife actually cut through the plastic like butter.

I almost bought this set, but I would've only needed the mini cleaver as the others are the same from the 4 piece set, so I didn't, but I don't regret my purchase one bit. I've used the serated knife for meat (works amazingly), the chef knife for onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, celery, etc, the small knife for fruits, and the utility knife for whatever else.

I hand wash mine and haven't had an issue with any coating or dulling yet. I also have a 3 year old and 4 year old. I keep all our kitchen knives in a locked cabinet where they can't get to them.

As for the handles, I prefer having dry hands when I use knives. If I'm cutting meat, I hold the meat with one hand and cut with the other. I also wash my hands after touching meat, marinades, etc due to cross contamination. Logically, if you are cooking as you are suppose to bacteria wise, you wouldn't have to worry about the handle. Also, I'm fat and 6' tall with big hands and I don't have a problem holding them at all.

noungning wrote:What, no stand?

For that price? You must be joking. The stand costs more than $20 including shipping.

sdc100 wrote:While it's true that Kuhn Rihon makes good kitchenware, you're making a false assumption -- ...

No false assumption made. Like I said, I bought these, I have used these for a few months now, and I am speaking from first hand experience.

From others who have first-hand experience, no one had slipping problems that you said would happen. Who is making a false assumption based on no data point?

The knives from Kuhn Rikon at Amazon are as inexpensive as these (about the right markdown for Woot from those prices). I just met with a friend who use those colored Kuhn Rikons knives, and they are identical to the printed ones here, except for the design. These are the highly rated ones.

The handles are also the same, and are also made in China. Knives are hardly rocket science to "design" or to manufacture in these days and age (besides ceramics).

These probably didn't sell well because of the weird prints; but for utility purpose, it's identical.

I've seen enough knives for now.

Guns!

What we want is guns!

When do we get guns?!

Err.. I mean, parts kits for guns!

Sweet item! These'll go great with my Jerseylicious outfits.

I'll stick wih my ceramic blade...