Home / Knife Sets
Thirty-one sets in four sizes: large blocks of 14 to 19 pieces, mid-size blocks of 10 to 13, compact modular blocks, and value packs of 2 to 4 knives.
Piece counts on a knife block are counted generously. An 18-piece set is not eighteen knives: it is usually eleven or twelve knives, eight of which are steak knives, plus the block, the shears and sometimes the sharpening steel. A 13-piece and an 18-piece set from the same line often carry the same five prep knives and differ only in how many steak knives are in the tray.
That is the first thing worth checking. The second is where the sharpener lives. Most of the wood-block lines have one built into a slot in the block. Fusion and the 16-piece Avondale ship a separate sharpening steel instead, which needs somewhere to live.
Thirty-one sets grouped by size. Within each group the order follows how heavily each set is reviewed.
Rubberwood block, shears and thirteen knives including four steak knives, a 3-inch peeler and a 4.75-inch serrated utility. High-carbon stainless blades, black polymer handles with triple compression rivets.
Acacia block with a built-in sharpener. 8-inch chef, 6.75-inch serrated bread, 6-inch Santoku, 4.75-inch utility, 3.25-inch paring, eight steak knives, shears with a bottle opener.
Cushion-grip handles and a honey maple-stain block. 7.75-inch chef, 7.75-inch serrated bread, 7-inch and 5-inch Santoku, 5-inch utility, 3.25-inch paring, eight steak knives, a sharpening steel and a chop assist.
Seventeen knives plus shears, built-in sharpener in the block, black ergonomic handles with triple rivets.
The largest count in the catalog. Stainless steel handles, forged construction, serrated edges. The manufacturer does not publish a piece-by-piece breakdown for this listing.
8-inch chef, 8-inch slicing, 8-inch serrated bread, 7-inch Santoku, 6.5-inch sandwich knife and a 5.5-inch serrated utility, plus steak knives and block. Stainless Guided Grip handles.
The same eighteen-piece composition with a built-in sharpener and shears with a bottle opener.
Chef, bread, utility, serrated utility, parer, sharpening steel, shears, eight steak knives and a wood block. Dual-material handles.
8-inch chef, 8-inch serrated bread, 7-inch Santoku, 5.5-inch utility, 3.5-inch paring, 2.75-inch peeling knife and six steak knives in a compact modular block.
Seventeen knives in a 17-slot storage block with a separate knife sharpener. High-carbon stainless full-tang blades, forged bolsters, polymer handles.
8-inch chef, 8-inch serrated bread, 7-inch Santoku, 5-inch utility, 3.25-inch paring, eight steak knives and shears in an oxford-brown stained rubberwood block.
9-inch serrated bread, 8-inch chef, 5-inch utility, 3.5-inch paring and six steak knives. The steak knives sit in a separate walnut insert that lifts out of the main block.
8-inch chef, 8-inch serrated bread, 4.75-inch Santoku, 3.5-inch paring, six steak knives, shears and a sharpening steel. Black ergonomic handles.
9-inch serrated bread and 6.75-inch Santoku among the prep knives, built-in sharpener, shears with a bottle opener. High-carbon stainless blades.
Walnut-stained wood handles with triple rivets, built-in sharpener, shears. The only line in the catalog with a walnut-stained finish on a steel-line set.
8-inch chef, 8-inch bread, 5.5-inch utility, 3.5-inch paring, six steak knives, shears and a built-in sharpener. Wood handles.
The smallest full block set: 8-inch chef, 8-inch bread, 5-inch utility, 3.5-inch paring, four steak knives, shears and a built-in sharpener.
Adds a 7-inch Santoku to the Avondale composition and keeps six steak knives, shears and the built-in sharpener. The listing describes polymer ergonomic handles and lists the handle material as wood.
Forged blades, wood handles. The manufacturer does not publish a piece breakdown for this listing.
Six serrated 4.5-inch steak knives and a modular block designed to sit alongside the other PrepSystem Lite blocks.
The same composition under a separate model number, with a smaller block.
8-inch chef, 5.5-inch utility and 3.5-inch paring knife with a compact modular block. Stainless steel handles.
The two board knives from the Essentials line, black polymer handles with triple rivets, full metal tang. Partoku at 5 inches, Santoku at 7.
Walnut handles with brass rivets, boxed as a gift set.
8-inch chef, 4.75-inch serrated utility and 3.5-inch parer. The three knives that cover most tasks.
Four parers with colour-coded polymer handles and protective sheaths. The only set in the catalog that ships with covers.
Forged stainless blades with metal handles. The manufacturer does not publish the piece breakdown for this listing.
6.75-inch and 4.75-inch Santoku knives, stainless Guided Grip handles.
5-inch Partoku and 3.25-inch parer, stainless Guided Grip handles.
8-inch chef, 5-inch utility and 3.25-inch parer, stainless Guided Grip handles.
The same three knives and the same Guided Grip handle as the Insignia Steel 3-piece, under the Ellsworth name.
Twelve line names cover thirty-one sets, and three variables explain nearly all of the difference.
An 18-piece set carries eight steak knives, a 13-piece carries six, a 10-piece carries four. Subtract those and the prep knife selection is close to identical: chef, serrated bread, Santoku, utility, paring.
Wood on Avondale, Racine, Belmont, Damen, Lasalle and Signature Edge Steel. Black polymer on Essentials, Insignia Triple Rivet Poly and Insignia2. One-piece stainless on Insignia Steel, Ellsworth and Halsted.
Built into the block on Malden, Insignia Triple Rivet Poly, Insignia Steel, Insignia Guided Grip, Ellsworth, the 12-piece Avondale, Damen, Belmont and Signature Edge Steel. Supplied as a separate steel on Fusion, the 16-piece Avondale and Armitage. Insignia2 ships a standalone sharpener.
There is no difference in tang construction anywhere in this range. Every knife is full tang.
The Insignia Steel 3-Piece and the Ellsworth 3-Piece contain the same three knives at the same lengths with the same Guided Grip stainless handle. So do the two-piece versions of each line, except that Insignia Steel pairs a Partoku with a parer while Ellsworth pairs two Santoku knives.
If both are on the shelf, the composition is what to read, not the line name.
Blocks in this range run from 3.66 to 10.28 inches wide and 9.88 to 16.38 inches tall. The tall narrow PrepSystem Lite blocks take under 5 inches of counter depth. The large Insignia blocks need over 7 inches and stand 14 to 14.5 inches high, which matters under a wall cabinet.
Full dimensions for every set are in the table below.
| Model | Line | Pieces and block | Handle | Blade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials 15-Piece Knife Block Set | Essentials | 15 pieces, block 10 × 4 × 14.5 in | Black polymer | High-carbon stainless steel |
| Malden 16-Piece Block Set | Malden | 16 pieces, block 8.11 × 7 × 14.5 in | Stainless steel | Stainless steel |
| Fusion 17-Piece Block Set | Fusion | 17 pieces | Cushion grip | Stainless steel |
| Insignia Triple Rivet Poly 18-Piece Block Set | Insignia Triple Rivet Poly | 18 pieces, block 10 × 7 × 14 in | Black polymer | Stainless steel |
| Chicago 19-Piece Cutlery Set | Not stated | 19 pieces | Stainless steel | Stainless steel |
| Insignia Guided Grip 18-Piece Block Set | Insignia Guided Grip | 18 pieces, block 10.28 × 7.2 × 14.49 in | Stainless steel, Guided Grip | High-carbon stainless steel |
| Insignia Steel 18-Piece Block Set | Insignia Steel | 18 pieces, block 10.28 × 7.2 × 14.5 in | Polymer | Stainless steel |
| Avondale 16-Piece Block Set | Avondale | 16 pieces, block 8.15 × 6.8 × 14.63 in | Wood | High-carbon stainless steel |
| Halsted 14-Piece Block Set | Halsted | 14 pieces, block 14.76 × 4.02 × 9.88 in | Stainless steel | Stainless steel |
| Insignia2 18-Piece Block Set | Insignia2 | 18 pieces | Polymer | High-carbon stainless steel |
| Halsted 7-Piece Steak Knives and Wooden Block Set | Halsted | 7 pieces, block 9.65 × 4.13 × 16.38 in | Stainless steel | Stainless steel |
| Halsted 7-Piece Steak Knives and Compact Block Set | Halsted | 7 pieces, block 3.66 × 4.88 × 10.79 in | Stainless steel | Stainless steel |
| Halsted 3-Piece Cutlery and Block Set | Halsted | 3 pieces plus modular block | Stainless steel | Stainless steel |
| Essentials 2-Piece Santoku and Partoku Set | Essentials | 2 pieces | Black polymer | Stainless steel |
| Walnut Tradition 3-Piece Prep Knife Gift Set | Walnut Tradition | 3 pieces | Walnut | Stainless steel |
| Essentials 3-Piece Knife Set | Essentials | 3 pieces | Black polymer | Stainless steel |
| 4-Piece Colored Paring Knife Set | Not stated | 4 pieces | Color-coded polymer | Stainless steel |
| Armitage 3-Piece Knife Set | Armitage | 3 pieces | Metal | Stainless steel |
| Ellsworth 2-Piece Knife Set | Ellsworth | 2 pieces | Stainless steel, Guided Grip | High-carbon stainless steel |
| Insignia Steel 2-Piece Knife Set | Insignia Steel | 2 pieces | Stainless steel, Guided Grip | Stainless steel |
| Insignia Steel 3-Piece Knife Set | Insignia Steel | 3 pieces | Stainless steel, Guided Grip | Stainless steel |
| Ellsworth 3-Piece Knife Set | Ellsworth | 3 pieces | Stainless steel, Guided Grip | Stainless steel |
| Insignia 13-Piece Block Set | Insignia | 13 pieces, block 7.4 × 6.8 × 14.6 in | Stainless steel and wood | Stainless steel |
| Racine 12-Piece Wood Block Set | Racine | 12 pieces, block 6.5 × 5.5 × 15 in | Walnut | Stainless steel |
| Armitage 13-Piece Block Set | Armitage | 13 pieces, block 8.66 × 7.87 × 15.67 in | Rubber | Stainless steel |
| Ellsworth 13-Piece Block Set | Ellsworth | 13 pieces, block 14.65 × 9.76 × 5.87 in | Stainless steel | High-carbon stainless steel |
| Signature Edge Steel 13-Piece Block Set | Signature Edge Steel | 13 pieces | Walnut-stained wood, triple rivet | Stainless steel |
| Avondale 12-Piece Block Set | Avondale | 12 pieces, block 7.85 × 7.54 × 15.67 in | Wood | Stainless steel |
| Damen 10-Piece Block Set | Damen | 10 pieces, block 9.06 × 7.87 × 15.67 in | Wood | Stainless steel |
| Belmont 13-Piece Block Set | Belmont | 13 pieces, block 7.7 × 7.59 × 15.67 in | Wood | Stainless steel |
| Lasalle 12-Piece Block Set | Lasalle | 12 pieces, block 9.06 × 8.46 × 15.67 in | Wood | Stainless steel |
Usually eleven or twelve knives, of which eight are steak knives, plus the block and the shears. The piece count includes non-knife items.
Malden, Insignia Triple Rivet Poly, Insignia Steel, Insignia Guided Grip, Ellsworth, the 12-piece Avondale, Damen, Belmont and Signature Edge Steel. Fusion, the 16-piece Avondale and Armitage supply a separate sharpening steel instead.
Insignia Triple Rivet Poly has black polymer handles with rivets. Insignia Steel has one-piece stainless handles in the Guided Grip profile. Both are sold as 13-piece and 18-piece blocks.
Chicago Cutlery's modular block range, used by the Halsted sets. Each block is compact and designed to sit alongside the others, so a 3-piece prep block and a 7-piece steak block can be combined instead of buying one large block.
The listings name rubberwood, acacia and walnut depending on the set. Several describe the block only as stained wood.
Nine sets ship without one, from two to four knives. They match the prep knives in the larger blocks.
The Essentials 15-piece is the most reviewed block set in the range.
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