I read a lot of reviews before buying this set. Most reviews stated the knifes were sharp but the block was a universal block that the knifes don't fit well in. I would agree about the block. I have owned a lot of cheap knife sets in my life and all of them had better fitting blocks than the one that came with this set. As for sharp, they did not come that sharp. One of the steak knifes work not even cut through a piece of paper. I ended up spending a couple of hours sharpening them. For me to call a knife sharp you need to be able to shave with it. The weight alone of the knife should cause it to cut paper. The one thing I did like about the knife is that you can put a really nice edge on them with a little work. My set is now extreamly sharp. They glide through a steak. The realy test is how long they hold the edge. In conclusion. If you by the set the block is not very good. If you want your knifes really sharp prepare the have to sharpen them. Once sharpened they cut great. They have a good weight to them and feel like they will last a long time. I advice having something like a Siderco sharpener so that you can keep a nice edge on them. If you do that you will be very happy with the knifes. If you don't want to have to sharpen your knifes once an a while, don't fool yourself, all knifes go dull over time. No matter how much you spend on them. The knifes that hold there edge for an extremely long time are very hard to sharpen since they are very hard. These knifes see to have a nice balance.