Busy home cooks know that a knife set is important, even on a limited budget. That’s why we wrote this article. We’ve purchased and tested each knife set mentioned here to help you make the best choice.
Budget knife sets under $100 may not be as exciting as premium knife sets that are flashy and expensive, but they have their place. Whether you are looking for a cheap starter set or a 2nd knife set for a vacation home or RV, this article will help you find what you need.
Our Top Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set
| Cuisinart C77WTR-15P Classic White 15 Piece Knife Set (Best Large Set) | |
| Mercer Culinary Millenia 5-Piece Knife Set (Best Compact Pick) | |
| Mercer Culinary Genesis 4-Piece Knife Set With Roll | |
| Calphalon Classic 12-Piece Self Sharpening Knife Set | |
| Cangshan S1 3-Piece Knife Set (2024 Addition) | |
| Ginsu Gourmet Chikara Series 5 Piece Cutlery Set | |
| Cuisinart C77SS 15P Knife-Set (Best Overall Pick) | |
| Chicago Cutlery Fusion 12-Piece Knife Set (Best Value Pick) | |
| MSY Big Sunny 5-Piece Knife Set |
Cuisinart C77WTR-15P Classic White 15 Piece Knife Set (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set)
Specifications (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Weight: | 8.3lbs |
| Size: | 5.38″ x 14.5″ x 9.88″ |
Pros (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Lifetime warranty |
| Full tang |
| Forged not stamped |
| Very sharp right out of the box |
| Includes a honing rod |
| The blades hold their edge fairly well |
| Good looking block |
| Stainless steel handle endcaps |
| ergonomic triple rivet handles |
Cons (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Not dishwasher safe |
Set Includes – one 8″ chef knife, one 8″ slicing knife, one 7″ santoku knife, one 5.5″ utility knife, six 3.5″ paring knives, one 2.75″ birds beak paring knife, six 4.5″ steak knives, one 8″ sharpening steel, one pair of kitchen shears, and one wood knife storage block
This set offers a lot of bang for the buck. For less than $100 you get full tang knives with forged blades and triple riveted handles. Usually those specs come at the cost of quantity, but this set is actually pretty big. It also looks great. The knives have a decent fit and finish for budget knives and the storage block is one of the better looking ones in this article. Obviously the overall quality is less than higher priced sets, but Cuisinart has done a good job from a performance and looks vs value standpoint.
The knives feel a bit flimsy compared to larger hero knives, which is common in budget sets. Hand wash and dry them promptly to keep blades spot-free. Regular use of the included honing rod will reduce the need for sharpening. Overall, this is a well-designed, durable cutlery set that’s hard to beat at this price. If you prefer a smaller set, consider the Cangshan set mentioned earlier. But for a stylish, complete set under $100, this Cuisinart option is a great value.
Check Price on Amazon
Mercer Culinary Millenia 5-Piece Knife Set (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set)
Specifications (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Weight: | 3.8lbs |
| Size: | 15″ x 5″ x 15.5″ |
Pros (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Unique look |
| Extremely comfortable handles |
| Good rust resistance |
| Easy to sharpen blades |
| Sharp right out of the box |
| Limited Lifetime Warranty |
| Practical design |
| The whole set and storage board fit easily into a drawer |
Cons (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Blades are stamped rather than forged |
| No steak knives included |
| A bit awkward to hold in a pinch grip. |
Set Includes – one 8″ chef knife, one 8″ serrated bread knife, one 7″ santoku knife, one 3.5″ paring knife, and one magnetic wood storage board.
The Mercer Culinary Millenia 5-Piece Knife set offers great quality and extremely comfortable handles at an excellent price. This set does not have the classic look of the typical wooden handle knife set in a hard wood block, but if you like the unique aesthetic of this set it is a great option for anyone trying to spend less than $100 on a kitchen knife set. It is also a great option if you are looking for a knife set for an RV, because the whole set can be easily stored in a drawer, and the magnetic storage board does a great job of holding the knives in place.
The blades of the Culinary Millennia knives are made of X30Cr13 Japanese steel. This steel is fairly rust resistant, but it generally does not hold its edge for a long time. Fortunately Mercer’s heat treatment seems to have made the blades of these knives hold an edge better than the average X30Cr13 steel blade.
Table of Contents
This set uses a magnetic board for storage rather than a wooden block. The magnets on the back of the board are really powerful, and they hold the knives firmly in place. The following wood types are available for this set’s storage boards: Acacia, Bamboo and Rubberwood.
As you can see in the picture above the Millennia series knife sets are available with a variety of handle colors, so you can choose the one that works best for your kitchen. However, the best feature of these knife handles is not the color options of the handles. It is the comfortable shape and feel of the handles in a full hammer grip (they’re fine in a pinch grip too, but it feels a little bulky). These handles are made of a Santoprene/polypropylene combo material that is extremely grippy even when wet. Basically they have the feeling of smooth rubber on the front and back of the handle.
You can learn more about this budget and storage friendly set by checking out our Mercer Millenia Knife Set Review.
Mercer Culinary Genesis 4-Piece Knife Set With Roll
Specifications (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Weight: | 1.8lbs |
| Size: | 13.78″ x 3.94″x1.97″ |
Pros
| Lifetime Warranty |
| Extremely comfortable handles |
| Good rust resistance |
| Full Tang |
| Sharp right out of the box |
| Limited Lifetime Warranty |
| Practical design |
Cons (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Small set |
| No empty slots in the knife storage roll |
Set Includes – one 7″ granton edge santoku knife, one 3.5″ paring knife, one 5″ utility knife, one 5″ and one storage roll.
This set is a great option for santoku knife fans who are on the go. The Mercer Genesis knife series is one of our most recommended budget knife lines here at Nothing But Knives. This is due to the overall quality for the money these knives offer. They have excellent fit and finish, ergonomic handles and tough German steel blades.
The hero knife in this set is a santoku knife rather than a chef knife, but there are a growing number of home cooks who prefer the santoku over the chef knife for the type of cooking they do. Props to Mercer for offering a set that caters to them.
Both the 5-inch utility knife and 3.5-inch paring knife included in this set are top performers at this price point. The paring knife is especially impressive, and we found it to be an ideal candidate for detail work like coring or peeling.
The rubber material on these handles is very grippy, but the feel of the rough texturing can take a little getting used to. These are not smooth handles by any stretch, but they are very comfortable, and have a way of sticking to the hand better than just about anything else on this list. There’s no getting around the fact that it feels kind of cheap, but it’s a highly effective material.
Calphalon CLassic 12-Piece Self Sharpening Knife Set
Specifications (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Weight: | 6.1lbs |
| Size: | 13.25″ x 4″ x 11″ |
Pros (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Lifetime Warranty |
| Full tang |
| 55-58 HRC |
| Sharpeners built into the storage block |
| Very sharp right out of the box |
| Great looking rubberwood storage block |
| Nice fit and finish for this price point |
Cons (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Paring knife is a bit bigger than normal. |
| No bread knife. |
Set Includes – one 8″ chef knife, one 6″ serrated utility knife, one 5″ santoku knife, one 4.5″ paring knife, six steak knives, one pair of kitchen shears and one self-sharpening rubberwood storage block.
The Calphalon Classic 12-piece knife set is one of the best self-sharpening sets we have tested. The handles are comfortable and easy to grip even when they are wet, the overall fit and finish is good for a set under $100 and the built in sharpeners do a decent job. We really like that the pommel of the knives are labeled to help ensure they go back in the right slot in the storage block.
All the knives in this set are full tang, the blades hold their edge well for a budget set. We would have preferred that this set ship with a full-size bread knife, but the serrated six-inch utility knife handles small to medium sized loaves well. The six steak knives that are included are better from a durability and performance standpoint than the steak knives included in most budget sets, so if you eat a lot of meat, this set may be a good option.
![The 8-inch chef knife included ion this set is a standout performer. It is one of the main reasons we chose this set as one of the best under $100.]()
The Calphalon Classic chef knife is a standout performer in this set, and one of the reasons we included it in this article.
The 8inch chef knife included in this set features a classic Western style design. It has a full bolster which adds some weight but improves safety. The angular chamfering on the handle of the chef knife and the other hereo knives in this set helps with comfort and grip. It was sharp right out of the box, and it will stay that way, because it has its own self sharpening slot in the storage block.
![The paring knife knife included in this set performs OK, but it is not great.]()
At 4.5 inches the Calphalon Classic pariing knife is a little longer than we like, but it gets the job done.
The paring knife included in this set is a bit on the long side for detail work, but we managed to make it work. The comfortable handle helped with grip when peeling or making small technical cuts, but we still wished there was a smaller paring knife included. Fortunately, there is an empty non-sharpening slot in the storage block, so one can easily be added.
Overall the Henckels 12-Piece Definition knife set offered better performance than most other self-sharpening sets at this price point. The knives also had better overall fit and finish than most budget knives. We have no problem recommending this set for anyone who wants a quality knife set but dislikes sharpening.
Check Price on Amazon
Cangshan S1 3-Piece Knife Set (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set)
Specifications (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Weight: | 5.8lbs |
| Size: | 15″ x7.75″ x 3.75″ |
Pros (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Very sharp right out of the box |
| Lifetime Warranty |
| Comfortable, Contoured Handles |
| Great edge retention |
| Great balance |
Cons (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Small set |
| No empty slots in the storage block |
Set Includes – one 8″ chef knife, one 3.5″ paring knife, and one Walnut knife storage block
![Testing the slicing ability of the Cangshan S1 chef knife to see if its performance justifies its inclusion in this article.]()
Cangshan S1 knives offer excellent performance at a relatively low price.
This 2-knife set from Cangshan is obviously much smaller than any of the of the other sets in this article, but the two knives in this set are by far the best knives in this post from a quality and performance standpoint (other than the Vosteed Morgan Set). The knives are both full tang and the blades are made of X50Cr15MoV German Steel.
Cangshan’s great heat treatment ensures that the knives have excellent edge retention, and the angle of the handles make rock chopping motions much easier and create a lot of room for knuckle clearance. The full bolster does make pinch grips feel a little awkward, but the balance helps make up for that by putting a lot of knife’s weight near the top of the handle.
The tapered handles are comfortable and easy and lend themselves well to multiple grip types. They also look great. This set is perfect for anyone who prefers quality over quantity. It is also a good set for a small kitchen in a boat or RV, because it takes up very little counter space. Overall this set feels like a much more expensive set when you are using the knives. This is especially true of the 8-inch Chefs knife which handles like a knife from a higher end knife set.
Check Price on Amazon
Ginsu Gourmet Chikara Series 5 Piece Cutlery Set
Specifications (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Weight: | 7.65lbs |
| Size: | 5.88″ x 5.5x 14.8″ |
Pros (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Lifetime Replacement Warranty |
| Full Tang |
| Forged not stamped |
| Includes a honing rod |
| The blades hold their edge extremely well for knives at this price point |
| Great looking block |
| Comfortable handles |
| Takes up very little counter space |
Cons (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| No steak knives |
| Relatively soft steel |
| Chef’s knife is only 6 inches |
Set Includes – one 6″ chef knife, one 5″ Santoku knife, one 5″ utility knife, one 3.5″ paring knife, and a bamboo storage block block.
![The Ginsu Gourmet Chikara santoku knife chopping a mushroom on a wooden cutting board in front of a dark background.]()
The 5-inch santoku knife shown here is a well-designed kitchen knife that handles a variety of tasks well. This set is one we often recommend to anyone looking for a budget set for a small kitchen.
This is a small knife set with small knives. Initially I didn’t add it to this article, because the chef’s knife is only six inches, but it really is a good super-affordable set for tiny kitchens. I have been recommending this set to anyone looking for a budget knife set for a small space like an RV or cabin kitchen. The vertical orientation of the block makes it a really tidy solution for short counters, and it would even be easy to store in something like a boat drawer.
The 5-inch santoku knife is a standout performer in this set, and the utility knife is surprisingly capable of handling a variety of tasks. It is not quite on par with the much more expensive Wusthof Classic 4183 santoku knife, but it is closer from a performance standpoint than I expected it to be. It is an excellent knife to take for meal prep on camping trips, picnics, or road trips, because it is capable of handling a large variety of tasks, and it is relatively small and lightweight.
The knives are also pretty tough for kitchen cutlery. The steel is soft, which is isn’t great for edge retention, but there is a much smaller risk of these edges chipping than normal. Overall the Ginsu Chikara Series is a great value buy, and it should provide years of use especially, if it is used as a travel set in an RV, houseboat, or vacation cabin.
Check Price on Amazon
Cuisinart C77SS 15 Piece Knife Set
Specifications (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Weight: | 8.3lbs |
| Size: | 13.8″ x 8.2″ x 4.5“ |
Pros (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Excellent performance |
| Comfortable Handles |
| Very sharp right out of the box |
| The blades hold their edge well for knives at this price point |
| Light for knives with a full bolster |
| Easy to clean and maintain |
Cons (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| No bread knife included |
| No empty knife slots in the storage block |
Set Includes – one 8″ chef knife, one 7″ Santoku knife, one 5.5″ serrated utility knife, one 8″ slicing knife, one 3.5″ paring knife, one 2.75″ birds beak paring knife, 4.5″ paring knife and six 4.5″ steak knives, one 8″sharpening steel, one pair of household shears and a storage block.
![The Cuisinart C77SS chef knife handles soft produce well.]()
The 8 inch chef knife included in this set feels great in the hand when in use. It made short work of this red onion, and several other fruits and vegetables over the course of our testing period.
Cuisinart does a great job of making quality knife sets in the under $100 category. After years of testing knife sets, I feel fairly confident in saying they are one of the best budget knife set makers in 2024. And the C77SS-15P set is one of the best all-around low-cost knife sets to come through the doors here at Nothing But Knives.
The 5.5″ serrated utility knife did a great job with tomatoes and other soft fruit. It also handled bread fairly well considering its size. This is important, because this set does not ship with a bread knife.
The tapered bolster of the knives in this set makes the pinch grip comfortable, and the texturing on the stainless-steel handles helps with grip. The handle shape is not as neutral as I generally like, but the palm swell and pommel curve are not drastic enough to make your hand feel locked in.
Cuisinart included a pair of kitchen shears in this set that have a built in bottle opener. If you are like me, and you lose your kitchen bottle opener on a regular basis this feature is more than a gimmick. I hope this becomes more common in other knife sets across the budget spectrum.
The Cuisinart C77SS-15P proves that this company is dedicated to maintaining the quality and performance of their low-priced knife sets in 2024. This is encouraging, because many of the budget knife sets, we test feel like an afterthought with little concern for overall quality or design. I plan to spend more time this year testing sets from Cuisinart to see if I can find any more high performing sets that won’t empty your wallet.
Check Price on Amazon
Chicago Cutlery Fusion 12-Piece Knife Set (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set)
Specifications (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Weight: | 6.3lbs |
| Size: | 13.75″ x 6.75″ x 5″ |
Pros (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Forged not stamped |
| Good corrosion resistance |
| Great value |
| Good quality block for this price point |
| Sharp right out of the box |
| Comfortable, easy to grip handles |
| Lifetime Warranty |
Cons (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| A little on the heavy side |
| Blades need regular sharpening (this is pretty normal at this price point) |
Set Includes – one 3.5″ paring knife, one 5″ utility knife, one 7.75″ bread knife, one 7.75″ chef knife, one 8″ slicer, six 4.5″ steak knives, and one wooden storage block.
From a value standpoint, the Chicago Cutlery Fusion series of knives offers good durability and performance at a low price. The 12-piece Fusion set is one of the most impressive cutlery sets we have tested at this price point, especially considering how much they packed into the set.
The knives are well balanced, offer great corrosion resistance, and the handles are comfortable and easy to grip. The blades also have an excellent bite that makes cutting into softer foods pretty easy for western-style budget knives. The knives are a little on the heavy side, so if you are looking for lightweight cutlery, you may want to look elsewhere.
Chicago Cutlery keeps the steel they use in all their knife sets a secret. Their product description only states the steel is high carbon. That term is certainly a relative one, but I would guess that the steel used is not high carbon by modern standards. The blades of these knives will need to be sharpened on a semi regular basis, so you may want to buy Chicago Cutlery’s Dual Stage Knife Sharpener if you buy this set.
The steak knives included in this set are quite a bit better quality than most of the other steak knives included in sets at this price point. The have the same balanced feel and easy grip as the hero knives in this set. The bread knife is probably the worst included knife from a performance standpoint, but it still got the job done. The chef’s knife was above average from both a performance and quality standpoint when compared to other budget chef knives.
Check Price on Amazon
MSY Big Sunny 5-Piece Knife Set
If you are looking for a budget-friendly knife set without a storage block, the Big Sunny 5-piece set is a great option. The knives in this set look great, and their performance matches their looks.
Specifications (Best Budget Kitchen Knife Set )
| Weight: | 2.1lbs |
| Size: | NA |
Pros
| Forged not stamped |
| Great looking wood block |
| Sharp right out of the box |
| Excellent knife combination |
| Very comfortable handles |
| Lifetime Warranty |
Cons
| The steak knives do not feel as durable as the rest of the set |
| 8″ utility knife is a little on the big size for some tasks. |