OnlyKnives' Best $50 Kitchen Knives
This is a great choice for anyone looking to start a knife set on a limited budget.
You get three "essential" knives -- a Chef's knife, a slicing knife and a paring knife. Limiting the number of knives in a set helps you to save money while focusing on the quality of the knives rather than the quantity.
And these are quality knives indeed. Cooks Illustrated has given them their kudos numerous times in the past. Professional chefs rave about their ruggedness and sharp edge.
These are German style knives -- somewhat handle-heavy, with a sharp, stainless and durable blade. Though it may not be as sharp as some of the Japanese sets you can find, it's definitely a well-regarded knife.
The blade steel is x50CrMo -- a high-carbon, Chromium, Molybdenum blend. Out of the box, the knives are hardened to a Rockwell hardness of 55, which should serve you quite well.
The blade is full-tang, covered by the POM handles that are designed to minimize fatigue.
There are several ways to supplement this knife set, of course. A bread knife or a medium-sized utility knife would be a great addition.
But compare this set to a much more expensive one from Wusthof and see that it matches up quite well -- a quality reputation, a high-carbon steel made in Solingen, Germany and sharp out of the box.
If you do have just a bit more money to spend and want a larger set of knives, the Forschner 8-piece set features the same great knives and throws in a few extra pieces.




June 3rd, 2008 at 10:50 am
[...] the same money. Regular readers of this blog know that our favorite inexpensive knife set is the Forschner Victorinox Fibrox 3 Piece Set. Though, for a real treat, step up just a tiny bit in price and get yourself some Tojiro DP Knives. [...]
June 11th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
[...] Illustrated’s recommendation — the Forschner 3-Piece Fibrox set — is a screaming bargain at current prices. It’s not beautiful and the steel is merely [...]
June 13th, 2008 at 8:21 am
[...] OnlyKnives, we’re partial to the Forschner knives in this low-end price range, but OXO is a safe bet as [...]
June 13th, 2008 at 8:30 am
[...] R.H. Forschner 3-Piece Fibrox Chef’s Set From Victorinox | Best $50 Kitchen Knives [...]
June 20th, 2008 at 9:34 am
[...] is an inexpensive set from a knifemaker with a decent reputation, but you can do better. The Forschner Fibrox Set is just a tiny bit more expensive, but is a much better [...]
July 17th, 2008 at 9:43 am
[...] out our review of their Three piece Fibrox set for more details on [...]
July 25th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
[...] get fewer knives if you go that route, but they will be better quality. The Forschner essential knife set, for example, will be sharper than these ones from KitchenAid and will hold their edges [...]
July 25th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
[...] Forschner knives really are exceptional. OnlyKnives named them the Best $50 Kitchen Knife Set a while back, and Cook’s Illustrated has lauded them many times as [...]
August 5th, 2008 at 9:50 am
[...] gave the Forschner 3-piece Fibrox Knives our recommendation as the best $50 knife set [...]
August 17th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Can anybody tell me where I could order this set of knives that the buyer will ship to Croatia?
Most shops ship only to Usa and big european countrys
August 17th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Can anybody tell me where I could order this set of knives that the seller will ship to Croatia?
Most shops ship only to Usa and big european countrys
August 25th, 2008 at 10:56 am
[...] you’re looking for budget knives, we highly recommend the Forschner 3 piece set. That’s a set of three essential knives that are an amazing value. You’ll be very [...]
September 20th, 2008 at 11:32 am
[...] you can get better quality knives for just a little bit more money. I recommend you check out the three essential Forschner Fibrox Knives and then add an inexpensive set of steak knives. True, you don’t get as many knives and you [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:25 am
[...] named Forschner’s 3-piece set our best budget kitchen knife set a while back. Poke around OnlyKnives a bit and you’ll see we’re big fans of all of [...]
October 15th, 2008 at 10:27 am
[...] knives like a cooks knife and a parer or bread knife from one of the utilitarian makers like Forschner or save a few more pennies and buy something a little bit nicer that will offer better [...]
January 1st, 2009 at 8:44 am
[...] Looking for a better set in the same price range? Check out our favorite small set — the Forschner 3-piece set. [...]