These stamped knives from Henckels aren’t of the same quality as their “forged” lines. They’re lighter and thinner, which as a rule makes for a more efficient knife, but they’re definitely not as robust as the forged knives from Henckels — so I’d suggest they’re a bit more appropriate for lighter-duty use.
In general, I don’t hold a particularly high opinion of “knife block sets”. Sure, they look impressive on your kitchen counter, letting people know that you’re a serious cook without really having to say so. Unfortunately, knife sets have more to do with selling slower-moving knives from a maker’s line than actually setting up a cook with the proper tools. They’re rarely composed of the right mix of blade types and sizes and usually offer a lot of “filler” for your dollar.
This set is no exception to that general rule. The honing steel and kitchen shears are throwaways. While I approve of shorter paring knives, few people will find use for a curved peeling knife — and when it comes down to it, does anyone really need four paring/utility knives in the four to six inch range? One should be sufficient if you really want a smaller utility knife. The santoku and chef’s knives, seven and eight inches respectively, are essentially redundant. In this type of stamped construction, there is virtually no difference between the two. An eight-inch bread knife is at least two inches too small to be particularly useful. Steak knives? More filler.
When it comes right down to it, you’re far better off with taking the money you might spend on this set and carefully selecting a few knives which you really need. With the same budget, you could easily pick up a two to three inch parer, an eight to ten inch chef’s knife, a ten inch bread knife, and even a mid-sized “utility” from Forschner, Mac, or even “forged” German knives along with an inexpensive block — and still have money left in your pocket.
