Is It Time to Upgrade Your Kitchen Gear? Benchmade’s Knife Set Says Yes

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There are certain points in your life when it’s time to get the best. Good cutlery is the perfect example. The kitchen knives you had in your first apartment are usually some kind of mismatched hand-me-downs. Maybe they were in the drawer when you moved in, or they migrated there from your parents’ basement, or you picked them up at the local thrift shop. Eventually you got a generic kitchen knife block as a housewarming or engagement gift. And, unless you’re a sous chef, they worked fine for dicing veggies for your famous chili or slicing up steaks off the grill.

But once it’s your name on the lease or you’re paying a mortgage—a home that you’re settling into—a quality kitchen knife set is one of those adult things you need to invest in, along with triple pane windows and a good pair of waterproof boots. The Benchmade 3 Piece is that knife set—the one you will use for the rest of your life.

Related: I'm a Pocket Knife Snob and This New Leatherman Knife Is an Amazing EDC Blade

What It Is

This set includes an 8-inch Chef Knife, a 6-inch Utility Knife and 4-inch Paring Knife, all with Benchmade’s SelectEdge technology. The entire Benchmade line of cutlery, outdoor knives and everyday carry pieces are made by hand in their Oregon City facility. These are American knives crafted at a family-owned business that combines the best of old school tradition with new technology.

Benchmade 3-Piece Knife Set Overall Impressions

I have tried Benchmade’s Water Collection. I’ve cut frayed dock lines with the Adira with ease. During the late fall, I’m cleaning fresh catch once or twice a week with the Fishcrafter 9-Inch. The filets pretty much just fall off the fish.

Running the blade over anything, you instantly feel the quality. But unless you’re working in the outdoors every single day, most of us are not using those blades on the daily. Cooking, however, we all do regularly. And a good knife makes food prep, meals and general life in the kitchen that much better (not to mention your famous chili.)

The first thing I did with this set was make a black bean soup, which gets its flavor from the sweetness of carrots and Vidalia onions. That means slicing multiple onions, carrots, and a few kinds of peppers, then chopping cilantro. It’s enough chopping that I don’t make it as often as I should, but this set made quick work of it—it was almost enjoyable.

Key Features

Let’s be honest, a blade is clearly what sets a good a knife apart—especially a kitchen knife. These blades are bullet proof 154CM stainless steel that has been ground, beveled, and finished to Benchmade standards. This particular steel has a finer microstructure that allows for exact edge crafting.

The handles are milled and machined. Each one is hand assembled. And it’s all done in-house. The handles come in choices of G10 (high-pressure fiberglass) and Richlite or G10, Richlite, and carbon fiber.

Benchmade also offers its Lifesharp Program that allows you to send your knife back for sharpening at any time. In fact, they offer free cleaning, oiling, sharpening, and adjustments for as long as you own the blade.

Pros

• A dull knife is a dangerous knife. This is neither.
• All of these materials were chosen because they last.
• Benchmade  completely stands behind this set and it will last forever.
• Made in the U.S.

Cons

• Would have rather they included a station knife instead of the 6-inch utility knife.
• Costs half a mortgage payment

Final Verdict

Chef Ryan Hardy of Pasquales Jones NYC told me that he’s had a Benchmade on him for 20 years, going back to running an organic farm in Colorado. He said when his sous chefs complete their first year in his kitchen, they are all given a Benchmade—a symbol of the excellence, craftsmanship, and commitment they all strive for.

This is it. This knife set will likely outlast your countertop blender and your cookware set. In fact, decades from now, it might just be that you'll still have the prized bottle opener your grandfather bestowed upon you years ago along with the Benchmade 3-Piece set when you eventually sell your home.

Why You Should Trust Me

Everything I did growing up and in my early adulthood was on a shoestring budget. My Dad found us gear at yard sales. The first new bike I got was the cheapest one sold at Toys'R’Us and promptly fell apart, sending me back to the old hand-me-down I had been riding for years. As we got into surfing, we rode used boards and bought our summer clothes in September and our winter clothes in May. And to this day, I am still grateful that my family and close friends prioritized day trips and cool travel experiences over expensive or name-brand items.

I was also taught that “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” Now, I feel extremely fortunate to be reviewing gear, but I’ve made that advice my policy. If a brand sends me gear that doesn’t work, a product that won’t last, or an item that just complicates any otherwise simple process, I just let them know that I won’t be reviewing it. If I am reviewing a product, it’s because I believe in it and use it. All those decades of third-hand snowboards, poorly made products, and generic brands made me very aware of good gear vs. hot garbage.