RajunCajun said:

Does anyone own the 2pc BGE knife set?  Any comments?  Is it decent?

They made two different sets. The more expensive set is a forged German steel Ergo chef set. This set is fairly high quality and the chefs knife has Granton edges. The second set appears to be lesser grade stamped Chinese steel with integrated steel handles. The price difference reflects the quality. This set would be fine for use outdoors or in situations you might not want to use your best knives for fear of loss or damage. 

no

I just looked at these on the BGE site... Hard pass. At even the full price ($65) I wouldn't trust them to hold an edge or hold up at all. IIRC, I paid more than that for my smallest kitchen knife (4" paring). 
I'm even more leery of them since it gives zero real information about the steel used. Never mind what the handle material is. IMO/IME, not giving that information is a mark of LOW quality and should be avoided.

HeavyG said:

Nothing wrong with adding more BGE branded stuff to ones collection if that is what one is into.
I doubt they are great knives (whatever that means) but so what? Keep em sharp and they'll be just fine... probably. Unless they feel really weird in your hand or some other thing that annoys you (too heavy, balance isn't to your liking, whateva). 
There's a lot of snobbery when it comes to knives and a lot of things that might be of importance to a pro chef using their knives for hours each day may be of very little importance to a home chef that uses their knives for ten minutes each day. Just remember the one thing that is of primary importance to pro or home cook - keep em proper sharp.

With unknown steel "keep them sharp" could be more effort than they are worth. IME, having quality knives means you don't need to sharpen them nearly as often compared with lower quality knives. 

I sharpened some knives for a friend of the family about six weeks ago. One of them (low quality knife) is already dull. The rest are still like razors. 

RajunCajun said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Why tf would anyone overpay for a set of knives just because BGE put them out?

My initial thought was that if they were decent knives the price point for the pair isn't all that bad.  

I guess I just don’t see the point if you can find the base version elsewhere at (likely) a lower price.

1911Man said:

HeavyG said:

Nothing wrong with adding more BGE branded stuff to ones collection if that is what one is into.
I doubt they are great knives (whatever that means) but so what? Keep em sharp and they'll be just fine... probably. Unless they feel really weird in your hand or some other thing that annoys you (too heavy, balance isn't to your liking, whateva). 
There's a lot of snobbery when it comes to knives and a lot of things that might be of importance to a pro chef using their knives for hours each day may be of very little importance to a home chef that uses their knives for ten minutes each day. Just remember the one thing that is of primary importance to pro or home cook - keep em proper sharp.

With unknown steel "keep them sharp" could be more effort than they are worth. IME, having quality knives means you don't need to sharpen them nearly as often compared with lower quality knives. 

I sharpened some knives for a friend of the family about six weeks ago. One of them (low quality knife) is already dull. The rest are still like razors. 

The beauty of softer steel is that a few swipes of a honing rod before use and you're good to go. Plus you get to feel all chef-like. 
The problem with harder steels, especially when used in thin, low angle knives, is that they are much more prone to chipping/breaking.
Shun knives have had a reputation for chipping for a long time. I don't really think that is because the knives are inherently defective in any way. I think it is because Shun is a mass marketer that spends a lot on advertising and a lot more people are likely to buy a Shun as their first (or sole) exposure to a Japanese style knife. If one does not learn to modify their knife technique when using their Shun they will find that they are far more fragile and unforgiving than a typical western blade.

1911Man said:

HeavyG said:

1911Man said:

HeavyG said:

Nothing wrong with adding more BGE branded stuff to ones collection if that is what one is into.
I doubt they are great knives (whatever that means) but so what? Keep em sharp and they'll be just fine... probably. Unless they feel really weird in your hand or some other thing that annoys you (too heavy, balance isn't to your liking, whateva). 
There's a lot of snobbery when it comes to knives and a lot of things that might be of importance to a pro chef using their knives for hours each day may be of very little importance to a home chef that uses their knives for ten minutes each day. Just remember the one thing that is of primary importance to pro or home cook - keep em proper sharp.

With unknown steel "keep them sharp" could be more effort than they are worth. IME, having quality knives means you don't need to sharpen them nearly as often compared with lower quality knives. 

I sharpened some knives for a friend of the family about six weeks ago. One of them (low quality knife) is already dull. The rest are still like razors. 

The beauty of softer steel is that a few swipes of a honing rod before use and you're good to go. Plus you get to feel all chef-like. 
The problem with harder steels, especially when used in thin, low angle knives, is that they are much more prone to chipping/breaking.
Shun knives have had a reputation for chipping for a long time. I don't really think that is because the knives are inherently defective in any way. I think it is because Shun is a mass marketer that spends a lot on advertising and a lot more people are likely to buy a Shun as their first (or sole) exposure to a Japanese style knife. If one does not learn to modify their knife technique when using their Shun they will find that they are far more fragile and unforgiving than a typical western blade.

Never had any issue with any of the Shun blades I own.

@pgprescott Even at "full price" the set is $65. IMO/IME, that's not saying a lot about them. For some people, that might be expensive for kitchen knives. To me, that's dirt cheap. 

Don’t quite get what you are insinuating? Inexpensive is always crap? Different strokes for different folks. I agree they are plenty affordable. My point is they are perfectly serviceable. 

pgprescott said:

JohnInCarolina said:

RajunCajun said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Why tf would anyone overpay for a set of knives just because BGE put them out?

My initial thought was that if they were decent knives the price point for the pair isn't all that bad.  

I guess I just don’t see the point if you can find the base version elsewhere at (likely) a lower price.

Why buy a Duke tshirt when they sell cheaper ones that don’t say Duke on them at Walmart? Hmmmmm. 

You cannot possibly be this dense, but you do make me wonder at times.

JohnInCarolina said:

pgprescott said:

JohnInCarolina said:

RajunCajun said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Why tf would anyone overpay for a set of knives just because BGE put them out?

My initial thought was that if they were decent knives the price point for the pair isn't all that bad.  

I guess I just don’t see the point if you can find the base version elsewhere at (likely) a lower price.

Why buy a Duke tshirt when they sell cheaper ones that don’t say Duke on them at Walmart? Hmmmmm. 

You cannot possibly be this dense, but you do make me wonder at times.

John, you don’t carry your Shun knives around to show your allegiance and support of their institution?   Loser.  

Too late. 

pgprescott said:

theyolksonyou said:

JohnInCarolina said:

pgprescott said:

JohnInCarolina said:

RajunCajun said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Why tf would anyone overpay for a set of knives just because BGE put them out?

My initial thought was that if they were decent knives the price point for the pair isn't all that bad.  

I guess I just don’t see the point if you can find the base version elsewhere at (likely) a lower price.

Why buy a Duke tshirt when they sell cheaper ones that don’t say Duke on them at Walmart? Hmmmmm. 

You cannot possibly be this dense, but you do make me wonder at times.

John, you don’t carry your Shun knives around to show your allegiance and support of their institution?   Loser.  

Maybe you and John can check out the value together. Oops. 

Maybe you should try to understand the point.  

theyolksonyou said:

JohnInCarolina said:

pgprescott said:

JohnInCarolina said:

RajunCajun said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Why tf would anyone overpay for a set of knives just because BGE put them out?

My initial thought was that if they were decent knives the price point for the pair isn't all that bad.  

I guess I just don’t see the point if you can find the base version elsewhere at (likely) a lower price.

Why buy a Duke tshirt when they sell cheaper ones that don’t say Duke on them at Walmart? Hmmmmm. 

You cannot possibly be this dense, but you do make me wonder at times.

John, you don’t carry your Shun knives around to show your allegiance and support of their institution?   Loser.  

I bring them to all of the Shun women’s volleyball tournaments!