Darn to living in the middle of the freaking country.
I totally have 'knife set' on my list of things I want right now, but cannot afford! And, I totally agree with your three 'must haves'. I am the biggest fan of these knifes (available at Williams Sonoma). I keep one in my desk at work and sometimes one in my car - just in case I'm somewhere and they have crappy knives (like my parents).
Great Knives!

I would have emailed but I don't work in Manhattan any more :(

Still, its ok. I don't really have room in my tiny kitchen.

So why is the bread knife optional, not eating bread, getting presliced or just tearing at it?

I do have a nice knife set. Good quality. The knives I wanted to buy (J.A. Henckels International Classic Forged). I would have bought just the knives I needed (chef, paring, and bread), but it was actually cheaper to buy the whole set with the block when it was on sale for 50% off. The set even includes a sharpening steel (another must have!).

My live-in boyfriend happens to be a butcher, so I get all of his hand-me-down Forschners - which are just wonderful :)

I got a really nice knife set as a Christmas gift from my soon to be Grandmother-in-law. I really only use 2 or 3 of them. But every once in awhile I need something else from it.

A Lady In Red - which 2 or 3 do you use?

sally599 - exactly - for sandwiches and French toast get it pre-sliced and for serving at the table with or before dinner - rip at it! If you do have a bread knife, though, it eliminated the need for a tomato knife entirely. I don't own one (tomato knife.)

Cutco's home office is in my home town, and I worked in their data entry department during breaks from college (and for a bit after I graduated and hadn't yet found a "real" job); as such, I got to load up on knives at drastically reduced prices. I have probably about a dozen knives (not including table knives), and while there are a few that get used almost daily, most of them are used on at least a semi-regular basis.

I have a bunch of knives that I've accumulated over the years, but the one I really use is the Global chef's knife I bought last year. It rocks.

I love my "entry level" Henkels (they've only got one man on the logo, not two), and I love them! I actually use all of them pretty regularly except for the boning knife. But my husband de-bones things, so it does get used! My faves are the Santoku, the paring and the tomato knife

I have a super crappy set of knives, that were a wedding give 10 years ago. For Christmas last year my parents gave all of us a set of 3 Cutco knives, but the set didn't include a chef's knife, which I could really use.

I love your knife set... It's a random brand, but they're sharp and have nice handles. I definitely use most of them, but do have a favorite paring knife that is not from the set.

Emily

I don't have a knife set but would like to get one or two really good knives with metal handles. I'm embarrassed to admit that I was washing an old knife yesterday and the PLASTIC handle broke.

Good knives make a huge difference in cooking pleasure, a paring knife is the one I use most. Harris Teeter's vic prize was a big knife set in a wooden holder and I use all of them all the time. I love whacking a cabbage with my cleaver.

There's a "Showtime Knife" in your set. Whatever does that mean?

I don't have a set - I have 2 chef's knives, one slightly smaller than the other, a couple of paring knives, and a tomato knife. I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

I bought a good Wusthof knife set because it was actually cheaper to buy the set on sale (with the requisite wooden block) than to buy the essential knives - chef's and paring and bread - individually. I have now supplemented them with an extra chef's knife and paring knife, since friends and family like to help prep and cook with me. I agree with Kate (NC) about the pleasure from a well-sharpened knife; I have all of mine sharpened before the holiday season to prepare for all the cooking.

I used gift money from my wedding this past summer to buy some really nice knives. I bought them in two two-knife sets - one with a chef's knife and a paring knife, and another with a bread knife and a shorter serrated knife. I love them and use them all. I think if I were to get one more, it would be a santuko knife.

I hate washing dishes. I also find that every time I go visit my parents and try to cook, they have really bad knives. I've thought about getting a knife set and distributing the excess to my parents house among others.

OOPS!

and OOPS! again, somehow that got posted. anyways, I realized I lied on the survey, I do own a knife set. For Christmas last year my girlfriend got me a 3-knife Global set, a santouko, a utility knife, and a paring knife. I use the santouko in place of a chef's knife, and find the utilty knife great for when the santouko's dirty ( ie after cutting meat, etc) I got myself a ceramic steel from ikea, they're much gentler on knives than steel steels... and the ikea ones are cheap!

This post is spot on! We have a knife set, but never use anything in it but the bread knife, preferring to use either our Henckels chef's knife (most often) or paring knife (less often-- those perform any cutting/slicing job you could think of. The knife set is sort of a waste of space.

Best bet is to go with Cutco. They are made in the USA. Backed forever by the company for quality and sharpeness. You can even call and have a local rep come out and sharpen them for you for free. Might cost you a free sandwich, but most times customers are repeat buyers. If you are looking for Cutco call me 401-265-6386
or visit http://Cutco.Auctivacommerce.com