5.0 out of 5 stars The Modular Block Is Brilliant for Smaller Counters I have a bad habit of putting off sharpening kitchen knives until I suddenly realize I am sawing through a tomato instead of slicing it. That is what makes the Ninja NeverDull Pro set so appealing to me. The sharpener is built right into the system, so maintaining the edge takes a few seconds instead of becoming another chore I have to remember to do separately.The knives are seriously sharp out of the box. The chef’s knife glides through vegetables and meat without much pressure, the Santoku is great for smaller chopping and prep work, and the paring knife gives me much better control for trimming and peeling. The bread knife handles crusty loaves without crushing them, and having four matching steak knives rounds out the set nicely. It covers pretty much everything I normally reach for without filling the block with a bunch of oddly specific knives I will never use.The sharpener is easily my favorite part. Instead of trying to hold the blade at the right angle against a sharpening stone or guessing my way through a pull-through sharpener, I just use the lever on the block and let the ceramic wheel handle the angle and pressure. It makes keeping the knives sharp much more approachable, especially if you are not someone who wants knife sharpening to become a hobby.I also really like how modular the block is. A lot of 10 or 12 piece knife sets take up a ridiculous amount of counter space, but Ninja lets you remove both the sharpening module and the steak knife storage and keep them in a drawer. With those pieces off, the footprint shrinks considerably. That flexibility is useful in a smaller kitchen or if you simply do not want a giant knife block dominating the counter.The knives themselves feel very well made. The German stainless steel blades have a nice balance between weight and maneuverability, and the riveted handles feel secure without being overly bulky. I can chop for a while without my hand getting tired, and the weight distribution feels natural rather than blade-heavy. The steel is also designed to resist rust and everyday wear, which is reassuring for a set that is meant to stay in regular rotation for years.The navy finish is a nice touch too. Knife blocks tend to be some combination of black, silver, or wood, so the darker blue gives this set a little more personality without looking flashy. It still feels polished enough to leave out on the counter.Durability is obviously difficult to judge over ten years on day one, but Ninja is putting a lot of confidence behind the set with its 10-year sharpness guarantee when maintained as directed. The blades, handles, storage modules, and sharpening mechanism all feel substantial enough that this does not come across as a disposable kitchen set dressed up with a gimmicky sharpener.At $300, this is definitely expensive compared with an entry-level knife block. The value makes more sense if you look at it as a long-term set where the sharpening system is part of the package. A good chef’s knife, bread knife, Santoku, paring knife, four steak knives, shears, storage, and an integrated sharpener can add up quickly if purchased separately.Overall, this is the kind of knife set I like because it removes one of the most annoying parts of owning good knives: keeping them good. The blades perform very well, the handles are comfortable, the modular block saves a surprising amount of space, and the sharpener makes regular maintenance almost effortless. If you want a complete set that is easy to live with rather than something you constantly have to baby, this one makes a strong case for itself.Variation: Color: Nautical Navy

5.0 out of 5 stars texture adds good comfortable grip, one solid piece, easy to use. Options add value Lovely set with all the essentials, save for a butter knife, but who puts butter knives in blocks anyway. But yeh, I was thinking I could get rid of some stuff by using exclusively this set. Love that it has a paring knife. My very old set did, but no other blocks have since. I like this!There are no surprises as to what knives come with this set and how many. Take a look at the pictures, all of the text, all of this information is available before deciding whether to purchase or not. In multiple places.That being said, there are 11 pieces, 4 of which are steak knives.Then there is a bread knife, a santoku knife, a paring knife, a chef knife and a pair of scissors. That makes up 9 of the 11 pieces. The other piece is the sharpener. I *think* the block itself is considered the 11th piece. Personally I think it is odd to list it like an 11 piece, but again, there are no surprises in what we are getting with this. Just a minor mystery, haha.Or as the product description states,”11-PIECE SET: Includes8″ Chef Knife,8″ Bread Knife,5″ Santoku Knife,3.5″ Paring Knife,4.5″ Steak Knives (x4),Kitchen Shears,Modular Storage Block, andRemoveable NeverDull sharpener”but yeh, the picture is spot on.I like that this doesnt need to be used as a block. I think if you are ordering this set, then you likely are going to use it with the block stand. Yet it nice that this design offers options. You can have everything on the block, or you can choose what is attached to the block. Since I rarely have need of the sharpener at this point, I slid that into a nearby drawer. It gave me back a little real estate on my counter. I may bring it back out as my whim guides me.Or everything can be dismantled and slid into a drawer. All very easy to do.Looks otherwise sturdy, clean, and attractive. I like that the handle on the scissors matches the color of the base.The knives themselves are nice, solid, full body. To me, they are balanced. They feel good in the hand, the texture on the handle makes them feel secure while handling.The sharpener is neat. Uh, I am not good with sharpener tools. I like that this takes all the guesswork and skill out of sharpening a knife. Great that there are those among you who do a perfect job every time, but I am not. This is so easy–just put knife in, use the side trigger, which takes care of the sharpening, then done. Easy peasy.I dont rate on price. I just… dont. Everything is pricy to me and since prices fluctuate, sometimes there are sales, coupons, etc. We all have different budgets, brand loyalties, etc.. so I just rate on everything else as best i can. You decide if $299 is worthwhile to you for this set.I happen to have a positive bias toward Ninja products. I have many appliances, and even a single chef knife from their never dull line, which I have been using for years with good performance.These are a welcome addition, and I put them solidly at 4 stars. My hubs was surprised at how nice the are, and was impressed with how the whole thing looks and feels. So, 4.5 stars/5 stars. Going with 5. I will update if I experience anything worth sharing, especially if negative.Variation: Color: Nautical Navy

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely sharp Just got this yesterday and already impressed with how sharp these are right out of the box. I own Wusthof knives and even when I first got them they weren’t as sharp, used to use the bread knife to slice tomatoes. Used the paring knife and didn’t have to pre-pierce the tomato in order to slice it. So glad I made this purchase. Right now the only downside is I wish the slate color was a little darker. Oh, and be careful when putting them on your counter. They have suction cups that really grip.Variation: Color: Slate

5.0 out of 5 stars SHARP and beautiful SHARP. Be careful opening up the packages. Lol We love them!Variation: Color: Forest Sage