Wusthof Classic Knife Set - Excellent knives
I bought this knife set after I did some research about what makes a knife great, and these met every test. I put them to use and was even more impressed with their performance.

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wow, what can I say
I loved these knives right out of the box. They came sharp and feel great. I was finally moving out of the parent's house and needed some knives. With the free block and steel from Amazon you can't go wrong. I looked at all the sets for weeks and in the end decided that I would rather just buy what I needed, instead of settling for what came in the sets. I have found that I am rarely happy with prepackaged sets of anything. Therefore, this was a good starting point to which I added a bread knife and plan to add pieces if I need them (I doubt I will, but I may just fill the block :). I bought these sight unseen from Amazon and could not be happier.

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Good Starter Set, Look Carefully at Knife Selections
There are really two main competitors in the high-end mainstream kitchen knife market: Henckels and Wusthof. Those who have used both usually have a preference. My preference (and therefore bias you should know about) is for the Wusthofs.

The Wusthof Classic line is the more conservative counterpart to the Grand Prix line. The only difference, however, is the handle style. I personally prefer the Grand Prix, but this is an issue of personal preference. The balance and grip of these knives are as close to perfect as I have found. For those wondering what benefits a higher priced knife provides, one benefit is that the blade (or tang) is one piece all the way through the handle. This makes the blade much stronger, and less likely to snap.

This set includes an 8 inch chef's knife, a 3 ½ inch paring knife and a 6 inch sandwich knife.

The 8 inch chef's knife, is a great knife. Wusthof offers four sizes of chef's knives in the Classic line, 5, 6, 8 and 10 inch. For most home cooks, I think the 8 inch knife is the best choice. The 5 and 6 inch are a bit small for bigger jobs, but the 10 inch is too big for most jobs. While the 8 inch isn't perfect for all uses, if you are only buying one size chef's knife (and most people only buy one), this is the one I would recommend.

As for the 3 ½ inch paring knife, this knife falls into the category of overkill for me. Most cooks will get by just fine with the 4 ½ inch utility knife. There is really no notable difference in size for the vast majority of applications between the 3 ½ inch paring knife and the 4 ½ inch utility knife. I prefer the 4 ½ inch utility knife, but the 3 ½ inch paring knife will do the trick.

I have found very few uses for the 6 inch sandwich knife. I prefer the larger size of the chef's knife or the smaller 4 ½ inch utility knife. This knife is just the wrong width and length for most tasks.

This set is a good deal; however, if compiling a set myself, I would include the chef's knife, the 4 ½ inch utility knife, and the 9 inch bread knife. Judge for yourself.