I had not realized how dull my knives were and how much work I was doing to cut.  What is worse, I don't think I can call it cutting as much as I may have become accustomed to tearing and ripping with my old, old, hodgepodge of knives.  What a treat, the small things make a difference....like sharp knives.  With the stay sharp block I think I may never need another set of knives for a long time.