These knives come sharp and are super lightweight and balanced. I love the variety in this 11-pc set and I use all of them. The block itself is nice and heavy, and has spaces up front for steak knives which I'll probably fill sometime soon. Apparently these are stamped and hands finished which makes them more lightweight than the fully forged knives. My favorite knife is the large chef knife as it's weighty enough to chop large vegetables but at the same time light enough that it can also be used for smaller, more delicate things. I love this set and look forward to using them every time I cook!