Bought my first set of these knives over 13 years ago.  I've not been kind to them.  Throw them in the dishwasher or left them in the dish water overnight.  DON'T do this. lol  No knife should be put through this.   I'm just now starting to see small nicks in the edges of the blades from my abuse.  They don't need sharpening, maybe once or twice since I've had them.  And the one knife, the chop and scoop knife is my favorite and is worth the price of the set alone. But beware, it is very sharp.  And the bread knife, well, I use if for EVERYTHING else. Watermelons, ham, turkeys, oh, and yes, even bread.  With only 3 drawers in my tiny kitchen, the knife block keeps them free for my other items.  I finally decided to treat myself and buy a new set.  I'll be giving to old set to my son.