These are well-made and very sharp. Unpacking them each was in a plastic sleeve and protective cap on the end. When I pulled off the plastic sleeve on one of them the knife ever so slightly grazed across my finger and I got a remarkably deep cut. That caused me to be afraid of them and to always be careful with this set. The build quality is great and we love the sharpener built-into the block. The block has a lower profile that many other sets and this makes it easier to remove a knife without it hitting the overhead cabinet that we have it placed beneath.