The knife set looks great. The knife block has a nice finish to it as well. The straight edge knives are sharp and ready to use. Although the balance is off with most of the set with heavy blades; the paring knife is balanced perfectly. The serrated edge bread knife is a disappointment out of the box. The serrated edge is not finished properly and will need to be honed before use. The kitchen shears appear to be of good quality, however the handle grip holes are too small. It seems this shears were designed for a woman's hand; I have to use them with just two fingers and a thumb, which makes using them uncomfortable and results in difficulty to cut. Overall this is a decent set, but definitely not for everyone. This is a good introductory set if money is an issue. Serious cooks will want a higher quality product.