I love how everything fits nicely into the block and how it looks nicely in my kitchen. I don't have any issues with anything falling out of their slots. I will say that these are sharp right out of the box and I knicked the plate a bit when sliding the chef's knife into place at first but you don't even notice it. It's been 3 months now and the knives cut sharply and clean up nicely. The shears work well as well. I enjoy the weight of the knives.