Farberware 22-Piece Knife Set Honest Review: Sharpness, Steak Knives and Storage

I almost didn't buy the Farberware 22-piece knife set. We had gone through three knife blocks in ten years, the kind where the handles loosen and the blades dull no matter what you do, and I was tired of spending money on something that just sat there looking nice. But our old set had gotten to the point where I was sawing through a bell pepper like it was a pork roast, so I started reading reviews with a very specific question in mind: would this set actually hold up to six people eating at home almost every night?

A year later, I have strong opinions. Some of them match what the reviews said. Some of them are things I genuinely never saw anyone mention before I bought it. So here is the honest version, the one I would tell a friend over the kitchen counter, about the Farberware 22-piece set.

How I've Used It

I'm Joanna. I cook for six people most nights: my husband Mark, our four kids, and whoever shows up hungry. That means a lot of vegetables chopped, a lot of chicken sliced, a lot of bread cut, and a steak knife in front of a kid who is not always gentle with it.

The Farberware set has been our only knife set for about a year. It has chopped onions for spaghetti night, carved a Sunday pot roast, sliced tomatoes for burgers, and cut more loaves of bread than I can count. My kids use the steak knives at dinner several times a week, and my eight-year-old has used the paring knife to help me cut apples. That is the real test, honestly. Not how it performs on day one, but how it behaves after a year of real life.

One Tuesday that stands out, we had sixteen people for the church potluck and I was prepping lasagna plus a salad for twelve. I chopped three onions, two green peppers, a pound of mushrooms, and half a head of celery in about fifteen minutes, and the chef's knife never once made me stop and push harder. That was the night I stopped wondering whether the set was worth it. A knife that keeps you moving when the clock is tight is worth more than the box it came in.

For the first month, I kept waiting for the dullness to set in. It didn't. The chef's knife still glides through a tomato without squashing it, and the serrated bread knife still cuts through a crusty loaf without tearing it to pieces. I will get to the maintenance in a minute, because that is the part nobody warns you about, but the performance has genuinely surprised me.

What Nobody Tells You About the Sharpness

Here is the thing nobody puts in the product description: the knives come sharp, but they don't stay razor-sharp forever, and that is fine. The Farberware blades are high carbon stainless steel, which is a step up from the mystery metal in cheaper sets. They hold an edge noticeably longer than our old knives did. But they are not Japanese-style ultra-hard blades, and they won't stay hair-popping sharp if you treat them like they are.

What does that mean in practice? After about four months of heavy use, I noticed the chef's knife needed a little more pressure on tomato skins. I ran it over a honing rod a few times, and it was back to slicing through everything like it was butter. That is the honest version. You will need to do a little maintenance. But you won't need to sharpen them constantly, and you won't be stuck with dull knives that make dinner prep miserable.

The day I noticed it was a Thursday in February, when everyone was hungry and I was already behind. I went to slice a Roma tomato for the tacos and the blade dragged instead of cutting, just barely. I grabbed the sharpening steel, gave the blade five or six quick passes, and finished the tomato without a second thought. Total time, maybe ninety seconds. I timed it once because I could not believe how easy it was. That is the honest maintenance story: not a project, just a habit.

One thing I will say for the serrated blades: they are the workhorses of this set. The bread knife cuts through a crusty loaf without tearing it to pieces, and the steak knives have stayed sharp through a year of kids using them on chicken, pork, and the occasional steak. That is the part of the set I didn't expect to love as much as I do.

The Steak Knives Are the Real Story

Every review mentions the chef's knife. Nobody talks enough about the steak knives. This set comes with six of them, which is exactly the right number for our family. Six people at the table, six steak knives. I have never once had to wash one mid-meal because we ran out.

The steak knives are serrated, and they cut through chicken, pork chops, and even a somewhat overdone roast without any drama. My kids can cut their own meat, which, if you have ever cut up dinner for four children, is a genuinely life-changing thing. The handles are comfortable for small hands and big hands alike, and the blades have held up remarkably well.

I will say this: they are not fancy steak knives. They are not the kind you would pull out for a formal dinner party. But for a Tuesday night when the kids are hungry and the chicken is on the table, they are exactly what you need. And honestly, for the price of this set, the fact that it includes six usable steak knives is a big part of the value.

The night that sold me was a Sunday in March when I roasted a whole chicken and realized I had not thought about carving before the kids sat down. I handed out the steak knives, told everyone to help themselves, and watched all four kids cut their own pieces without a single complaint. Hannah, who is eleven, even cut the meat off the leg for Ruby. That does not happen with a dull knife.

Six steak knives in the set, six people at my table. That is the kind of detail you don't appreciate until you have washed the same knife three times during one dinner.

The Storage Block: More Honest Than the Product Photos

Let's talk about the block, because this is the part I feel most misled about, and I want you to go in with your eyes open. The Farberware set comes with a wooden block that holds all 22 pieces. It looks great in the photos. What the photos don't tell you is that it is a substantial piece of real estate on your counter.

The block is about nine inches wide and thirteen inches tall. That doesn't sound huge until you put it next to your toaster, your coffee maker, and the jar of wooden spoons. I have a builder-grade kitchen with limited counter space, and I had to rearrange things to make it fit. It now lives in the corner between the stove and the sink, and it works, but it is not the space-saving solution I imagined.

I moved the toaster to the shelf above the microwave and shifted the coffee maker by the wall, and I still had to give up the spot where I kept the fruit bowl. The block is 9.25 inches wide and 13.27 inches tall, and while the base is only about four inches deep, the height makes it read like a small appliance. It took me a week to stop knocking the corner of it with my elbow. Now I would not trade it, because the knives being out and visible is the only reason they get used.

The other thing about the block: every slot is filled. That sounds obvious, but it means there is no empty slot to drop in an extra knife you buy later. If you already own a favorite chef's knife or a nice paring knife, this set gives you nowhere to put it. I ended up keeping my old paring knife in a drawer, which is fine, but it's worth knowing before you buy.

The knives do sit securely in the block, and I have never once worried about one falling out. The block also keeps the knives from banging against each other in a drawer, which is how our last set got so dull. So it earns its counter space. Just know that it takes up more room than the product photos suggest.

The Handle and Build Quality Question

The handles are triple-riveted with a textured, non-slip finish. That has been a real benefit in our house, because my hands are often wet or a little greasy when I'm cooking, and I have never once felt the knife slip. The handles are also comfortable enough for my kids to use the steak knives without struggling.

I will be honest about one thing: the handles are wood, and they are not dishwasher safe. This is the maintenance part nobody tells you. If you put these in the dishwasher, the wood will eventually crack and the blades will dull faster. I learned this the hard way with a previous set, so I have been diligent about hand washing these. It takes an extra two minutes a night, and it is absolutely worth it.

The blades themselves are forged, not stamped, which is a meaningful difference in quality. Forged blades are cut from a single piece of steel, which makes them stronger and more balanced. You can feel it when you hold the chef's knife. It has a solid heft to it, and it doesn't flex when you're chopping through something dense.

What's Actually in the Box

Let me lay out exactly what you get, because the '22-piece' number is a little misleading in a good way. You get an 8-inch chef's knife, an 8-inch slicing knife, a 5-inch Santoku, a 5.5-inch utility knife, a 4-inch utility knife, a 3.5-inch paring knife, six steak knives, a pair of kitchen shears, and a sharpening steel, all in the block. Plus the block itself, which is the piece that makes it 22.

The kitchen shears are a nice bonus. I use them for cutting up chicken, opening packages, and the occasional herb. The sharpening steel is also genuinely useful, especially given what I said earlier about maintenance. It's not a full sharpening system, but it keeps the edge going between proper sharpenings.

The one piece I don't reach for as often as I expected is the Santoku. It's a great knife, and it does everything it's supposed to do, but the chef's knife and the utility knives cover most of what I need. If you're someone who likes a Santoku for precise vegetable work, you'll use it. I just happen to grab the chef's knife out of habit.

How It Holds Up Over a Year

The honest summary after a year: this set has held up better than I expected, with one caveat. The knives that get used every day, the chef's knife, the bread knife, the paring knife, and the steak knives, all still perform well. The blades have needed occasional honing, but nothing more. The handles have no cracks, no wobbles, and no signs of loosening.

The knives I use less often, like the slicer and the second utility knife, still look basically new. That's not a criticism. It's just the reality of a 22-piece set: some pieces become daily drivers and some pieces sit in the block until you need them for a specific job.

The one thing I would warn you about is the same thing I would warn anyone about with a wooden-handled knife set: do not put them in the dishwasher. I know it's tempting. I know it saves time. But the wood will dry out and crack, and the blades will dull faster. Hand washing takes two minutes and keeps this set going for years. That is the single best piece of advice I can give you.

Who This Is For

This set is for the family cook who needs a full range of knives at a reasonable price. It's for the parent who is tired of reaching for a dull knife and having to saw through everything. It's for the person who wants a knife block that looks good on the counter and actually holds all the knives they need.

If you cook for four to six people on a regular basis, the six steak knives alone justify a good chunk of the price. If you're just starting out and building a kitchen from scratch, this set gives you almost everything you need in one box. And if you're tired of replacing cheap knives every couple of years, this is the set that will break that cycle.

Who Should Skip It

You should skip this set if you have a tiny kitchen with no counter space for a block. The block is a real commitment, and if you're going to end up shoving it in a cabinet where it's hard to reach, you'll be better off with a smaller set or individual knives.

You should also skip it if you are a serious home cook who wants high-end, ultra-sharp blades that you will sharpen and maintain like a hobby. This is a workhorse set, not a status set. The Farberware knives are good, solid, everyday tools, but they are not going to impress a knife collector.

And if you refuse to hand wash knives, this is not the set for you. The wooden handles require a little care, and if you're not willing to give it, you will be frustrated in a year when the handles start to crack.