I looooooove my Wusthof knives. They'll have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands. I insist on them being handwashed, handdried, and then put in the knife block IMMEDIATELY after they're used. I'll bring them with me if I'm cooking at someone else's house, even! :lol: Even if you can only afford the chef's knife, you'll never regret it! :D

LOL, I was helping my sister with a family gathering Sunday, and saw her MIL wash and drop her Wusthof in a drawer with other utensils! I grabbed it and put it into its sleeve for her.

Another fan of Cutcos - we have the steak knives, meat slicing set, and the bread knife - and I'd swear there's nothing these things won't go through. For the major kitchen experiences, our Head Chef (DH) loves our Messermeisters. They are heavy, well-balanced, and re-sharpen like a dream. Not exactly budget stuff ... but there are factory seconds available with blemishes in the handle that can make them quite reasonable.