I am very impressed by this Chicago Cutlery knife set. Let me start off by saying that I'm not a 5-star chef, so I have only a little bit of experience with world class knives. I worked at a mountaintop resort last summer, so I would occasionally use the sous chef's knives. The chef made it a point to tell me that the knives were very expensive and to be very careful with them. As I used them I realized the exceptional quality of the knives. The reason to tell you that story is to let you know that I knew what a good knife felt and performed like. When I received these knives I was very impressed with the set overall.
To the people complaining that the blades are thin, it is true that it tapers off towards the end. This is so the knives can be balanced in your hand. If the knife was heavy on one end or the other it would be harder to use. Besides, there's no way that a normal person is going to break them with normal use anyways. It's plenty thick for any kitchen application. Moving on from there, the look of the knives are also exceptional. They feel very good in my hands as I am working with them due to the shape of the handle as well as the balance of the knives. Durability is great; I've had a Chicago Cutlery utility knife for years (same model as these) and it looks the same as when I bought it. The knives hold an edge well and don't require hours of sharpening like some knives do. The wooden block is also nice, as the dark stain of the wood adds to the sophisticated look of the knife set.
I will say that my set arrived with the wooden block cracked up the side where the scissors go. It was not a deal breaker, but I decided to call to see what world kitchen would do about it. Within 2 minutes of calling, a brand new set was on its way to my door with no hassle on my part. The customer service is unreal, so you have no worries there. That set arrived and was in great condition.
All of that above is to tell you that these knives are premium quality for an affordable price. I looked on amazon for days before I decided to buy this set, and it was worth it. These knives will not let you down.
Side note: Please don't put these in the dishwasher. They are too nice for that, just wash them by hand. These kind of knives are not meant to ever touch a dishwasher. If you're looking for the kind of knives that are meant for that then go buy some 99 cent knives or something. No quality knife is meant to go in a dishwasher.

I did a lot of research before I bought these knives, I wanted to make sure they were worth spending money on. While not the best knives on the market, these knives do a great job. When we first got married we were given some cheap knife set from a department store, they became dull very quickly and rusted instantly. Chicago Cutlery did a great job with these knives! My next door neighbor is a professional chef with knives that cost more than your first car and he even liked these knives (for household use). They can rust if left in standing water ( same as most metals) but as long as you wash them within a reasonable time frame you should be fine.

Pros:
Cheap - While not the cheapest you can find they are far from the most expensive.
Well made - Any knife you leave in standing water will rust, I've left these in water for a day and a half with no effect. The handles feel nice to hold on and are mat-black.

Cons:
These aren't the top of the line- They do lose their edge after a good amount of use and require sharpening, but the set comes with a sharpener so you're covered.

Selection- You get what you get with this set and that's not many. I would have preferred a second larger knife to the fish filet knife but meh.

So there you have it folks. This is a good set for your standard at home user that isn't a coinsure of knives.

Awesome chef knife, peeler, and pairing knife. the handle is very comfortable, something that I really wanted thats why I avoided buying local since I tried all of them. I glad this set feels great. The steak knife, feels cheap and dull, to have 8 of them is just too much its a bit of a waste, unhappy there wasn't extra chef knife, utility or pairing knife instead of 8 set of steak knife, really....

Big thanks to D. Dooley who posted the list of the knifes included in the package, stupid amazon details didn't post any details of the package, just as with many of Amazons product details, lack of product info.....
Chef knife really comfy, sharp and light weight. However, I don't get a good angle get a clean cut, I have to do a second cut, (Novice here)

utility knife, feels heavy for its size which is a good thing, sharp, comfy get almost everything done

pairing knife, feels sturdy, sharp, bit short, comes in handy for small fruits and peeling

peeler, god I need this, peeling with straight blade is such a pain, especially if you want to cut out the stems and seeds. This is a great knife to get fruits peeled and gutted.

steak knife, crappy, the handle feels okay, damn blade feels and look like a damn butter knife, just looking at it makes me think wtf... it it wasn't for the curved blade it might cut as I expected....

bread knife looks like a freaking hack saw..., the serrate could me smaller, I'm cut cutting down a bark, handle feels good though, almost confused with the chef knife.

the wood block, good quality feel, have good weight to keep itself in place, the dark oak color goes well with the set. Slit is well sized, blade go in and out very easily, not tight and not wobbly,

I purchased these knives for a Christmas present and couldn't be happier with my choice! I was missing pieces from my previous set which wasn't the best quality and decided it was time to have another set. Did some research about quality knife sets that wouldn't break the bank and came across Chicago Cutlery. I don't require anything too special to create meals at home, but I wanted something of better quality. Item arrived much quicker than the estimated shipping date. Knives can not sit in water and are best cleaned by hand washing after use. When using the knives for the first time I was very impressed. Didn't require a lot of force to cut the steak that was grilled and it felt like cutting butter. Would recommend this set to somebody who needs a decent knife set and doesn't want to spend a lot of money. Very pleased with the purchase.

Very nice product. Forged, full-tang blades (two great features*) for well under $100 for a set with this many pieces! Some of the reviewers made me nervous with comments on rust spotting, but I'm about 6 mos in these and no issues at all. I try not to leave them in the sink (in water) overnight (but I have done it), and I dont put them in the dishwasher. These are very good quality, especially for the price, well balanced/weighted, attractive, durable. Edges hold sharpness decently but you will have to use the included sharpener every couple months. The wood block is attractive, and the included pieces are versatile. Really no complaints! Especially considering the price, less than half the price of comparable knife sets.

* "Forged" means the knife is formed (think 'carved') from a bigger piece of solid steel, and much stronger than the alternative, "cast", which means liquid metal is poured into a mold. "Full tang" means the metal of the blade runs the full length of the knife, into the handle, for added strength, and better balanced feel in your hand. Cheaper knives are often cast, and not full tang, with the cast metal stopping at the handle.