Stafford Japanese Santoku Hybrid & Paring Knife Set

I have been using this knife and the paring knife that comes with it since I bought it nearly two years ago. While I currently own three sets of knives, only on rare occasions do I use a knife other than these two. I take special care of these two knives, and I encourage you to make sure you have a sharpening steel and a whetstone. I steel the knives frequently(every few days for short use, and about once to twice during long cooking projects), and use the whetstone once a month. For such an inexpensive knife, simple upkeep retains a razor sharp blade. I find it easy to even cut through tomatoes with ease, making paper-thin slices.The hybrid of a santoku and chef's knife allow for a huge arrange of tasks, from slicing to mincing. I prefer knives which do not have any extra materials for a handle. This is one solid piece, with some grooves on the handle to allow for easy holding. The scalloped blade allows for cutting without food sticking to the blade.My one issue with the hybrid knife is the spine features a a short rise after the handle. I generally hold it as a chinese vegetable cleaver, with my hand far forward, with my index-finger knuckle over the spine of the knife (rather than a fist hold over the handle). The rise in the spine digs in a bit in my grip during large cooking projects, giving me a bit of a callus.Long story made short: buy this knife set, and you will barely need others. For such a small price, you can't go wrong.