I'm late to the game, but I saw this thread referenced in another one, so I thought I'd chip in - kitchen-wise, that is.
I've had a set of Chicago Cutlery knives since about 1994. They were the best knives that I'd ever had, so I almost never used them (strange, I know, but I wanted to keep them nice - the mental price of growing up without much, I suppose). Fast forward about 15 years, and I started looking to get some new ones. The Chicago Cutlery knives are stamped, and I wanted to get something "better."
So, I got an
Anolon Advanced set. I like the handles a lot, and the knives are pretty nice. They weren't very sharp when I got them (at least, the paring knife was quite dull), but they sharpened up nicely...after I bought a sharpener. Honing didn't do it, btw. That knife needed to be sharpened. They definitely look nicer than the CC set, but honestly, I don't think they cut any better. I do like the look of the block, though, and the kitchen sheers come in quite handy. Also, the ergonomics are much better, with nicer handles and a finger block (I'm sure there's a real term for it) at the base of the blade to keep your fingers from slipping up the blade when cutting.
I just recently got a smaller set of
Felix Solinger Platinum knives. The knives arrived very sharp (like I had expected of the Anolon) and have a good feel to them. The quality of the blades out of the box is a step above the Anolon. I think that they are the same alloy steel (I know they have the same materials, but I don't know about the percentages), but the finish of the blades is better. These don't have that "finger block" that the Anolon's have, and to the occasional and casual cook that I am, that's a nice feature of the Anolon's. I'm not as big of a fan of the industrial look of the holder, plus it doesn't allow easy access if you it placed under a cabinet.
I probably really ought to start cooking...
