Calphalon Self-Sharpening Knives Review
By Bobby B. | Updated May 11, 2020 | Knife Brands
If you’ve ever been to a kitchen store before, you more than likely have seen the Calphalon brand name around. Calphalon manufacuters all sorts of kitchen-related products from cookware and bakeware to small kitchen appliances, and of course kitchen knives and other cutlery. While they do a good job in most of these areas of expertise, we’ll of course be focusing on their kitchen knives in this review.
As a company, Calphalon stands behind their products. Most of their product lines, including kitchen knives, carry a lifetime warranty. It warrants them against defective materials or workmanship during normal household use and when cared for according to the instructions. At BladeAdvisor, we always think this is the first step in ensuring a company makes good products that will withstand the test of time. If a company doesn’t stand behind them with a warranty, why should we believe they’ll last, right?
The 5 Best Calphalon Knife Sets
As you can imagine with all these knives in Calphalon’s collection, there are numerous sets available for sale. Not only the different knife types, but different numbers of knives in a set, different block finishes, and even different handle finishes on the knives themselves. We’ve narrowed our list to only the top 5 most popular Calphalon knife sets that offer a good value a consumer interested in purchasing a set.
In researching and assembling this list, we’ve considered performance, materials, manufacturing process, current pricing, and of course previous customer feedback. These are all important criteria in selecting a good knife set, Calphalon-branded or otherwise.
Here are our favorite 5 sets based on these criteria.
Knives Included:
3.5″ Paring Knife, 6″ Utility Knife, 6″ Santoku Knife, 8″ Chef’s Knife, 8″ Bread Knife, (8) Steak Knives, and Kitchen Shears
Blade Material:
Hardened, High Carbon, No-Stain German Steel (Steak Knives are Asian Steel)
Pros:
- Heavy-Duty, Forged Blades w/ Full-Tang
- Quality German Steel
- Labeled Handles for Quick Idendification
- Self-Sharpening Knife Block
- Lifetime Warranty
Cons:
- Not All Knives are Self-Sharpening
- Most Expensive Set on this List
- Steak Knives are Stamped, Not Forged
Calphalon Precision Knife Set Review:
The Precision Series makes the best Calphalon knife set due to its high-quality German blade steel, forged and full-tang build, and built-in self-sharpening technology. This 15pc knife set includes all the most important knives to have in your kitchen, even (8) steak knives! Calphalon does a really cool thing and labels these knives on the bottom so you can see which knife you’re pulling out of the block before you do it. This makes it easy to choose the right knife every time. When in doubt, go for the Calphalon Precision knives!
Knives Included:
4.5″ Paring Knife, 6″ Utility Knife, 6″ Serrated Utility Knife, 7″ Santoku Knife, 8″ Chefs Knife, (8) Steak Knives, Kitchen Shears
Blade Material:
High Carbon, No-Stain Steel
Pros:
- Forged Knife, Full-Tang Knives
- SharpIN Built-in Sharpening Technology
- Great Customer Value
- 8 Steak Knives Included
- Labeled Handles for Easy Identification in Block
- Lifetime Warranty
Cons:
- Not All Knives are Self-Sharpening
- Lower Quality Blade Steel than Precision and Contemporary Series
- Steak Knives have Stamped Blades
Calphalon Classic Knife Set Review:
The knives in this Calphalon Classic Set are a great value for consumers. They are forged and full-tang, but are priced like some inferior stamped knife sets. They also include the SharpIN technology found in most Calphalon knife sets so you don’t have to concern yourself with when, and how, to sharpen your kitchen knives on your own.
Knives Included:
4.5″ Parer, 6″ Utility Knife, 7″ Santoku Knife, 8″ Bread Knife, 8″ Chef Knife, (8) Steak Knives, and Kitchen Shears
Blade Material:
High-Carbon, No-Stain German Steel (Steak Knives are Asian Steel)
Pros:
- Forged, Full-Tang Knives
- In-Block Knife Sharpening
- Labeled Handles for Easy Identification in the Block
- Lifetime Warranty
Cons:
- Steak Knives are Stamped, Not Forged
- Not All Knives are Self-Sharpening
Calphalon Contemporary Knife Set Review:
Quite possibly the most popular Calphalon knife set, the Contemporary knives are just what most home chefs need in the kitchen. This has a lot to do with the fact that it’s a middle of the road Calphalon knife set and priced accordingly, maybe even a bit too low when on sale!
Knives Included:
3.5″ Paring Knife, 6″ Utility Knife, 7″ Stantoku Knife, 8″ Chef’s Knife, 8″ Bread Knife, (8) Steak Knives, and Kitchen Shears
Blade Material:
High Carbon Stainless Steel
Pros:
- Forged, Full-Tang Knives
- All Stainless Steel Construction
- In-Block Knife Sharpening
- Matching Steak Knives
- Lifetime Warranty
Cons:
- Low Quality Steel than other Calphalon Knives
- Steak Knives Made from Stamped Steel
- Not All Knives are Self-Sharpening
Calphalon Classic Stainless Steel Knife Set Review:
This Classic Set from Calphalon is similar to the other on our list, but this one includes an all stainless steel construction. This gives the set a very modern look versus the usual, traditional look of most Calphalon knife sets. Another great value and popular knife set among many home chefs across America.
Knives Included:
3.5″ Paring Knife, 5.5″ Serrated Utility Knife, 7″ Santoku Knife, 7″ Slicer, 8″ Chef’s Knife, (6) Steak Knives, Kitchen Shears, and 9″ Diamond Steel
Blade Material:
32 Stainless Layers over VG-1 Japanese Steel Core
Pros:
- Custom Forged w/ Integrated Bolster
- Beautiful Damascus Pattern on Blades
- Diamond Steel Included in Set
- Lifetime Warranty
Cons:
- No Self-Sharpening with this Block
- No Bread Knife
- Relatively Expensive Compared to other Calphalon Sets
Calphalon Katana Knife Set Review:
This Japanese-Inspired knife set (Katana Series) from Calphalon is a great opportunity for home chefs to buy some nice Asian knives at a great price. The blades have a beautiful Damascus steel pattern and the integrated bolster ensures proper cutting technique.
Calphalon Knife Collections
Calphalon produces 5 different lines in the collection of knives and they are primarily sold as “sets” in a knife block. More so than most knife brands, they actually use different materials and builds in each of their knives series. As you’d expect from a good knife manufacture, most of their kitchen knives are forged rather than stamped, and have some sort of bolster.
Probably the biggest thing that makes Calphalon knives stand out is their SharpIN technology. They are built-in slots on the knife block itself that are designed in such a way that the draw used to remove the knife sharpens the blade. This ensures a nice, sharp blade each and every time you use your new knives, making kitchen cutting tasks a breeze! Gone are the days of wondering when and how to sharpen your kitchen knives.
Calphalon Self-Sharpening Knives
These are the Calphalon knife lines that include their self-sharpening technology as shown in the picture and described above. These are perfect for anyone that isn’t quite sure when, or how, to sharpen their kitchen knives. This is a “done for you” product.
Calphalon’s Self-Sharpening Knives (SharpIN Slots)
Precision Series
The Calphalon Precision knives are our favorite set. In fact, we believe they’re currently the best self-sharpening knife set! They are fully forged knives that use high-carbon stainless German steel with blades that are hardened to roughly HRC 56-58. Further, the precision knives have a full bolster and are full-tang, meaning the blade steel goes all the way to the end of the handle. The in-block knife sharpening is just icing on the cake for this great knife series.
Contemporary Series
Similar to the Precision knives, Calphalon’s Contemporary Series knives are fully forged and have a full bolster. They also use high-carbon stainless German steel, but it’s not quite as hard as the steel used in the Precision Series. This one is only hardened to HRC 54-56, but again, it is another full-tang design. Of course, the Contemporary knives are another calphalon Sharpin knife set.
Classic Series
The Classic Series has more traditional styling. It reminds me of Wusthof Ikon Series knives…mostly in appearnce. It does use high-carbon, no-stain steel, but it’s not the same quality or hardness of the steel used in either the Wusthof knives or the other Calphalon knives listed above. It’s also still a forged, full-tang knife, so nothing wrong with that. This is a good series for those who want a notable brand-name knife that is forged and full-tang, but doesn’t cost as much as some of the more knife-specific brands.
Select Series
The Calphalon Select Series knives are the outlier of the collection. Unlike the others, they utilize a stamped blade, using the same lower-grade, softer no-stain steel as the Classic Series. Uniquely, they do still market this knife as having a full bolster and it is full tang, so it has that going for it. This is our least favorite series, but some like the looks and it does come in a very slim block design so the knives take up very little of your counter top space.
Other Calphalon Knives
Most Calphalon Knife sets include the SharpIN technology that has the built-in blade sharpeners, but there is one other series we wanted to touch on, and that’s the Katana Series. All of the knives mentioned above are Western-style or perhaps even German-inspired designs. That’s not true for the next series on our list from the Calphalon collection of knives. The Katana knives are Japanese-inspired through and through as you’ll see below.
Calphalon’s Japanese-Style Knives (Katana Series)
Katana Series
The Katana Series consists of custom forged, full-tang blades that have a Damascus style that layers steel over a forged steel core to create a beautiful pattern on the blade. In this case, that core is made from ultra-high carbon VG1 Japanese stainless steel. Wrapping the core are 32 layers of high-carbon, no-stain steel. The overall hardness rating given to this knife is a very hard, HRC 59-60.
Calphalon Knives Review Summary
Calphalon is a well-known brand that produces kitchen products from bakeware and cookware to small appliances, and yes, kitchen cutlery. On the whole, their knives are well-built and use better than average materials. Are they the best kitchen knives available? No, there are many higher-end kitchen knife brands that use more expensive materials, have a longer history, and some that even make all of their knives by hand.
That being said, Calphalon is a great value-driven brand that doesn’t skimp on process. Most lower cost, generic kitchen brand knives are stamped, thin, and cheaply made. Not these knives. They are forged, full-tang, and in some cases made with decent German or Japanese steel. If you like the look and the price is right for your budget, you could certainly do worse than buying Calphalon knives.
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