Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We bought these knives several weeks ago and have used them enough that I feel comfortable posting a review now. As background, I should mention that I own a LOT of knives ranging all the way from the Traditional German Makers (Henckels; Wusthof) to the currently-popular Japanese knives (Shun; Global) to REALLY expensive handforged custom knifes from master knive smiths in the U.S. and Japan. However, I like to use serrated knives for some things, like steak. The issue is that serrated knives are inherently disposable in my opinion. The serrated edge just cannot be maintained easily by the average consumer. These knives are often made using less expensive techniques like stamping, rather than forging. I have owned some relatively expensive serrated knives that have lasted for many years, but eventually the edges get too dull and then it is time to replace them. Therefore I think one has to calibrate one's expectations for a serrated knife to reality. That all having been said, when it came time to replace my Henckels streak knives I decided to go lower end this time around. So after reading a lot of reviews, I bought these Victorinox knives. Here are my thoughts: PROS: They are ridiculously inexpensive - less than $6/knive. I cannot imagine that one could get a better knife for that little money. They arrive EXTREMELY sharp - dangerously so. After a month of fairly heavy use, they seem to be not as sharp (or dangerous) as when they first arrived, but they are still VERY sharp. It seems that the sharpness level has kind of "settled in" and I have not noticed much change after the first week or so. So I am optimistic that they will maintain their current level of sharpness for a long time. They are extremely functional: they do an excellent, effortless, job cutting all types of meat. CONS: They do not look very elegant. Not trashy, but not classy either. Just very functional. If I was hosting a formal dinner, I might want to set out some different knives that convey more of a sense of style. But for everyday use by the family, they are plenty fine. The blade is just a wee bit flimsy. Maybe flimsy is not even the best word, but if you apply significant pressure you can flex the blade from side to side. Not a lot, but some. On some more expensive serrated knives, this is not possible. However I have not noticed any torquing or flexing at all in actual use. So maybe this is more an issue of "perceived quality" rather than actual functionality. Finally, the length of the actual blade is a little shorter than I would prefer. Maybe another 1/2" to 3/4" would be better. Bottom line: These knifes represent a very good value for a serrated knife. I cannot give them a full five stars because of the less-than-elegant appearance and the blade length. But I am happy with my purchase, and assuming that someone's expectations are properly calibrated then I recommend they consider these knives. FOLLOW-UP After three and a half years, the sharpness has worn down to the point where I believe that it is time to replace these knives. We have used these knives several times every week over that period - probably averaging 4 or 5 times a week. Never ran them through the dishwasher - always hand washed and dried. I think that getting that much use out a cheap, stamped, serrated edge knife is very good. Unfortunately, I see that the price of these knives has gone up substantially (about 66%!!!) since we bought the last set in 2011, so I will be shopping around first before making a final decision. But if I don't find a better deal, I will not hesitate to buy these same knives again.