I am planning to buy a nice knife set for my mother and am currently looking at Wusthof knife sets from Williams Sonoma. My mother is not a serious cooking enthusiast, but I would like her to have better knives than what she currently has (and to encourage her to sharpen them regularly!).

I am looking at 12 piece sets, which are available in both the "classic" and "classic ikon" ranges (seems handle design, and therefore perhaps balance(?) is the main difference). Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with these knives? I figure a 12 piece set (including four steak knives) is about the right size, since she can of course purchase additional individual knives as needed.

Although I am leaning toward Wusthof since that is the brand I recognize the most, should I be considering Henckles or other brands (perhaps Japanese)?

I hope this is the right place for this post. I searched but could not find any recent thread on knives.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I have a set of Globals Japanese steel - the balance of the knives are great and they are super sharp and a pleasure to cook with.

as an alternative I did consider Henckles.

Thanks, I will look into those. As I live in Japan, I will also check what is available here and compare prices. All things equal, it still would be much easier to order online from a US website though.

The German brands (Henckel and Wustof) are very expensive - you pay for the brand. They also need proper maintenance.

I'll second Global. They're a good Japanese brand, high quality.

Also check out ceramic knives. If your mother is only going to slice things, ceramic is great. It stays sharp forever. But be careful she knows the usage parameters to prevent breaking them.

Wustof knifes tend to be a heavier knife. They are great if you your a big guy chopping heavy stuff all day.
If you have the money I think your mom would be happier with a set from Global. They are quite light and very sharp.
If you want to spend less but still get good quality go for Victorinox Fibrox. Victorinox is on the lighter side of the heavier knifes, but they are a good entry level professional knife.

Do you anticipate your mother is going to be willing to do the proper ongoing maintenance? The answer can change the recommendation.

Thank you. So far all responses have recommended Global - so I will definitely consider that. I am willing to spend whatever it takes to get good quality that will last a long time, but do not want to go overboard and buy a set that is too large or high-performance for what she needs.

This six piece set looks like it would be fine for daily home cooking. The larger sets look like they would be overkill for my mother's needs. It's also nice that the block for the six piece set has extra slots for up to five additional knives, so she can add whatever others she may want to buy.

Despite your moniker, I assume your mother is not Japanese and does not use traditional Japanese knives like a deba-bocho, nakiri, sashimi knife, etc. I ask because they are very different from Japanese knives made for the Western market - namely single bevels on many knives and metal content/non-stainless. If you're looking at Western style knives made by Japanese, Global and Shun have some nice knives.

She will be fine with periodic maintenance, but in all likelihood she will not sharpen knives on a very frequent or ongoing basis. Knives requiring a moderate amount of maintenance would be best. I know that knives like Wusthofs will not work well if not kept sharp.

Are there any particular knives that require a moderate/medium level of maintenance? I will give her an electronic sharpener and/or appropriate whetstones as well.

You are correct, she is American and I am looking for western knives. I will look at Shun as well.

My thoughts, exactly.

And it would probably be best to take mom to the store with you and let her feel her way around a few knives. What may feel "balanced" to you may not appeal to her hand or grip strength. I find knives, like a lot of other tools, feel different from person to person.

There is no such thing as a "best" knife set. It all depends on the person using them. Take your Mom to the shop and have try out the knives. She needs to hold them in her hand and actually chop stuff to get a feel for how the grip works for her and the level of fatigue she gets over time. Some people feel more stable with a squared off handle, some prefer the rounded handle.

I also think that knife sets are not particularly useful-- lots of things that she will never use. Get a good chef's knife (length depends on the person-- 8-10 inches is standard) or santoku (depends on what feels best in her hand), a paring knife, and a slicer. Add a cheap bread knife if she slices a lot of bread (cheap because they're difficult to sharpen-- it's easier to get a new one every couple of years). If she hacks a lot of carcasses into pieces, consider a cleaver, but get it in Chinatown. If you think she'll use it, get a sharpening steel- or a Chef's Choice grinder if you think she won't use a steel.

Shun. Or take a trip to Kyoto to go to the fantastic knife shop in the market.

But, knives are (or should be) a very personal thing, and in any case no one needs a 12 knife set.

I know it ruins the surprise, but you should take mom to a good knife shop with you and let her try and pick out what SHE wants.

Thanks everyone. It seems the consensus is that chosing knives is something very personal, so I will wait until I can take my mother shopping in the US or Japan to get what she really wants. Perhaps I can still surprise her a bit if I pretend we are just looking when we go to the store, and then later purchase all the things she wants. Anyway I care more about making the right choice than about surprising her with a gift (and there are always other opportunities to do that!)

OT, but when in the US I will have to do some shopping for my own kitchen. Cookware from brands like Fissler is ridiculously expensive in Japan, and I don't even think All-Clad is sold here.

Don't buy a set. Buy open stock and get a few knives of useful size and high quality, rather than a large number of knives that you will never use.

Over the last few years I've been getting new knives for my Mom. She's in her 70s, has some arthritis in her fingers and likes to cook. Global knives were my choice for her--like others, I thought the German brands might be too heavy--and she's been thrilled. (I also skipped the sets and instead started her off with a paring knife and 8" chef's knife, and have been supplementing at Christmas, for birthdays, etc.).