Cuisinart 17-Piece Artiste Cutlery Knife Set

I've had these for about 10 months now. I liked them at first. The knives were so sharp, the wood block was wonderful, and I loved that it came with a honing steel (it's for realigning guys, not sharpening). From that start, the steak knives were quite dull, but a quick sharpen on those was easy enough. They were dull enough that a butter knife almost cut better, so, strike one there. The cutting knives remained sharp for about 3 months before I needed to start sharpening them. After that, they needed sharpening at least once every 4-6 weeks. Once sharpened, they seemed to dull far faster. I always hand wash them (except the steak knives, those can pop in the dishwasher) and after about 4 months, they started to show rust spots on the most used knives. Eight months in, I used one of those thin, green Scott scouring pads to clean one of the knives, trying to get the rust spots off, and it scratched the knife horribly, going so far as to discolor the silver. Then this morning, we had a casualty. The chef's knife is, admittedly, my most used knife, coming out to play 1-3 times daily (the santoku knife is pulled out when chef isn't.), and this morning while cutting a fuji apple for breakfast, he gave up the ghost. I'm super gentle with my knives, always have been. I feel that even a cheap knife can last a while and treat you right when treated well until you can replace him with a pro, but Chef just wasn't having it. I don't understand how he could've broken like this, but he did. He didn't even make it a year!! Certainly, yes, he's very heavily worked, often washed, and sharpened every 3-4 weeks because of it, but to break while cutting a fuji apple on my bamboo cutting board (Premium Gift Set - 18 x 12 XL Bamboo Chopping Board and Cutting Board Oil - Wooden Cheese Board WITH CARE OIL FOR PROTECTING AND BEAUTIFYING YOUR INVESTMENT - Fancy Housewarming or Wedding Gift) I just can't believe it. I was defending this set so hard in the beginning, but after losing Chef this morning, I just can't defend it anymore. This set is decent if you need something quick and cheap for a new home or apartment, but don't expect it to live long. You're better off finding different steak knives and saving up for higher quality knives, buying the ones you need most first, while you build your collection. The kitchen shears were the best part of this set, but you can find a great pair of those on their own.