MessermeisterAvanta Pakkawood 2 Piece Kullenschliff Carving Knife and Fork Set, Brown

Very nice set... I sharpen before use, and they've been great! used them on Briskets, Roasts, Turkeys, Chickens..... I'd buy them again.

--- UPDATE: 08/29/20192 1/2yr update. Changed from 4 to 5 stars.I don't know what I was thinking back then. :-) Natural wood will expand and contract due to temperature and humidity changes. I already knew that, but at that time, I was doing an "out of the box" review and impression and likely focused too much on every fine detail at that particular moment.I did notice the difference for a few weeks after that, but the handles must have "normalized" because I completely forgot about it and they've felt just as smooth and silky as my steak knife set. I just checked them before updating this review and, yep, Perfection!--- Original ReviewI purchased this set simply because I love my Avanta Pakkawood steak knives so much I wanted a matching set. Much of what has been said so far is true so I won't repeat it. They have a great balance and heft typical of Messemeister and I am quite pleased with their performace. The blade and fork themselves are excellent, however, for those that are familiar with Messemeister's usual attention to overall quailty, you might be a tad disappointed.I deducted one star for the handles. While the tang and pakkawood are beautifully smooth and flush on my steak knives, the pakkawood on both the knife and fork are uniformily just a touch narrower than the tang. There is a slight ridge top and bottom along the full length of the handle that can certainly be felt. It's not a deal breaker, but it lacks that silky smooth feeling in your palm that I love so much about my steak knives that just oozes "quality".For the price, I certainly can't complain. I'm an outdoorsman that processes all of my own meats and seafoods. I "know" a good knive and the Messermeister's are certainly an excellent bargain for the quality that you get. I'm definately keeping this set, but measured against their own Avanta steak knives, the Avanta carving set just ever so slightly doesn't quite measure up.

The metal of the blade and fork was smooth and even and the blade was very sharp out of the box. However, the tang was unevenly ground and there was a sharp ridge above the wood on one side of the handle. The rivets also noticeably stood out and could be felt as you gripped the knife. It very much felt like extended use would cause you to injure your hand.

I am very happy with my Messermeister purchase. The set is very attractive to look at. I don't see any of the craftsmanship problems other reviewers saw. The handles are smooth and comfortable to hold. The blade and fork appear exactly as they do in the picture. The edge is sharp, although not uniformly. Nothing a few minutes with a sharpener won't fix.The blade is made with food service steel. Very stain resistant but not really hard. Some have critiqued this harshly but that is really unfair. X50CrMoV15 steel is the best steel available in a knife at this price point. To get a better steel you would be looking at a set that costs over $100. The biggest problem is the product description over sells it. It's not "the highest quality German steel". Expect to sharpen it every two or three uses.My only real disappointment with the set is it comes in a retail (Hang on a shelf) package without any sort of case. For most knives at this price point that would be appropriate. But, a carving set is only used very occasionally in most circumstances. Unless it came in a block most of us shelf it somewhere until the need for the set arises. A minimal case or sleeve would be nice. Even if it made the set a little more expensive.The steel is German but the knife is Chinese made.

I make roasts a lot on the weekend, and you just need a carving set to handle those well. Buy this set without concern. It’s well-made, feels solid in your hands and will effort slice your meat as thin as you want. I’m so pleased with how this set works.