Great Price for a Carving set with German Steel
This set came out of the box with a sharp edge that is factory ground to the range of your average Germán knives at around 16 degree angle on each side that produces a good sharp edge and with the a Rockwell HRC of 58 +/- 2 I would say its around 56 the way it sharpens. It can reach 58 maybe 60 with a proper heat treat and this company has various lines with all kinds of different steels offered that the main difference is how long the edge lasts and how sharp it gets and stays sharp. You don't want a high HRC Rockwell steel anyways for a carving knife as they are sharp and have good edge retention but they become brittle and your blade can chip around bones(Carving knife). German knives are perfect for home and professional kitchens as a workhorse type of steel. Don't get stuck on numbers and this is I would say is comparable to a Zwilling/Henckels brand for a fraction of the price. Just because the cost is lower don't let that scare you off this is a quality stainless knife. This is a carving knife and it wont see as much use your other knives. It is a very attractive carving set and I also use it as a slicing knife for briskets, steaks, etc. I did sharpen it with whetstones to see how sharp these knives could get and the ease of sharpening. They were very easy to sharpen and they retained the sharp edge even as I write this review. A general honing like the steel rods with a handle that usually comes included with most block knife sets is all that is needed to maintain and align your cutting edge. Highly recommend this knife for personal use and or as a gift it comes in a nice box and has a good fit and finish on blade and handle.