I’m needing some decent sharp knives, both steak and regular kitchen knives. Anyone know how these are or what I should be looking for? 
Here’s what I know from being old and a knife owner……
Some sets are “rust-proof”, don’t get knives with the handle not integrated properly into the steel, I personally don’t dish-washer mine. I’ve ruined every knife set I’ve owned and I’d guess the most expensive set I’ve bought was $70. I hope some knife expert gets in here and schools us! #isthereabutcherinthehouse?
Well, it depends.
My expensive set stays sharp longer and they’ve got a little weight to them so they feel nice to use. They’re at least 10 years old and look brand new, no fading or scratches on the handles. I hand wash them.
However, for years, my go-to knife was a 99-cent pink one from the Wal-Mart. I had to sharpen it pretty often but it was fine. It’s good to have a crappy knife to cut things you probably shouldn’t cut with a knife.
I think if you go with a less expensive set you’ll potentially need to replace after a few years, but there’s nothing wrong with that.
And my favorite steak knives are on Amazon. They’re kitchen-aid brand. Its $32 for a set of 4 but I’m sure I paid less a couple years ago. My mom has the same ones and neither of us have had any problems. She puts hers in the dishwasher.
I think I remember that the ones that have the 3 screws or rivets in the handle are better than the ones that don’t have that. Is that what you meant by intergraded into the steel?
Could you share your expertise?
Screws and rivets are nice because they provide an extra layer of tension (“mechanical connection” is the buzzword) holding the handle to the tang. Basically, if the glue fails, you still have the rivet or screw holding things together. That being said, knives can also have cheap rivets/screws or even faux rivets/screws to look fancy.
Considering that theses are $1.xx per piece I wouldn’t have high expectations but they may do what they need to do - you never know with the cheap ones.