India, Aug. 17 -- I love cooking, so unboxing a box full of good knives is enough to make me ridiculously happy. When I first opened the Victorinox Swiss Classic 12 Piece Knife Block Set, I was thrilled. The knives looked chic, the black handles had a nice, comfortable shape, and the beechwood holder was so classy that I wanted to leave it right there on my countertop for anyone walking into my kitchen to see. It looked good. Very good.

Then I started using the knives, and that was when I really got why Victorinox has been making knives for so long.

The first thing you notice is the block. It is made from beechwood and has a built-in handle on the side, so the entire thing can be picked up and moved around the kitchen. It also looks far...