Block of Knives

I have Cutco knives. I have the small block with 8 steak knives, bread knife, etc. That was about $850. The huge block was just too much.

Caphalon has good knives, but they are more than $100
http://www.calphalon.com/en-US/knife-sets

Chicago cutlery are good. They've been around a long time and have a reputable name.

Wusthof's are the best, in my opinion. They are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. I have two. You can pick them up on Amazon, one at a time for what you need.
https://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Classic-8-Inch-Cooks-Knife...

ETA: 2kidmama..... yes the good stuff is very pricey, however, if you have a Bed Bath and Beyond around you can use the 20% coupon. I don't think they were doing that when I got my set but when I need something a little pricey, I always check BBB and the coupon!!
****************************************************************************************************
Original:

My vey first Mother's Day gift was a good set of knives by Henckels. They were around $700 or so but they have been worth every penny. I got them in 1995.

I was given a Henckels knife block set for my wedding. They gave us a penny with it. There's a superstition about giving knives as chacha mentioned - so this is how you get around it:

"Because of this superstition, it is common that the gift of a knife will be given along with a penny, nickel or dime in the box with the knife so that the recipient can give back the coin, thereby saving the friendship from being severed by the giving of the sharp blade."

Over the years, we've purchased other knives as I found I barely used some of the knives that came with the set. I am not a chef by any means so I'm sure there are much better knives out there - but the Henckels have lasted 20 years and it came with a knife sharpener.

The problem with a knife block and set of knives is that often quality takes second place to quantity. Some people will think that a knife block and knives is a great deal because there are so many knives! (I was shopping at a discount store the other day and saw a 15 piece "bathroom set" for $2. I was curious about what it would include for such a low price, and it turned out to be one very thin shower curtain and 14 flimsy plastic hooks. That's an example of lots of pieces but very little quality but the big bold letters screamed 15 pieces!)

But what matters with knives is the quality. It's better to have one excellent knife than a block of 8 or 20 cheap knives. A cook's best tools are clean hands and a good sharp knife.

Unfortunately a knife block and knife set for around a hundred dollars is most likely to be of inferior quality. That matters because you'll end up replacing the knives quickly, they won't do their jobs well, and you run the risk of cuts or injuries due to inferior quality knives.

You want a knife that feels heavy, that feels good in your hand. You want a knife where the metal part extends solidly into the handle, not one just riveted on, or where the metal only goes into the handle by an inch or so. And you want a honing steel (the long thing that looks like a light saber) and you'll want to use it. It's quite simple, and there are many videos online that demonstrate how to sharpen a knife. Alton Brown has a good one.

Don't buy ceramic knives. They look great in the store demos, but they are very limited - great if all you do is slice tomatoes, but not for much else.

So, here are two great articles (don't worry, they're not sales links or click bait - they're good, brief informational articles about buying a knife and which ones are most essential) that might help you choose a knife that will last.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/25/essential-kitche...

http://www.wikihow.com/Select-Quality-Kitchen-Knives

i've got a block of cutco knives plus the chef knife, but i paid way more than $100 for 'em.
i'll be reading the responses with interest, and probably weeping over how badly i got burned.
khairete
S.

Chef or not. You don't want "cheap" knives. Since you capped at $100 the best i can recommend is this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Cutlery-18-Piece-Insignia-...

you really should go to Kohls or Macys and HOLD the knives. If the knife doesn't feel good in your hands? It won't help you in the kitchen.

I spent almost $2K on my cutco knive. Got the huge set, steak knives, etc.

It makes more sense to purchase one good knife at a time, than to run out and get the whole set. Then you can ask for a knife for Christmas, birthday, anniversary etc, and you can get better quality knives that way. I would rather have one really good knife than a whole set of cheap knives. If your steak knives are fine then don't bother replacing them and just get the knives you use the most. I personally only have 3 or 4 that I use on a regular basis. I have Henckels that are under $100 per knife that I collected over a number of years. I don't consider them extravagant. They work well and I don't ever plan on having to replace them.

My complete set is Chicago Cutlery, which I bought for myself when I was a struggling single mama. I still have the knives 18 years later but they kinda suck. The kitchen shears were pretty awful after a year, I never really liked the chef's knife (too light, unbalanced, flimsy feel), the bread knife was nothing special, and carving fork/knife bent easily. I still use the steak knives and some of the smaller ones (cheese, filet) but moved on to other pieces that I bought one at a time for the bigger ones that I use every day.

I would not waste a gift on a full set of cheap knives, which is what you'll get for $100. Instead, as someone suggested below, pick out one or two quality knives that you need at a time. My go-to big knife is a santuko chef's knife, I think it's either Wusthof or Henckels. For just about everything else, I used one of a set of steak knives from HomeGoods that are similar to the ones that Outback uses.

Crate & Barrel is having an awesome sale right now on Wusthof. I just saw a carving set for $99, which is normally $275. Their blocks are at a huge discount - $299 for some instead of $658, etc. They even have some smaller sets for under $200. There is a 7-piece set for $129 that's normally $284. Sale ends today though.

I have Wustof Classic knives. They're expensive but so good. I've had them for over ten years and I'm sure they will last much longer. Worth every penny.

I'm not a very superstitious person, but just chiming in to say: giving a knife as a gift is considered by some people to be bad luck for the relationship between the giver and recipient. So, maybe buy your own knives (ask for a gift certificate). Just a thought!

ETA: Totally forgot about the coin work-around that Margie mentions - that'll do it!

I was interested in the answers because we need knives too. I just have to say, holy cow!! You guys spend a lot on knives! Those prices are waaaaay out of our price range. I'm a little shocked.

My husband bought me a set of Miracle Blade knives for my birthday. I only got to use them a couple of times before the flood and they are currently packed away in the storage unit while the house is being rebuilt.
If they perform half as well as their advert claims, I'll be a happy camper.