Judge Sabatier Knives 5 Piece Knife Block Set

Judge was acquired by Horwood Homewares Ltd in 1987, a company that was originally founded in 1896. They specialise in kitchenware and have an impressive product range supported by the highly successful Horwood brand. Although they’re not a particularly well known knife supplier, they do have a small range of Sabatiers.

The Sabatier IV range from Judge have ground blade edges, full tang and riveted handles. They come with a 25 year guarantee and are presented in a classic, angled wooden knife block. With ergonomically shaped handles, they look very similar to most other Sabatiers and have the Sabatier and Judge brand names engraved on the blades.

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The Judge Sabatier Knives 5-Piece Knife Block set contains:

• 20cm Carving knife
• 20cm Bread knife
• 15cm Cook’s knife
• 14cm Boning knife
• 9cm Paring knife
• Wooden knife block

This Sabatier set is the traditional design of riveted handles for strength, full tang and set into an attractive wooden block. While it looks good, it doesn’t quite have the same weight and solidity of some other Sabatier ranges, such as those from Richardson Sheffield.  Nevertheless, for your average home chef, they are sharp and certainly do the job.

It’s very typical of a smaller knife set to have five knives but while others may have an all-purpose or utility knife, this one has a boning knife. Considering utility knives are so useful, it’s surprising that it’s been left out here and Judge’s 11cm utility knife would have improved this set. The boning knife is no stranger to knife block sets, although usually arriving in a 9-piece, but you should consider how much you will actually use it. An unused knife in a 5-piece set is just a waste.

The Cook’s knife in this set is really nice and it is easy and comfortable to use. The ground edges are super sharp and you shouldn’t have any problem until it needs sharpening. Again, it doesn’t quite have the weight and obvious quality of some other Sabatiers but for the price, it’s not half bad.

Unlike Richardson Sheffield’s high quality and beautifully designed 5-piece knife block, this wooden knife block seems to have been a bit of an afterthought for the company. It sits well on the counter but just doesn’t feel good quality and the knife slots are fairly rudimentary. It doesn’t show much craftsmanship at the end of the day.

Pros

• Very affordable
• Looks good

Cons

• Lacks the high quality feel and weight of other brands
• Contains a boning knife which may not get used often

Conclusion

If you’re just looking for a nice set of knives that aren’t going to win any awards but will certainly aid the dinner making process, then these aren’t bad at all. They look nice, they’re pretty strong, have a 25 year guarantee and have that riveted handle stability and look. They feel like they’ll last a good while and won’t disappoint if you’re just looking for a new set of knives. If it’s serious, dependable quality you won’t though, these may not be your cup of tea.

Definitely affordable, you pay for what you get. The knife block isn’t the most beautifully made and the inclusion of a boning knife may be a deal breaker; when was the last time you needed one and couldn’t make do with another knife? In a 5-piece set, you may as well have a knife collection you’ll use thoroughly. Everyday cooks will be happy with this set but those who really value quality may take issue with it.

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