I purchased this set of knives in ~2012 (not from here, obviously), been using them for 6 years easy. I'm not a chef by any means, so they are good enough for me. Never had any problems with rust or anything, and I don't exactly take care of them. I think i've sharpened a couple of the knives with the included sharpener maybe once over the years, and they still work fine for me. My only complaint would be that the blades of the steak knives are very thin and flimsy. Don't expect professional level quality from a complete set that costs what one good knife does. If you're a professional chef, or love cooking every day, then get something better. If you're a young student moving out on your own for the first time, and don't want/need to spend hundreds on knives, this set is good enough. I didn't even really research any other brands, just bough this to match my other Cuisinart stuff.