While it’s nice to dream and buy rather inexpensive kitchen knives, typically this action actuality turns into a curse. The problem with really cheap kitchen knives is that they simply don’t last. Knives bought at a discount in most department stores will crap out within a year, either rusting or losing sharpness completely. Sometimes these sets can last a bit longer if you sharpen them at home, but the low-end material of the knives themselves typically won’t hold up over time.

Basically, finding a quality kitchen knife set at an affordable price is nearly impossible. That’s ‘nearly’ impossible not ‘completely’ impossible. There are a couple sets that you should definitely look into if your budget isn’t all that forgiving. Below we’ll cover a couple of them:

Ginsu Chikara 8-Piece Stainless Steel Knife Set

Probably the best bang for your buck, the Ginsu Chikara 8-Piece set is priced under $100, usually around $80, and is more of a Japanese style knife. It comes with all the basic knives (paring, chef’s, and santoku), they cut great and handle well with the full metal tang, and are a Consumers Reports top pick for kitchen knives. They will take some more maintenance then a Henckels or Wusthof brand knife, however, the Ginsu Chikara knives are a fraction of the price of these brands and won’t turn into throwaways within a year or two of use.

Chicago Cutlery Landmark 12-Piece Knife Set with Block

Chicago Cutlery is a brand of knives that tend to be on the more affordable side. They’re typically not forged or made from the highest quality of high carbon stainless steel, but they’re a usable blade for the average home cook. The Landmark series set will last a good couple years with some routine maintenance and careful hand washing.  Perfectly suited for someone just looking to have a knife set that is functional while looking to upgrade in a year or two. At less then $100, there are sets that are much worse.