If you want a premium collection that’s built to last, it’s best to look to dedicated knife brands, which tend to offer the highest quality blades in an array of configurations. In general, we prefer sets from longtime trusted brands like Wüsthof and Miyabi, though some newer direct-to-consumer brands like Misen sell blades we recommend—especially to less-experienced home cooks.

The most essential blade to any kitchen—home or professional—is the versatile chef’s knife, which is designed to tackle most slicing, dicing and chopping tasks. That said, some chefs prefer Chinese-style cleavers or Japanese santoku knives as their main knife.

High-quality knives tend to be relatively expensive, and with good reason: They typically tend to stay sharp longer and feel comfortable and balanced in your hand. Therefore, we think kitchen knives—especially the most essential ones, like the chef’s knife and paring knife—are worth splurging on if you want blades you can rely on for years. There are some blades, though, that you don’t need to spend as much on; for example, Forbes Vetted’s senior home & kitchen editor is a big fan of Mercer Culinary’s bread knife, which costs about $15.