I have been wanting a unified set of kitchen knives for some time. I happened upon the Dalsrtong knives here on Amazon. I started with their 10" chef's knife. It’s a very handsome knife and I found it to be well balanced and a joy to use. Dalstrong pitches their knives as premium knives and in fact the Dalstrong Gladiators, like their German counterparts, are fully bolstered, forged knives with full-tang construction. They are presented in a fancy box with some swag, - including a Dalstrong medallion, and a polishing cloth, and very nice sheath. Also, most people, including myself, find them to be strikingly handsome knives. But, moving past the past the “unboxing” awe that so many reviews bog down in let’s critique them as tools. First, let’s consider the steel. According to Dalstrong they are forged from one piece of “premium high carbon Thyssen-Krupp steel.” It has a Rockwell hardness rating of 55-56 which is a moderately hard steel. Please note, the steel is designated “high carbon”. I mention this because some people have labored under the impression that its a simple high-carbon steel. A simple high-carbon steel will stain up quickly, this steel does not. The steel is obviously a High-carbon alloy with stainless qualities. Like high-carbon steel it takes a nice edge and yet is also fairly stainless. I personally would never put these or any edged tool I cared about in the dishwasher. If you clean and dry these knives before storage, they should remain stain free. Also, the steel on the Gladiators is a bit thinner than on comparable German Knives. This could be good or bad depending on your point of view. A thinner knife slices much nicer, but in some situations may not be up to cleaver-like chopping. The Gladiators IMO hit it just right - they slice like a nice Japanese knife, but have enough spine to withstand any kitchen use I can conceive of. The steel takes an edge willingly, so I suggest investing in a quality honing steel/ceramic for the daily maintenance of these knives. This is a good idea for any knife in this RC hardness range. When it comes time to sharpen on a stone I found with care and practices a 1000/3000 Japanese waterstone combo will give these a brand-new edge very quickly. I doubt I will ever have to send these out for sharpening.As to the handles they are handsome and ergonomic. They are full-tanged with pakkawood scales. Pakkawood is a resin impregnated wood laminate that is durable and has the beauty of wood.So, I have one nice knife and the price was great.