[jtwrace]

My Henkles are going away so I need some new knifes.  I want a good knife set that is dishwasher safe.  Yes, I put my Henkels in the dishwasher for the last 15 yrs.  Never a problem.      I might as well get something that's made for that though.  I usually sharpen with ceramic rods. 


No more than $300 is preferred and even that's on the high side. 

[S Clark]

I'd stick to German if you are going to sharpen with ceramic rods.  If you liked the Henckel's, why not stay with them.  F. Dick would be similar or a slight step up. 

[ACHiPo]

Dumb question, but why kick the Henckels to the curb?  I have a set that's 30 years old, and they're not going anywhere.  They're not as hard as some of my Japanese knives, but hold an edge for a decent time, respond well to steeling between sharpenings, and sharpen quite nicely.

Have you thought about something like this to rejuvenate them?  I have one and it's great--fast and foolproof.
http://www.cutleryandmore.com/chefs-choice/model-130-professional-electric-sharpening-station-p18482?gclid=Cj0KEQjw-Mm6BRDTpaLgj6K04KsBEiQA5f20ExFXfzu0VYfv6Vgi4OsCyv6SK6V-Ncd5puC8ZmXnXEkaAiAE8P8HAQ

AC

[S Clark]

AC, because you say so, I'll defer to your experience, but motorized sharpener scare the bejezes out of me.  My in-laws have ground a nice set of old Wusthof's down to thin toothpics.  Some have even blued from the heat.  I'd advise Jason to stay with his sticks... they work, and you can't screw up too badly. 

[ACHiPo]

AC, because you say so, I'll defer to your experience, but motorized sharpener scare the bejezes out of me.  My in-laws have ground a nice set of old Wusthof's down to thin toothpics.  Some have even blued from the heat.  I'd advise Jason to stay with his sticks... they work, and you can't screw up too badly.

I have a full set of water stones as well that I use for Japanese knives and wood tools.  The Chef's Choice has a good balance between material removal and edge quality.  I sharpen about twice a year, and steel the rest of the time.

[jtwrace]

They have moved on to another person within the family. 

[ACHiPo]

They have moved on to another person within the family.

Ahh then you're excused.
You might want to check out Misen knives.  They had a lot of buzz when they were announced last year and are getting great reviews.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/best-cheap-chefs-knives-misen-equipment-review.html

[Phil_S]

You may want to look at Sabatier knives.  They're French, available at Williams Sonoma or direct from France.  They are lighter than German steel and by all accounts very fine knives.

[srb]

You may want to look at Sabatier knives.  They're French, available at Williams Sonoma or direct from France.

Just make sure that you're buying the French-made Sabatier and not the much lower quality Sabatier-labeled Chinese knives offered by many online vendors or found at some department stores and Walmart.

Steve

[S Clark]

Even with the French Sabatiers, there were more than one manufacturer, all of differing quality.  That's a hard brand to know what you are getting, but some of their old stuff are nice knives.  Thiers-Issard Sabatiers were one of the better ones.  Don't know if they are still making knives.
Just for grins, I went to Wiki.  Here are the various registered Sabatier names held under different companies. I have an old Thiers-Issard Elephant that is a nice knife. :


    SABATIER frères
    K SABATIER
    SABATIER PERRIER
    65 SABATIER
    62 SABATIER
    France SABATIER Jeune K Garanti
    SABATIER Jeune Garanti with a bunch of grapes
    SABATIER Acier Fondu Garanti with a bunch of grapes
    France SABATIER Acier Fondu couronne K Garanti
    Véritable SABATIER France
    Professional SABATIER
    SABATIER Professional
    V SABATIER France
    V SABATIER Acier Fondu Garanti
    V SABATIER Extra Fin
    SABATIER 689 Couronné
    SABATIER Couronné
    SABATIER 589 Couronné
    SABATIER Trompette
    SABATIER Deg
    SABATIER****
    SabatieR
    SABATIER Trumpet France
    Sarry SABATIER
    Le vrai SABATIER
    Le seul SABATIER
    L’unique SABATIER 1ère qualité
    SABATIER with a stylised slicing disk
    SABATIER Lion
    SABATIER Diamant
    SABATIER Elephant

[SoCalWJS]

There are a lot of options for knives and there are a bunch of nice ones.

My suggestion?

Go to a Kitchen Store (Williams Sonoma, Sur la Table, etc) or similar and spend a few minutes HOLDING and HANDLING the knifes you are interested in. The grip on the handle makes a HUGE difference for most people and can make your decision for you. Make sure you find out if the grip changes if it gets wet or a bit of fat/oil on it.

[srb]

My "set" is a mish-mash of different knives (Case, Dexter-Russell, Forschner and Wüsthof) and my favorite handle by far is the textured rounded handles of the Wüsthof Grand Prix II.

Decent forged German steel and attractively priced sets.  Sets start at $200 and are hard to beat in that price range.

Wüsthof Grand Prix II 7 Piece Knife Block Set ($200 - 15% first time online order)
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/wusthof-grand-prix-ii-7-piece-knife-block-set/?pkey=cwusthof-grand-prix-ii&&cwusthof-grand-prix-ii

Steve

[S Clark]

I'll make a recommendation.  Better than German knives, but you need to sharpen at a finer angle than the standard German 22.5*  I gave away my Henckels, and never reach for my Wusthof. Try the Tojira set at under $150.  Not the absolute finest of Japanese knives, but not expensive either.  Much like a cheaper, but just as good, version of Shun stainless.  As long as you were using a ceramic stick, I'd stick with German, but these will clearly outperform them at 15*.  Get an angle app for your phone.   Chefknivestogo are good to deal with. 
I know that fellow AC memeber and pro chef, Rob Babcock, has also recommended this set.
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/tojiro3pcset.html

[barefootbrewer]

I just got some Henckels for Christmas. It was a set with a block. Sharpeners were contained in the block. It sharpens the knives every time you pull it out and put it back in. Very cool feature. Worth looking into.

[JohnR]

I want a good knife set that is dishwasher safe.

Wait. I thought dishwasher was bad for all knives. (No?)

Other than that, all-metal knives might work for you eg global, but don't use their wheely sharpeners.

[stgrim]

I really like the Victorinix Fibrox Pro set, you just need above average knives and sharpen them often. A sharpened average knife will always beat a dull fancy steel carbon etc. knife.
I use the chefs choice trizor xv for sharpening.

[dolsey01]

I really like the Victorinix Fibrox Pro set, you just need above average knives and sharpen them often. A sharpened average knife will always beat a dull fancy steel carbon etc. knife.
I use the chefs choice trizor xv for sharpening.

Of all the knives in my kitchen I usually reach for my Victorinox chefs knife.  It's always sharp, easy to put a fresh edge on and at $30 I don't worry about other people in the house beating it up.  And I don't worry about putting it in the dishwasher. 

[sts9fan]

Don’t put your knives in the dishwasher and buy carbon steel.

[Tyson]

Shun Classic 3 piece set, going for $270 nowadays.  Because performance is important, but so are aesthetics:

[S Clark]

Most folks don't want the extra care that goes with carbon steel, and for them Victorinox are excellent choices. 
Personally, I'll never buy another German stainless knife, but there is a reason they are popular.
I also listen to vinyl over digital, but don't recommend it for everyone.  Good knives are for those than will take the time to learn to sharpen well.