The steak knives that cut instead of tear.

Victorinox, the Swiss Army knife maker, sells this as a tomato and table knife, and it is what many European households set out for steak and pizza. The blades are stainless steel with a fine wavy edge, the handles are lightweight polypropylene, and the set is Swiss made and dishwasher safe.

The wavy edge is the reason it works so well for so little. It bites through a charred crust and a tomato skin alike, and the points keep cutting for years because the edge between them rarely touches the plate. At about $6 a knife, it is also the set you do not mind a guest dropping in the bin by mistake.

Skip it if you want something that looks like tableware. The black plastic handles are practical, not handsome, and the knives are light enough to feel slight next to heavy silverware.

Twin Gourmet is Zwilling's stamped line: each blade is cut from a single piece of the company's high-carbon no-stain steel and Friodur ice-hardened, a cold treatment Zwilling uses so the blade stays sharp and resists rust. The 4.5 inch blades are serrated, and the handles are the traditional black synthetic with three rivets.

This is the set for a household that wants a proper, weighty steak knife that can go in the dishwasher and never needs sharpening. Zwilling lists them as dishwasher safe and made in Spain, with a lifetime warranty.

Skip it if you want a clean slicing cut on a fine steak. A serrated edge always saws a little. And while the dishwasher will not ruin them, hand washing keeps the handles and edges looking better for longer.

Opinel has made knives in the French Alps since 1890, and the No. 125 Bon Appétit is its table knife. The 11 cm blade is Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel with a smooth, non-serrated edge, and the handle is varnished hornbeam, most of it from sustainably managed French forests. This set has painted handles in Opinel's Countryside colors.

The straight edge slices cleanly and can be touched up on a ceramic honing rod. It suits a household that eats steak as often as it eats roast chicken, cheese and charcuterie, because this is a table knife for all of them. The painted handles bring a little color to a white table.

Skip it if everything goes in the dishwasher. Opinel says not to, because the heat and water will damage the wooden handles. Opinel's Bon Appétit+ line, with serrated blades and dishwasher-safe handles, is the version for households that need it. This set is sold on Amazon by Kaviso Outdoors, Opinel's retail partner there.

Wüsthof has been making knives in Solingen since 1814 and is still family owned. The Gourmet line is laser-cut and stamped from a single piece of high-carbon stainless steel rather than forged, which makes it lighter and less expensive than the Classic range without changing the steel or where it is made.

These are straight-edged 4.5 inch knives, which is the better choice for anyone who eats steak often and keeps a honing steel in the kitchen. They slice rather than saw, leave a clean face on the meat, and can be sharpened back to new for decades. The handles are triple-riveted synthetic, made to resist fading, heat and impact.

Skip it if the knives will go in the dishwasher. Wüsthof says hand wash only, and a straight edge rattling against other cutlery will dull quickly. For a set that never gets sharpened, the Zwilling serrated set is the better buy.

Classic Ikon is one of Wüsthof's top forged lines. Each 4.5 inch blade is forged from a single block of high-carbon stainless steel, tempered to 58 HRC and edged with Wüsthof's laser-guided Precision Edge Technology, which the maker says is 20 percent sharper with twice the edge retention of its earlier edges. The edge is plain, not serrated.

The double bolster, at the front and back of the handle, is what you pay for. It gives the knife real weight and balance in the hand, so it feels like a small chef's knife rather than a table utensil. These are knives for a household that serves steak to guests often and will hone and sharpen them properly.

Skip it unless that describes you. At about $124 a knife, it is a lot to spend on something that shares a drawer with the forks, and the Gourmet set cuts almost as cleanly for a quarter of the price. Hand wash and dry immediately.