Using the eBay code you can get each set for $71.12!
This is the cheapest I have seen the 56 piece sets in a while.
Hard to notice the difference between the sets, I believe the Chicago set has a small gap between the handle of the knife and the blade. The Manchester set does not have a gap between the handle and the blade.
This is probably due to the common misconception that stainless steel won't rust.
There are many different grades of stainless steel. Put two different grades together, with some moisture between them, and one of them will corrode the other. The one that gets corroded will be the one that is lowest on the Galvanic series, and how fast it will corrode depends on the distance between the two on the Galvanic Series.
Here's the wikipedia chart, see the distance between "Stainless Steel 316 (active)" and "Stainless Steel 304 (active)":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_series#Galvanic_series_(most_noble_at_top)
There are many other grades of stainless steel, for example kitchen sinks are usually made from a grade starting with the number 4, so they can be the "other metal" for corrosion. I'm guessing 400-series stainless is pretty high on the Galvanic series, because sinks don't seem to suffer from corrosion like cutlery does.
If you want to minimize the corrosion of cutlery, there are two ways to achieve this:
- discard or give away your old cutlery when you get a new set. That way all your cutlery will be the same grade of stainless steel, and they won't corrode each other. But you may still have corrosion with the sink, with carving knives, with pots and pans.
- Keep your cutlery dry, don't leave it to soak in water. Dry stainless doesn't corrode.
Picked this set up for $64 during last month's 20% off. Haven't used them yet though, still in the box!
Haven't used them yet though, still in the box!
That's one way to avoid them rusting!
These are 18/0 stainless steel.
The 18/10 stainless offer additional corrosion resistance.
The 18 represents 18% chromium and the 10 represents 10% nickel in the alloy.
I wouldn’t get 18/0. That said, the online reviews for SR also suggest their 18/10 is prone to rust.
I've had my 18/0 Albany set for a few years now and I've had no issues. But maybe I'll think differently after another ten or twenty years.
the Chicago set has a small gap between the handle of the knife and the blade.
I don't see that working very well. I've always preferred cutlery that has the handle physically attached to the blade.
A lot of customer reviews report that their Stanley Rodgers cutlery starts to rust after only a few weeks.
https://www.productreview.com.au/c/cutlery/m/stanley-rogers.…
YMMV, but keep the receipt handy.