I gave up using knife blocks years ago because they never fit what I needed them for. To be large enough to hold enough knives, they were crazy heavy and the “slots” never fit my own knife collection. Too many small slots or too many extra large slots, etc. so I gave up, gave them away and started keeping my knives in a drawer with a knife organizer. That worked better but still wasn’t ideal because I still have more knives of varying sizes that just don’t fit. I keep knife guards on them because waggling your hands around in a drawer full of knives is a dangerous undertaking. I also had my sharpening steel and whetstone in that drawer because I like to give them a few licks on a regular basis to keep a fine edge. A properly sized and sharpened knife makes kitchen work a pleasure. I happened to stumble upon this block and it looked like it could be the answer to all of my needs. I decided to take a chance on it because what I had been doing just wasn’t working for me and I was ready to take a little risk to find a better solution. Well, I have been using this block for a couple of weeks now and it is everything I need and everything it is touted to be. Just looking at it makes me smile. It is well designed and balanced. Not too heavy but heavy enough to be stable and manage plenty of knives. The sharpening and honing devices on the sides are a flash of pure brilliance. I wash and dry my knives by hand (always) and give them a lick or two on the sharpener and honer, wipe again and insert into block. I can arrange the knives in order of frequent use and not in some configuration someone else decided I needed to have. A dream come true for an Anal Retentive Chef (that would be me) or just someone who “enjoys” organization and consistency of performance but doesn’t necessarily “need” it. I can’t imagine any discerning chef being anything but delighted with this block. One of the best purchases I have made on Amazon this year!