I got rid of all of my knives & started a custom set from scratch. For starters, I screwed in a San Jamar Saf-T-Knife station on the side of my cabinets:
It's ugly, but it does the job. I am looking to add more knives in the future, as I have need. Currently I only rely on a few:
1. Dalstrong VG10 9.5" Chef's knife: ($110 when in-stock on Amazon) This is pretty much equivalent to a nice $1,200 sushi knife. It's basically a scalpel. You can shave apple & tomato slices into thin transparent sheets just like they do in those Youtube videos. Has a really good weight to it. All-around amazing knife & absolutely incredible price. I currently do not use any small knives in my cooking because this knife is so sharp & accurate that it's pretty much all I use.
2. Victorinox 9" wavy bread knife: ($22) This knife is beyond awesome for anything bread. Bagels, rolls, bread loaves, you name it. It has a standard serrated edge, but the slight curve is what sets it apart. I saw this being used at an amazing sandwich shop & had to get my own. If you've ever cursed your knife set when trying to saw through a grinder roll or what have you, this is the solution.
3. Zyliss condiment knife: ($5) Spotted this at another great sandwich shop. Absolutely fantastic. If you need edge-to-edge mayo on your sandwich, not a problem. RIP butter knife. I gift these out quite a bit...people just love them. It fills one of those maddening niches in the kitchen perfectly!
4. Kuhn Rikon carbon-steel 4" y-peelers: ($12 for a 3-pack) Okay, this isn't a knife, but it does have a sharp blade, so it counts, right? These do fall apart over time, which is why they give you a three-pack. But man, they are GOOD while they last! If you need to slice the skin off a butternut squash or a cucumber (zoodles ftw), look no further.
That's it. I have a few other knives on my wishlist, but haven't really needed them yet. At some point I'm planning on buying an electric meat grinder & will pick up a boning knife and will see how that compares. I'm the same way with pots & pans lately too. Aside from a couple pots, I only have 3 skillets, no "set":
1. T-fal 12" non-stick skillet with lid: ($30) Really excellent non-stick brand. ONLY use plastic/silicone tools with this & it will last forever. Wash immediately after use by hand with a sponge & it will stay clean forever. This is my go-to for everything.
2. OXO 3.5-quart steel saucepan with lid: ($80) Bought this over higher-end stuff like All-Clad & the like, not just because of the price difference but because of the non-stupid features they add. I have so much OXO stuff it's not even funny. Love that brand! I would probably go with the 4-quart if I were to buy again, it's a little small, although I mostly use it for sauces & stuff so it's not a big deal. This is the first non-non-stick skillet I've ever owned, always had cheap crappy Teflon pans, haha.
3. Lodge 12" cast-iron skillet: ($30, lid sold separately, I don't use a lid on this one myself tho) Actually, my first one was a 10" & I keep that in my kitchen & use the 12" outside for pretty much everything. The 12" fits my 2.5-pound 8"
cast-iron press ($13), whereas the 10" does not, so that one gets used for smashburgers & whatnot. I have an 1800-watt Nuwave induction cooktop (single-burner hotplate) that goes up to 575F in 5F increments; I use it both indoors & outdoors (I basically never use my stove's range because it heats up so quickly), especially for finishing sous vide items like steak that tend to smoke a lot.
So pretty much 3 knives & 3 skillets, along with my Instant Pot & Anova. Incredibly flexible system. I like it!