re: Looking for a nice, moderately priced kitchen knife set

This is a place where a gift certificate is better IMO.
That way the cook can go to the store and pick out the knives that feel the best for his/her hands and what he/she does as a cook.

Some people may wish they had a heavy duty cleaver, other may never do their own butchering.
Others may have lusted after a certain knife but not bought it as "too expensive".

The seven knives I use have come together as my cooking has evolved. Every one has a different handle, they live in a drawer and I can immediately grab the one I want. (And I was given a knife set as a wedding present; we returned it and got the knife I wanted and several other things for the kitchen.)

A kitchen is a really personal place for some cooks.