An ad arrived in the mail today from the Wusthof outlet store. I do not know how much of a real sale, but they are promoting their Dec sale for Dec 12-14. The only sale may be the 20% off if one brings in the mailer card, so perhaps of no use for phone orders.
I’m joining the discussion too late to add much but having had a “retirement job” at a high end kitchen store and having taken a professional knife skills class, I’m a major knife snob with strong opinions 
Never buy a knife without holding it in your cutting hand and assessing the comfort of the handle shape and material as well as the way it is balanced. You can go to your local Williams Sonoma at a non-busy time (during the holiday period that would be immediately after opening on a Monday morning or call ahead and make an appointment), ask for the associate who is most knowledgeable about knives and they should allow you to hold any and every knife in the case and often have a carrot or something you can use on their cutting boards to take a test drive.
There’s not much point in basing your choice on anyone else’s opinion of the best brand because my “best” may be your worst. For example, someone above mentioned Global brand who are popular with some people but for me, the handles caused my hand to cramp. I couldn’t slice two carrots without discomfort. In general though, quality of the steel matters and forged knives are almost always better than stamped. Many brands have both stamped and forged lines so it’s important to know which is which.
Sharpening steels are not knife sharpeners! They hone knives whose edges are out of alignment and are very valuable to keep your sharpened knives in good order but if a knife is truly dull (cutting on a ceramic, glass or stone surface will ruin a good knife the first time it happens) you can use that steel all day long and never create a sharp edge. Unless you are willing to spend a lot of time learning how to use a home sharpener, it’s better to get them sharpened by a professional (NOT the guy at the hardware store who also sharpens lawn mower blades). If you maintain them well, once a year should be enough.
IMO, knife blocks are terrible and I threw mine out after the knife skills class I took. The instructor pointed out that all it takes is for one person in the household to put one knife back in the block without properly cleaning it, and that slot is permanently contaminated. The best way to store them is either in a drawer fitted with wooden knife slots or on a magnetic bar mounted on the wall.
It’s true that 95% of your kitchen tasks can be done with one of 3 knives; 8"-10" chefs knife, a serrated bread knife, and a good 3 1/2-4" paring knife. Most knife sets include a lot of knives no one ever uses (why do 20 piece sets even exist?). They do not have to be from the same brand. Cooks Illustrated magazine has ratings for each type of knife and is a pretty good resource. Some good kitchen shears and a good honing steel are pretty important to have as well.
PS. I warned you that I was opinionated on this topic!
There is nothing wrong with buying sets, especially for a first time buyer.
The forged steel in the Henkels Zwilling line is all the same. The difference is in the handles and in the feel of the knives. The pro line has a smooth, seamless bolster and a heavier handle. The 4 star line has a ridge on the bolster and a lighter handle. But cutting is exactly the same. I have some 4 star knives that I bought in the early 1980’s, they are very durable and easy to clean. When gave our college student son (who loves to cook) a set of 4 star knives, he was so happy he teared up. A good set of knives make a huge difference, and it is something you use every day.
Fiskars makes a very nice, inexpensive ($8) sharpener. Henkels makes a sharpener that you can get at Costco for around $20, with 4 slots for German and Asian knives. Most Asian knives (MAC, Shun, etc) use a harder steel which can hold a sharper edge. They can also be more brittle, which can cause the tips to break off. The most popular knives are the Wustof Classic. Their bread knife is a little longer (10") , as is the larger chef’s knife. The Henkels bread knife is a little short for larger round loaves of bread.
My go-to knife is the Henkels pro 8" chef knife with dimples. My wife (smaller hands) prefers a 6" Wusthof Classic chef’s knife.