One surefire way to impress your most refined guests is to serve a smattering of expensive cheeses on a charcuterie board, accompanied by a proper cheese knife set. No butter knives struggling to slice through a solid rind or chef’s knives cluttering the spread. We’re after the proper kitchen tools to carve up the $100 you spent on barely 10 ounces of your favorites—hammy Gouda, stinky Gorgonzola, a triple-cream Brie. Some of these picks fly solo—like the Sabre cheese knife from Porta—while others come in a full set, like the always-whimsical cheese spreader set from Mackenzie-Childs. No matter their peer group, these knives pass the design test and feel functional, cleaving through hard cheeses without looking cheesy in the process.

Our Top Picks for the Best Cheese Knives:

• The Cult Favorite: Sabre Bistrot Spreader Knives (Set of 2), $33
• Best for Teatime: MacKenzie-Childs Cheese Spreaders (Set of 4), $70
• Best for Outdoor Entertaining: Bayou Breeze Rattan Handle Cheese Tools (Set of 3), $55
• The Classic Favorite: Laguiole Cheese Knives (Set of 3), $69
• Most Unique: West Elm Farmhouse Pottery Artisan Forged Cheese Knives, $125

Leading with Sabre, the IYKYK flatware of tabletop savants, this spreader duo makes all the difference when laying out your charcuterie board. The tapenades and soft cheeses come to life with the rounded, flat blade and comfortable hold. Plus, they come in colorful shades like olive, cherry red, and light khaki for showing not only that can you throw together a great selection of cheeses, but that you have the fancy cutlery for it too.

This playful set from Mackenzie-Childs (suitable for tea parties of all ages) features its signature check print in rose and a few watercolor-esque hand-painted details. Four various blades are each perfectly suited for sweeping up everything on your cheese board: pâté, cream cheese, jam, the list goes on.

For the person who’s big on outdoor entertaining, this rattan handle set is for you—bohemian, grounded, and still festive. The juxtaposition of the stainless steel head with the woven handle creates a design dynamic more interesting than you’d necessarily expect from a cheese knife set. The particular shapes of this trio also make it perfect for all types of cheeses—prongs for cubed cheddar, bladed edges for semihard cheeses, and a broad knife head for sweeping up semisoft cheeses or corralling the crumbles of blue cheese rolling about the cutting board.

Laguiole is an age-old name in flatware. We’d recognize that little bee on the base of the spine anywhere. Olive wood handles and stainless steel heads make this a durable set with a gorgeous traditional design while still being dishwasher safe. These are a classic complement to any charcuterie board, and the little bee on the back indicates you know good design and will shell out for it where it matters.

Hand-carved beechwood handles meet hammered metal blades for an antique farmhouse look in this four-piece set. Pair with gingham napkins and a long picnic table to complete the barnyard look.

Resin mimics nacre in this Italian-made three-piece set, giving an oceanic feeling to the trio. A hard cheese knife, soft cheese knife, and butter knife cover all the basics of your cheese board needs, and the setting is gorgeous to boot—no harm in leaving it out even when you’re not using it.

We love the sharp look of this cheese knife from Sabre (we’re torn between this and the similar cleaver), and if we had to pick just one knife from the list, it would be this one. It feels French, classic, but the splashy red color keeps it current. The pronged head means it can pull double duty as a cheese slicer and a cheese stabber, depending on your needs.

This West Elm set takes it back to basics—strong, durable metals with sharp blades and applied design. This is a crowd-pleaser pick in that the gold or metal set suits any tablescape and serves without seeking attention. It’s also a clever gift set for a fellow entertainer, as it matches with anything.

A sculptural solo piece, this stainless-steel cheese knife from Georg Jensen goes above and beyond. Its ergonomically designed handle meets a cutout blade that keeps cheese from sticking to the knife, and the pronged tip allows you to pick up any cubes or crumbles along the way.

Boska has been making cheese tools from the Netherlands for a hundred years. Made from stainless steel and European oak wood, the quilted pattern of this knife set—including one for soft, one for semihard, and one for hard cheese—keeps cheese from sticking to the blade so you can enjoy your aperitivo hour without wiping tacky Brie residue from the knife with your fingers.