Last week, I had an unfortunate incident involving a stale bagel, a bread knife and my finger. After speeding to Gannett with my bloody hand held out the window, upon arrival and examination I received great news — my cut was so clean, I could get “glued” instead of stitched. With a general dislike of needles, and a childhood fondness for Elmer’s, I was ecstatic (until, of course, I remembered how much pain I was in). The reason for such a clean cut? The quality of the bread knife culprit. Part of my 18-piece J.A. Henckels Twin Pro S block set, my knife was so sharp and such high quality that I didn’t even need stitches. The knives cut through vegetables and meat as well as they cut through my finger, though I don’t recommend trying to slice a stale bagel. They may be pricey, but compared to the emotional toll of getting stitches and/or having a terrible scar, they are worthy every penny and more. — $1,000

On the other hand, if you don’t have a grand to drop on knives (though Henckels go on sale all the time, so don’t pay full price!), you can pick up a handy Sunbeam 13 piece knife set at Walmart for a cool 20 bucks. I honestly can’t say I’ve used these, so sorry, no real review here. But I will warn you, if using them yourself, be careful — an injury with these suckers would likely result in mucho stitches. While I’m sure they cut nicely for a week or so, a $20 knife set is just a disaster waiting to happen. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! — $20

The Verdict: If you could see the wound on my hand, you would buy a set of Henckels immediately. Since you can’t, just take my word for it.

Every girl’s best friend, the simple V-neck t-shirt is one of the most versatile clothing items known to man. It goes perfectly under cardigans or hoodies, with jeans, leggings or sweatpants, and even works at the gym. A few years ago at Target, a friend dragged me to the men’s underwear department and, to my surprise and confusion, bought a 5-pack of Hanes men’s V-neck undershirts. Thinking that she was silly, I passed up the purchase myself. However, a few weeks ago I found myself in need of V-necks and bought my own pack of men’s undershirts. They only come in white, but they are comfy, versatile and don’t lose their shape in the wash. The best part is, since they cost $2 a pop, when I inevitably spill a latte all over myself while wearing one, I won’t even mind that much. — $10 for five shirts

On the other hand, J.Crew is known not only for being a favorite of the First Lady, but for their great simple basics, like t-shirts. I’m a fan of the Tissue Boyfriend V-neck Tee. It comes in lots of colors, with a flattering fit, not too deep of a V-neck and are unbelievably soft. The tissue material, however, is paper thin and can start to lose its shape quickly after being washed a few times. While they’re nice, and sometimes a white t-shirt gets a little boring, I have a hard time paying full price for these knowing I could have 15 shirts for the price of one. — $30 each

The Verdict:  How can you go wrong with a $2 t-shirt? Definitely go for the Hanes.