Ceramic Kitchen Knife

Hi,is there anyone that has expierence with ceramic kitchen knives?I would be using it for general tasks in kitchen.Where is the best place to buy(cheapest).What should I be looking for black or grey blade color(is there a difference in hardness between the colors or is it just cosmetic?)?Thank you in advance,and sorry if this is posted in the wrong section,Joe.

I bought a cheap set at Bed, Bath & Beyond. They are fragile. My mother has cracked the tip off hers twice. A name brand set will have an address to return it for eventual resharpening. My nameless set has picked up a couple of chips so if one has a heavy hand like I do they won't last long.

The dark blade might be a little tougher. Use it for slicing and cutting. Not hacking and prying. No Benihana grill chopping either.

Hi Loving Light,
I have a ceramic kitchen knife – white Kyocera. It's a good thing, but I find I don't use it! These things are "return to factory for sharpening" (unless there's a new sharpening kit I'm not aware of), so I'm a bit scared to use it (obviously, the idea is they stay sharp so long that returning it to the factory isn't a frequent event). Also, while it is sharp, I can get my steel knives sharper (I have good kitchen knives and I am pretty good at sharpening) – so to me, there isn't much advantage in the ceramic. :shrug:

If you scrape food sideways off your chopping board, you will blunt any knife – ceramic included, and if you hit anything hard with it (which is quite possible in the kitchen) – you many damage the edge. That's not to say they're fragile, but for ME, the trade offs aren't worth it.

I'm sure this will prompt lots of enraged replies disagreeing with me, but those are my thoughts. I also have a couple of ceramic pocketknives, but same story, my steel knives cut better.

Of course, if you hate sharpening knives, or you're not good at it, then the ceramic becomes an option as an excellent "disposable" kitchen knife. (Ooh, I'm sure I'll get some feedback on the "disposable" comment…). :nana:

I know there are a few different types of ceramic – can't help you much on that without researching it – I suspect the Boker Cera Titan knives may be a good option – they're a sharpenable ceramic so may have many of the advantages without some of the disadvantages – worth a look.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=263886

With regard to kitchen knives – a 7 – 8 inch chef's knife and a good paring knife will do nearly everything in the kitchen – so I'd suggest a ceramic chef's knife if you're going that way. The Cera Titan is available in a 6 ½" blade which should suffice.

Hope that's some help… :thinking:

Thanks for the input.I have a desent kitchen knives they are mostly Henckels,I've been buying them over the past 10-15 years, some are Pro series,some are 5star series,some are Classic series.I find myself using my 8 inch chef and my serated bread knife the most.I remember when ceramic kitchen knives came out to the general public,but they were outragous in price.Now they seem to have come down in price and I kind of want to see if I am missing anything.Are there any things I should be looking for,I want maybe a 6 inch chef knife type.Thanks,Joe.

The black ones are the better ones. Kyocera is supposed to be the best. I doubt I'll ever have my dream set of kitchen knives, but if the time comes, I'll probably get the Benchmades, because I've got some of their pocket knives and they're fantastic. First, though, I'll probably get some of the Victorinox kitchen knives, as I've read some pretty good things about them. As for cheapies, those "Miracle Blade III" knives, you see being sold on TV, are pretty good!

I purchased a couple, tried them out & agree with the fragility statements. I took them back. HOWEVER, I do have a couple ceramic vegetable peelers & they work GREAT.

I've had a Kyocera 6 inch kitchen knife for about 10 years and really like it. I've sent it back for sharpening once via the retailer, after pretty much daily use.

No nicks in the blade, but my uses are pretty simple (cutting vegtables, mostly).

I got it primarily because of the gadget factor, but it's actually gotten a lot more use than most of my similar purchases. It's just one of those things I don't have to think about.

Better than steel? Meh - more like different.

Regards,
Bob

I work with food and have used knives for many, many years so you can take my advice or not but here are my thoughts.

The cheapest anything you can get is usually just that, the cheapest. Not only in price but quality. Kitchen cutlery of quality is a lifelong investment. A good set of knives will outlast you.

Ceramic knives are more fragile but do you really want to drop any knife?

Also, off topic for a little while but since we are talking about kitchen uses, never use a glass or metal cutting board -- bad for the knife edge and could get glass or metal particles into your food. Also, all knives should be hand washed and not go in the dishwasher, so that's not a big deal either if that question comes up about ceramics. Learn how to maintain your knives (any knives) and also how to use a steel and you will only have to sharpen your knives about once or twice a year.

Ceramics are sharp! and tend to stay sharp longer and as I understand it do not need to have a steel used on them. In theory they are more sanitary because of the structure -- almost impossible to get things to stick to them. A simple wipe off with a cloth that has sanitizer on it is supposed to be enough for some of them. Personally, I would still wash and sanitize one after use.

If I remember correctly, they probably can be sharpened with a diamond hone.

I have used one or two and infrequently, but I found them to not really be very different than traditional knives for my uses (but I do have a lot of experience with my knives and I do maintain them well).

Do some research, see if you can find a retailer in your area who will let you try one in store or that is doing a demonstration, and go from there.

I dislike them. Too fragile (a common theme here). Also, I'm more of a casual kitchen knife user, so sometimes I tend to make quick cuts on a ceramic plate. Doing that with a ceramic knife, I could feel the knife and/or plate grinding and chipping. The edge of my ceramic knife is now a sawtooth pattern from the various little fractures it has received over the past nine months.

Slicing, peeling fine. Chopping or anything rougher not so much. I have a black Kyocera utility sized knife that doesn't get a lot of use because I'm more likely to use one of my steel santoku general knives for everything rather than switching out for different tasks, fine work excluded.

-LT

All ceramic knives can be sharpened quite easily with a simple diamond hone. Use a medium/fine hone. Keep in mind that ceramic requires a more obtuse bevel, but because of it's high lubricity will still cut effectively. They will generally not produce a shaving sharp edge, due to the more obtuse edge bevel. The black blades may or may not be what's called a HIP ceramic. This stands for Hot Isostatic Pressing, a manufacturing step that increases the density and toughness of the finished blade. Some are just colored black however.
Now that being said, yes, they're not meant for prying, or chopping hard foods and bone. Slicing and peeling they're great.

But are they better than their steel counterpart thou? Something like Shun's VG10 kitchen knives sharpened to 30° edge. For personal use I really don't think anyone will notice the edge holding difference. I have my spyderco centofante sharpened to 30° and it's scary sharp, I'd imagine the kitchen knife will be similar.

They cut completely differently than steel. Because the material has such a high lubricity, they cut with an extremely smooth feel. You "glide" through the meat or whatever you're cutting. My father does leatherwork and has some swivel knives that he had ceramic blades fashioned for. These swivel knives are used to carve in the outlines of whatever pattern you're cutting into the leather, such as oak leaves and such. He said that it was like carving butter. No friction at all, just smooooth.
Using a ceramic knife is much like that. Assuming it's properly sharpened in the first place. You can expect that the cheap ones aren't. It's not really the case of whether or not they're better than steel. That depends entirely on what your definition of better is when it comes to a kitchen knife. I want to get a set of the good ones eventually myself. They would fit my needs and wants perfectly.

Thank You everyone,I think I will stick to my steel blades unless I get a good deal.With that said maybe I will buy a smaller utillity kitchen knife to see how I like it.Thanks again for the input,Joe.

I've seen a ceramic pairing knife at walmart for $20 or so, see if you can find that.

I've also seen advertisers promoting one of the "advantages" of ceramic blades is that it doesn't impart any metalic flavor to delicate food. Now, really, have any of you ever noticed any sort of icky metalic flavor imparted by metal knives? Not me, that's for sure!

just buy Shun knives... End of story

The ceramics are not "fragile"! They are extraordinarily hard. They do not flex well, and will break, chip or shatter if you put a lot of lateral force on the blade, but I see no reason to do that with a kitchen knife. They hold an edge better than steel. They can be sharpened at home, but results may vary, and since most manufacturers offer a free sharpening service, there's no need. I wouldn't worry about steel "tainting" your food in some way.
Personal opinion? Don't bother. I'm a cook (job, not hobby) and the cool factor of ceramic knives doesn't outweigh the practical concerns of increased cost and higher level of difficulty in sharpening. For home cooking, those are less relevant, and whipping out your white/black bladed knife might be pretty awesome. Also, if you're not the kind of person who sharpens (NOT HONES, SHARPENS) your kitchen knives, the ceramic might potentially be better. I've not owned my own ceramic knife, and I'd like to, but I don't think it's a high priority.
PS. I believe Shun knives default to a 17 degree edge and the handle on the Shun steel has an angle to help you reach that point.

Hello all,
This has turned into an interesting thread...

Just thought I'd mention my own experience on sharpening ceramic... I'm fairly good at sharpening knives, in fact I did it semi-professionally while I was at Uni. I have a ceramic Boker pocket knife that I decided I was prepared to experiment with... I tried a number of methods including diamond abrasives, all with quite unacceptable results (well, unacceptable to me anyway). I could get it "not blunt" - but nothing I'd call sharp! I suspect to do a decent job you'd need lapidary equipment to "polish" a final edge onto the blade.
Granted, my acceptable standards for sharpness are pretty high, but I'd be hesitant to enter into buying a ceramic knife with the expectation you'd sharpen it yourself.

Not saying I dislike the things - great gadget value - and I'd love to hear reports on the Boker Cera Titan. They're just awfully hard to get really sharp without serious tools.

Cheers..

Rod

Like I mentioned above, you cannot sharpen them the same way you sharpen a steel knife. Higher angles are necessary and it will never feel the same kind of sharp as a steel blade will. And the ONLY method that will work is a diamond abrasive.
You can get them in very fine grades, more than sufficient to polish an edge. Lapidary equipment not required.