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Ceramic blades

B

budman

Joined
Dec 19, 1998
Messages
244
I am considering the purchase of a ceramic knife. Maddog has a mirage that i like , but my question is on the ability of the glass blade to take a razor sharp edge .Have any other forumites tried these blades for edge holding? I will be using this knife for the up coming moose season.
Thanks BUDMAN
 
I have no experience with Mad Dog ceramic, but I have used a Kyocera 4.5" fruit knife a lot. It doesn't have a razor edge, but it has a fairly coarse edge that comes sharp and stays sharp, and just keeps cutting and cutting and cutting. Don't try to pry or twist with it.

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- JKM
www.chaicutlery.com
 
I have experiance.The Micro and the Operator do not do razor sharp edges.They are no good for push cutting.What they will do is slice,and they will keep on doing it.

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The other thing with ceramic blades are they aren't easy to sharpen once dulled.They stay sharp longer but sooner or later they will need to be sharpened.
Bob
 
I have a little exper. with MD's ceramic. I have never gotten hair shaving razer edge on mine... but you don't need one. The knife cuts like a razer on everything but hair. My MD, is a EOD, and its a beautiful tool, but not for everyone. It took me forever to dule the thing. I was wanting to see how well it would sharpen with my Edge Pro sharpinging system ( I got some E Z Lap diamond honds for it) It sharpened right up but You have to be careful... Ceramic doesn't make a bur the way steel does. So you must keep your strokes equal and you must us a 600 to 1200 grit diamond stone. The knife is tough, but a little brittle. A razer sharp edge will make it more prone to chipping out. The edge it came with was all I could ever need when it comes to cutting just about everything.
If you get one just remember Its Not Steel!!
 
I noticed you mentioned moose season. Are you wanting a knife for field dressing? The Mirage-X's seem a little thick for that purpose. I tried mine out in the kitchen on various dead animals, and while it cut very nicely, I still found myself going back to my thin bladed carbon steel kitchen cutlery
 
The Mirage-X takes a much rougher edge than steel because you are breaking pieces of it off as opposed to pulling the steel out by making groves it it. I would imagine that you could make it very polished if you wanted. Try contacting 3M as they have diamond grits which are higher than the 1200 DMT x-fine which does not leave an edge polished enough to push cut with.

The Mirage-X line do slice well on meat even with a x-fine finish (1200 DMT) but they work really well if you leave them at x-coarse. Much better for overall utility on rope cardboard and the like.

They are actually easier to sharpen than steels as the edge does not roll when it blunts and you don't have to worry about it burring when you are sharpening. I would assume if you tried to use Silicon Carbide stones it would take a week to make a dent (unless you used a power grinder), but diamond stones are not particularly bothered by the Cermaic composite. I would not want to try to lower the edge bevel significantly though, but maintaining it is no big deal.

-Cliff
 
And I forgot to mention the fragility of the Mirage-X's in an unknown. I have never got a direct answer from MD or his dealers about just how much damage could be expected if you drop one - the bottom line is it is not covered under the under warrenty. Dropping it, heavy chopping, or significant prying could cause a fault so be careful and use a lanyard.

-Cliff
 
Thanks guys....I think I'll stick with steel.You can't replace a blade when floating down a remote stream.....
 
From what I`ve heard the fragility is about like a fil.Drop it on concrete and it may break.I plan to use mine for the dulling parts of field dressing next year.I don`t expect it to work as a skinner.I will check it out,however.One thing that I like about the blade is its ease of cleaning.

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From what I`ve heard the fragility is about like a file.Drop it on concrete and it may break.I plan to use mine for the dulling parts of field dressing next year.I don`t expect it to work as a skinner.I will check it out,however.One thing that I like about the blade is its ease of cleaning.

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MD did comment that it was about as tough as a file. However I then tested a 3/16" and 1/8" file for toughness by first pounding the 1/8" file out of its handle with the heavier one and then repeatily using them as a hammer on a concrete wall and floor. Neither were significantly damaged. I then viced the 1/8" vile and it snapped easily, the 3/16" was solid enough that it could be used as a light prybar. I would severely doubt that an Operator would be that tough. However I would be gladly willing to eat my words if any dealers would be willing to warrenty mine under such testing.

-Cliff
 
By the way Ceramics don't have to be sharpened on diamonds. Even regular AO waterstones will grind on the diamond, and most people who sharpen ceramic blades with diamonds recommend finishing with a Silicon Carbide wheel to get a high polish.

-Cliff
 
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