Ceramic Knives?

[UnknownVT]

Wondering what the opinion is on the current ceramic knives.

I tried a ceramic folder from Boker many years ago when they first came out -
and was pretty underwhelmed by it - the blade was only so-so sharp -
so basically I had a knife that had very good edge holding,
the edge will last a long time -
BUT it's a mediocre edge that lasts a long time.......
and I could not sharpen it myself.

So that was returned
and I have not tried another ceramic knife -
until today when I received a real cheapo ceramic paring knife
(shipped from Hong Kong - cost less than $6 shipped).

Pics:

Blade detail:

This one seems a bit sharper - still not as sharp as I can almost any steel knife including real cheapos -
but this time this ceramic knife seems "acceptably" sharp and seems to do quite well in the kitchen cutting up soft foods - which is what it's meant to be designed for.

Despite the fact it is only marginal on cutting hanging paper - only barely acceptable - on foods it seemed as it holds its own even compared with my Victorinox 3" parer (one of the sharpest kitchen knives around) and my old Chicago Cutlery 62S 5" utility -

In that way I am quite impressed - it is definitely not the sharpest knife, no where near in fact - in the usual tests -
BUT - for using it as intended on soft foods it appears to match even my best knives.

My question to you is -
Are ceramic knives now better - in terms of durability "toughness" (I know not to drop or pry) how fragile are they these days?

How sharp can they get? compared to say a factory new Victorinox SAK
(be careful, those are actually pretty darned sharp for a factory knife)
or say an Opinel No.8 (again another factory sharp knife)

Thanks,

--
Vincent

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[jbob24]

I don't know about fragile, but I'm super unimpressed by the $20 one I just got a month or so ago. It seemed fine at the store, but it's actually a tiny bit thicker than the opinel paring knives I have and the blade is much wider. Its definitely not as sharp and I have no idea how to sharpen it ( nor do I care to I guess). The few things it does cut up ok, and i do mean "few," are as easily cut by anything else I have...

Maybe some of the more expensive ones are nicer? I admit I know very little about ceramics

 

[CWL]

Most, if not all ceramic knives are made of zirconium oxide, the same as your original Boker, it is just cheaper to make them in China instead of Japan now. They are not any tougher.

Your kitchen knife has better edge geometry than the Boker folder, so it will feel like it cuts better, but that is true for any steel kitchen knife v. steel folder.

Ceramics will never replace steel for a variety of reasons. Try chopping with a ceramic knife and see how far you get, also process some meat and fish, then try and slice rye bread or a fresh baguette, try cubing some cheese. Doesn't work very well does it?

Ceramic knives are OK for certain paring functions, but just don't have the "heft" of a good steel knife for real kitchenwork. If you spend a lot of time garnishing or making thin tomato slices, then a ceramic will do the job.

 

[Zombie Zeke]

As a guy that has worked in the kitchens around LA for awhile, buy a Forschner or a if you must spend money a Tojiro both are steel, one is laminated, both under a hundred bucks, together. The rest of these high dollars knives are B.S. Just think about this, all these people on Food Network or Fox are paid to show what they use on the TV shows, in real life, it's usually a completely different story.

 

[UnknownVT]

Sorry for the late reply - temporarily lost my internet connection at home -
so this is from my local library.

Appreciate the replies.

I liked the looks of the black blade -
and surprisingly acording to the Wikipedia on ceramic knife

" Several brands now offer a black colored blade made through an additional hot isostatic pressing (HIP) step, which improves the toughness. "

So by the looks of it not much has changed from the first one I tried -
although the geometry of this parer is much better.

But the thing that surprised me was that although it does not cut hanging paper that well or the usual tests compared to any of my steel knives -
in cutting soft foods (only - like veg and fruit - esp soft fruits) it seems to be on par as the best of my kitchen knives.
Any idea why?

Thanks,

EDIT to ADD:

buy a Forschner

Most of the Forschner kitchen knives are actually Victorinox -
and I agree they are some of the best kitchen knives out there -
my main usage knife is the 8" Victorinox/Forschner chef -
and my pic showed the 3" Victorinox/Forschner parer with bubinga handle instead of the usual fibrox/plastic one.


--
Vincent

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[UnknownVT]

But the thing that surprised me was that although it does not cut hanging paper that well or the usual tests compared to any of my steel knives -
in cutting soft foods (only - like veg and fruit - esp soft fruits) it seems to be on par as the best of my kitchen knives.
Any idea why?

I think/guess that ceramic knives may be using the "sawing" cut from micro-serrations to get its sharpness.

This cheapo paring knife seems to be a lot better than the Boker ceramic folder I had years ago. Probably due to better geometry and more acute bevel leading up to the edge - more like kitchen knife geometry rather than the pocket knife geometry - but I think/guess it may be the micro-serrations that's doing the cutting.

I'd be grateful for any input on this.

Thanks,


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