Kyocera FK Series White Ceramic 16cm Cooks Knife

 

 

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Ceramic knives are becoming more available, although the prices are still very high. Should you invest in one?

Any knife would - in my opinion - be worth a very high price as long as it has certain properties.

These properties would be that it is razor sharp, never needs sharpening, will last a lifetime and be totally versatile - being able to be used for any knife task.

I'm afraid to report that ceramic knives do not fulfil all these requirements.

Is the knife razor sharp? Yes and no. It will glide through tomatoes, onions, chicken breasts and the like in a way that no steel knife of mine has been able to do. (I normally use Sabatier knives sharpened on whetstones and ceramic sharpeners.) However it is much less good on larger, harder objects. Cutting large carrots, potatoes, swedes etc is much less easy - some force is required and the base of the vegetable often splits rather than slices. A gentler slicing action is better than the more aggressive methods you would use with a steel knife.

Does it ever need sharpening? Again, yes and no. As noted above it is very sharp for certain tasks but the sharpness is less evident for other tasks. You cannot sharpen this knife - and will ruin it if you try. It will blunt over time, but the main risk is that you use it for non-suitable tasks and chip the blade. See below.

Will it last a lifetime? Yes, but only if you are very, very careful and never make a slip with the handling of this knife.

Is it totally versatile? No - and this is the big weakness of this type of knife. The blade, while sharp, is fragile. You can only chop on wood or knife-friendly plastic. If you chop on marble, glass, granite, or the occasional plate you can irreparably blunt the knife.

The blade is not flexible in the least - if you try too hard you can snap the blade. Thus you cannot use this for filleting fish, or any chopping that requires you to anchor the tip of the blade on/in the chopping board and then move the rest of the blade across what you're chopping - herbs, vegetables etc. Apparently you should not use the knife for chopping cheese, but I've never felt the need to try this.

You should also only use the knife on soft items. Thus you cannot use it for boning meat, or for carving meat on the bone.

Thus this knife is excellent for cutting/chopping smaller, softer vegetables and boneless meat as long as you don't twist the knife and always use a wooden or plastic board. One forgetful moment and you can chip the blade. If you were to make such a mistake with a steel blade a quick resharpen would cure your mistake. Not with this knife.

If you want an excellent knife for a narrow range of tasks then you should consider these ceramic knives.

But if you want a knife that will do everything then look elsewhere. Do you really want a knife that you cannot use to bone, or carve, a chicken or fillet fish? Do you want one that's not good with larger, harder, vegetables? And, more importantly, do you want a knife that is so unforgiving to a simple slip - you cut on a plate, twist the knife tip when chopping herbs, or start to joint a chicken before you remember...?

I love this knife, but only use it for a very few tasks, switching between ceramic and steel knives as I prepare my evening meal.

I suspect that once the novelty wears off I'll favour the versatility of a steel knife over the extra sharpness, but hugely restricted use, of the ceramic knife.

EDIT
One year on - I've not used it in 6 months. Great knife, just not versatile enough.

Four years on, and mine still doesn't need sharpening - still cuts tomatoes into wafer-thin slices.

Some words of advice for this knife though. Don't try to sharpen it! It needs a diamond sharpener, and I think Kyocera are the only company to offer this service (not that you'll need it much). Secondly, don't drop it - the blade is strong not indestructible, and the point will snap off if it hits a stone floor (believe me my mother has tested this theory!). Thirdly, don't hack at chicken bones using it or tiny nicks will appear on the blade.

this is amazingly sharp and precise and looks great. long term i fear for my fingertips, already had one accident. This knife needs alot of respect, definitely no licking!

The only worry is that I fear it might shatter if dropped on a hard floor.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Stunningly effective.
I purchased my first Kyocera ceramic knife after seeing a documentary about their manufacture during 2010. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Diana Benson

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharp as hell
This is sharper and better than I thought it would be. Feels light but that stops you treating it too roughly. It slices meat and veg wafer thin. Read more

Published 13 months ago by J. Moss

5.0 out of 5 stars Best knife ever
This is the best knife ever!! BTW, they ARE able to be detected by airport security / metal detectors. Read more

Published on 15 Nov 2008 by Stoned Love

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