recommend a ceramic knife, w questionare

Hi guys,
A friend of mine asked me to recommend him a good ceramic knife as a gift for his brother. The brother would like something that "will not rust in the dishwasher" (yeah...made me cringe too ) )
Anyway since I know very little about ceramic knives, what would you recommend? A Kyocera?

LOCATION
Germany

KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
chef’s knife

Are you right or left handed?
right

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
does not apply

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
150-180mm

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
yes, dishwasher safe is a priority

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
60 Euros


KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Home use


KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Dont know

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
NO

If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
NO
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
No

If he's going to be putting it in the dishwasher, I think it will get wrecked and chipped - will be even more useless than a rusted steel one.. :curse:

Better buy him a pack of these, I heard they are somewhat dishwasher safe... might have a little trouble with pineapples and pumpkins though!
But on a serious note, why doesn't he want to just clean a single knife by hand?

Ceramic knife is too fragile and therefore too thick behind the edge and certainly not a good choice for a chef's knife. You will hardly get any recommendation on one around here. If your priority is to have a knife that you never have to sharpen - that thing does not exist. The difference is that even if you get a ceramic knife (e.g Kyocera) that is decent - it will dull eventually but you will not be able to sharpen it (you will have to send it to maker for that). Ceramic knives are not practical. They loose the tip within a weak (some hare round tips for that reason) and if you drop it one single time it will be over.

You may consider getting something like Victorinox or Tramontana and a sharpening steel (rod) as those knives are not so hard that the edge can be (up to some extend) maintained with sharpening steel

Should you get a ceramic knife be more than sure to keep it away from ceramic or glass cutting boards as you will chip it on a first contact. And I would not put a ceramic knife in dishwasher either - they get banged around by the water jets and may get damaged.

Actually - no knife that is intended to be sharp should ever find its way inside a dishwasher - there is always stuff around that can dull or chip the blade.

Sorry for not having a better advice.

Sounds like the brother is a home cook who wants a maintenance free knife. Within the constraints of ceramics, the Kyocera is probably the best out there. I don't care for what they call a "chef knife" but have gifted a few of the santoku (approx 5 inch") They are at their best cutting herbs. DO NOT cut cheese.

Said brother really be better served with inexpensive stainless, maybe next year.

Hi guys,

thank you all for the great answers.

@Bobblybook that picture really made me laugh.

@Matus those are really great points. I will pass them along.

@daveb I tend to agree. Some inexpensive stainless might be the answer for now.

daveb said:

Sounds like the brother is a home cook who wants a maintenance free knife. Within the constraints of ceramics, the Kyocera is probably the best out there. I don't care for what they call a "chef knife" but have gifted a few of the santoku (approx 5 inch") They are at their best cutting herbs. DO NOT cut cheese.

Said brother really be better served with inexpensive stainless, maybe next year.

Click to expand...

Dave,
Excuse the ignorance, but why not cut cheese ?

I'm not a pro, yet I haven't handled ceramic knife which cuts well.

I will second the Tramontina recommendations. But just the Premium and the Professional series, both with white handles (the cheaper series ain't no good). For 15 euro you will get a decent chef knife, much better than any ceramic one.

If your friend's brother can't be talked out of a ceramic knife, Miyako is another brand that seems to be highly regarded. See, e.g., http://www.myceramicknives.com/ceramic-knife-reviews/miyako-ceramic-knives-review

But, as others have pointed out, it is wasted money, particularly if the recipient intends to use a dishwasher. The fragile edge will almost inevitably chip. And sharpening is impractical.

As others have noted, a ceramic knife will not do well in a dishwasher - the edge will likely chip and the tip may break off.

I looked through what was available at Amazon.de and found two knives that are "dishwasher safe" according to the manufacturer, so they should probably stand up to some abuse. One is 15 cm, the other 19 cm:

15 cm (http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0075D8JBC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20)



19 cm (http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0075D8J3A/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20)



Both have enough height at the heel for use on a board. At HRC 53, don't expect them to take or hold an exceptional edge.

Rick

For every thread about ceramic knives, I have to post the Yoshi Blade review. It is a classic. Skip to the seven minute or so mark for the fun stuff. The lesson here is to not cut wooden spoons with a ceramic knife.

[video=youtube;uQOnMVnstfE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQOnMVnstfE[/video]

k.

mr drinky said:

For every thread about ceramic knives, I have to post the Yoshi Blade review. It is a classic. Skip to the seven minute or so mark for the fun stuff. The lesson here is to not cut wooden spoons with a ceramic knife.

Click to expand...

Hahahah I saw someone (you?) post this in a different thread just recently. I love how genuinely puzzled and confused he is... then just continues anyway. "Well, I guess that wasn't a good idea!" - Sticks knife back into spoon and starts sawing again.

you guys hear that? what was that?

kevpenbanc said:

Dave,
Excuse the ignorance, but why not cut cheese ?

Click to expand...

You mean aside from the bad jokes? Ceramic blades, like glass, have little torsional strength. Cutting through cheese is easy, prying the piece out will result in a broken knife.

daveb said:

You mean aside from the bad jokes? Ceramic blades, like glass, have little torsional strength. Cutting through cheese is easy, prying the piece out will result in a broken knife.

Click to expand...

Ah, right.
I was imagining some weird reaction I'd never heard of !