I saw a program about these on tv, and I must say, they look great.

Until you drop them, that is....

Depends on your knife using habits, if you are careful in cutting, any ceramic knife will do.

If you can afford it, get Kyocera. You pay a high price for quality that you can depend on, plus, Kyocera has great customer service and life-time free sharpening service. Ceramic knives do need to be sharpened, ecxcept you cannot do it yourself.

But if you drop the knife on a hard floor, it still will be

que sera sera, Kyocera!

dcarch

I bought one. Washed it, cut my finger, then snapped the end off cutting a cabbage then threw it in the bin.

That is one problem I have found with my ceramic knives. As the blade tapers to the endpoint they get less sturdy and break off the tips. I have 4 and with the exception of 1 all have done this. I love them for chopping and dicing. Slicing I still use a metal chef's knife. NancyLouise

I don't think anything can beat quality steel in the long run.

Well, this thread made a decision for me. I've been wanting to get a new chef's knife and had toyed with the idea of a ceramic one. Now I think I'd be better off sticking with a quality steel one.

Elery also had one of those ceramic peelers. Like the ceramic knives, it got chipped in the drawer, then eventually just broke. I have one ceramic knife that I never use, as the tip chipped. I'll stick with metal too, I'm too careless I guess..

Annie

Kyocera are hardened to the point where they simply won't break. Also, they are guaranteed for life for sharpening . I guess I am going to go with Kyocera since it seems many have had a problem with breakage with the less expensive ones. You get what you pay for (most times - LOL)

I thought the comment about not dropping the knife had to do with losing a toe or two!

I got a pair of Kyocera as an unexpected Christmas gift. They're wicked sharp and a pleasure to use, but based on prior experience with a ceramic knife I know how sensitive they can be and wash them promptly and store them in their sheathes in the box they came in. That's definitely being a lot more gentle/finicky than I am with anything else I use in the kitchen, so I foresee them being brought out primarily for special tasks such as slicing soft fruit that I don't want bruised. For most of my prep tasks I like the weight of steel.

RyseRyse, I don't know where you got the impression that "they simply won't break." Right in the instructions it warns not to use the tip as a pivot point, use care when removing from a knife block, don't smash garlic with the side, etc. All warnings to avoid possible breakage.

This post was edited by foodonastump on Wed, Jan 23, 13 at 15:58

My ex-wife wouldn't use a steel so I bought her a Kyocera ceramic knife. Frankly, I don't think it was any sharper than freshly sharpened steel knife but it did stay sharp for at least a couple of years without any maintenance.

I think a 7" chef's knife is too short to be of much value.

We have a Kyocera paring knife and a small (6" I think) chef's knife. I love the paring knife...use it all the time. It's a close second to my favorite ancient LL Bean carbon steel paring knife. The chef's knife, not so much, but DH likes it. I keep them in a knife block and haven't treated them gently, but I do hand wash. No problems with chipping.

Thanks for all of the information. A 7" is the size a sushi chef uses and it is the size I use (in steel) for just about everything. Probably will get a 6" also.

Kyocera Ceramic knives "don't get much respect" on this forum. It is a specialized kitchen tool, as are so many other cooking implements. Speaking from years of experience the 5 1/2" blade chef's knife will easily do every cutting chore for which it is intended. Not necessary to purchase any of the longer blades. I enjoy the heft and feel of the handle. I use mine daily about 90% of the time augmented with a few steel knives for heavy cutting/twisting projects. If used properly on a wooden cutting board the sharp edge should last for several years. The sharpening service is excellent.

I've had a Kyocera paring knife for about 3 years and I absolutely love it. Granted the tip did break off but the rest is still perfect. No dings. It can't be beat for slicing small tomatoes. It goes through like a razor and makes a much easier job than any of my good metal blades.If something happened to it I'd definitely replace it because I'd be lost without it.