Customer Reviews

Kyocera Revolution Series 3-1/7-Inch Paring Knife, Black Blade

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The fact that you are even reading this suggests that you already know the arguments in favor of ceramic knives. Ceramic knives are harder than steel knives, can be made much sharper than steel knives, hold their edge ten times longer than steel knives, are lighter than steel knives, won't brown foods, transfer a metallic taste or smell, or rust.

You probably also know the disadvantages of ceramic knives. Unlike steel knives ceramic knives can chip or break so you want to avoid dropping them, tossing them in a sink or kitchen drawer, or arguably even washing them in a dishwasher. (Most ceramic knives come in fitted plastic packing material that can be saved, or you can store them in something like this Kyocera Bamboo 3-Slot Knife Block.) If you actually succeed in dulling a ceramic knife, it will need to be professionally sharpened, though Kyocera has come out with a sharpener for home use: Kyocera Electric Diamond Knife Sharpener for Kyocera Ceramic Knives. Unlike steel knives ceramic knives cannot flex without breaking so there can be no such thing as a ceramic boning knife, and you only want to use ceramic knives to cut boneless meats. Finally, although using a proper cutting board is a good idea with fine steel knives, it is an absolute requirement with ceramic knives; using a ceramic knife to cut something on a plate is an absolute no-no.

So the only remaining question is whether to go cheap: Harbor Freight Tools Ceramic 3 Inch Paring Knife or expensive: Kyocera Revolution Series Ceramic 3 1/7 Inch Paring Knife Black Handle, Black Blade, and due to the fortuitous timing of a couple of good sales I can offer an opinion.

Blade: The Harbor Freight blade is double bevel ground while the Kyocera Revolution blade is chisel ground. Along with Kyocera's claims that its micro-grain ceramic is more dense than its competitors, this should result in a sharper blade, but any difference was too subtle for me to detect. Both knives will be MUCH sharper than any steel knife you are used to, cutting through citrus rinds (and even seeds!) like butter.

Handle: Both the Harbor Freight and Kyocera Revolution have superficially similar ergonomic handles, but I noted a couple of significant differences. In the Harbor Freight the finger guard is part of the handle while in the Kyocera Revolution it is part of the blade. Surprisingly, I found the Kyocera Revolution handle a bit slippery, which in light of the consequences of dropping it is significant. The tackier surface of the Harbor Freight handle provided me with a surer grip.

Color: The Kyocera Revolution paring knife is also available with a white blade in six handle colors:

Kyocera Revolution Series Ceramic 3 1/7 Inch Paring Knife Black Handle,

Kyocera Revolution Series Ceramic 3 1/7 Inch Paring Knife Blue Handle,

Kyocera Revolution Series Ceramic 3 1/7 Inch Paring Knife Green Handle,

Kyocera Revolution Series Ceramic 3 1/7 Inch Paring Knife Orange Handle,

Kyocera Revolution Series Ceramic 3 1/7 Inch Paring Knife Red Handle,

Kyocera Revolution Series Ceramic 3 1/7 Inch Paring Knife Yellow Handle;

the Harbor Freight paring knife is available in any handle color,...

as long as it is black.

Sharpening: If you manage to dull your Kyocera Revolution knife, Kyocera will sharpen it in return for shipping and handling; if you manage to dull your Harbor Freight knife, you are on your own.

Price: This obviously varies but in most cases you can expect to pay between twice as much and four times as much for the Kyocera Revolution paring knife as for the Harbor Freight paring knife.

Note: An inexpensive Kyocera Ceramic Y Peeler in all of the matching handle colors, is also available.

These knives are extremely sharp and seem to hold an edge but the blade is thicker than steel and consequently the blade tends to get stuck in food that doesn't just fall away. Other than that these knives are great. They slice a ripe tomato without crushing and raw meat with ease. I use these knives as often as I can.

All I can say is anyone who doesn't have a ceramic knife needs to buy to find out just how sharp these things really are!! Using is believing.

I have purchased a dozen paring knives over twenty years and these do not compare to permanently SHARP, (just bought one $140 Shun, little different) ... I lost my last ceramic and boy, boy did I miss it, now I love to cut everything in sight again... cannot go wrong (do not buy with little kids, too sharp and might break) GREAT PRODUCT A+ buy three and leave them around for all tasks... lasts forever!

The knife pictured here is the fine point which is prefered for fine decorating work and most plunging cuts. The knife shipped was the blunt or round tip verion which while more durable is nearly useless for fine work with the tip of the blade.

I recently ordered this knife, and it is sharp as hell!! This is my first ceramic bladed knife. It cuts really nicely, and is a very good looking knife. I chose the black blade and I am not disappointed.

I have noticed that the handle consists of 2 halves. I am hoping I don't encounter a separation issue as times goes by.

Also time will tell regarding the edge retention of this knife, But for now I am very happy indeed, and I highly recommend this knife to others.

Used lightly for four months. I hand washed and towel dried, and only used the knife on plastic cutting boards. It's incredibly dull now. I bought a Shun Elite chef's knife the same day as this ceramic knife, and it's still razor sharp.

The Kyocera was very sharp fresh out of the plastic package it came in, but now it's dull and the only way to fix it is to send it to Kyocera along with ten bucks to have them sharpen it. I wouldn't say it was any sharper than a high end steel knife. Plus, on a steel knife you can steel the edge to maintain it in between sharpenings. The ceramic knife is a nifty parlor trick when it's new, but buy a steel knife if you actually want to have something useful down the road.