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How brittle are ceramic knife blades?

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October 05, 2019, 03:20 PM
sigfreund
How brittle are ceramic knife blades?
A recent news story piqued my interest and got me to wondering how resistant ceramic blades are to breaking if any bending force was applied to them. Most of the ceramic blade knives I’ve seen were kitchen utensils, and their blades were pretty thin. Are there such knives with thicker blades that would be more suitable for heavy or “rough” use?




6.4/93.6

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
— Plato
October 05, 2019, 06:51 PM
kkina
Very brittle. All the ceramic kitchen knives I decided to try out ended breaking. Finally I got a more expensive camp style knive, and it snapped in half on a flimsy clear plastic blisterpack package. I'm not wasting any more time on them.

(Interestingly, I read a review where someone else had snapped his same model on a light blisterpack. On about the third use like me. This is a thick camp knife you're supposed to be able to whittle wood with.)

That must have been the Paris knife attack. I noticed it, too. Too bad it didn't fail then.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: kkina,



ACCU-STRUT FOR MINI-14
"First, Eyes."
October 06, 2019, 09:08 AM
4MUL8R
I have an unbroken ceramic folder by Boker. Just use sensibly. Very light. Excellent for food use at work.


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Trying to simplify my life...
October 06, 2019, 10:40 AM
rburg
I've got a couple of examples. I have no idea who made the little pocket knife. Its really nice and used as a knife, works great. I just don't loan it to anyone, including my wife. Most female of the species think a pocket knife can double as a pry bar.

One Christmas a few years back I went to the China store, harbor freight, and bought my DILs several of the nearly transparent white ones. Not really a gag gift, but also not expecting them to survive. But at least they had one sharp knife for a while. It only took a couple of weeks until I saw one with a big chip out of the edge. Frown

I have a damascus folder with a really hard and sharp center lamination. On either side is a much softer steel. Explained to me that its still not for prying, but the softer pieces tend to make the knife have a sharp edge but not break as easily. Guess I gotta go look for it.


Unhappy ammo seeker
October 12, 2019, 10:13 AM
sigfreund
Thanks for the responses.

It turns out that the news article I saw that mentioned an attack with a “ceramic” knife was wrong. A follow-up article stated that the attacker used some sort of “steel” knife and an “oyster” knife. If there was any sort of screening at the site, it was probably bypassed because the BG was a long time employee. I also decided to look into ceramic blade knives myself and ordered a cheap one. The packaging clearly stated that it could be detected by metal detectors, so I assume there is a metal piece in the plastic handle.




6.4/93.6

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
— Plato
October 12, 2019, 12:45 PM
djpaintles
I prefer a sharper edge that comes on or is able to be restored on a Ceramic blade. Try a cheap one if you just need to play with one to see what they are like........


Remember, this is all supposed to be for fun...................
October 15, 2019, 11:21 AM
SBrooks
My only ceramic kitchen knife lost the point pretty quickly. We still used it for a while, but finally just tossed it. No point, and too much effort to sharpen.


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SBrooks
December 15, 2019, 11:04 AM
sig2392
I bought my wife this set of Kyocera ceramic knives a couple of years ago.

They seem to be holding up to daily use.

https://www.amazon.com/Kyocera...2QCC1TJ67ERTC0W6RXMG
December 17, 2019, 10:19 AM
kalei
I have the Ken Onion Worksharp unit and special band for sharpening ceramic knives. Works really well. My DIL and two neighbors wives have them and I keep all of them sharpened.


"All warfare is based on deception" Sun Tzu, The art of War