Kyocera Revolution 3 1/7" Paring Knife

This knife is insanely awesome.

I am not a professional chef, I'm just a guy that watches food network and tries everything. I have a fair collection of kitchen tools (a 7" Shun/Ken Onion knife, a wustof [however its spelled]), and I do like to cook.

This knife is insanely sharp. When I first got it, I was messing around with an onion to see how thin I could slice it and it was so easy. Its inert so theres no metal taste, and cake to clean. I've treated it well, and only used it for slicing/cutting.

You're not supposed to smash stuff with it, or use too much force. While I'm no expert, I've always understood that if you're using a knife that requires a crapload of force, you probably need to get it sharpened or get a new knife. I suspect the reviews regarding the chipping/breaking of these ceramic knives are probably due to heavy force use and ceramic or not, I dont think a 3" pairing knife is the right tool for such a job.

While I can't say that I use this knife 24x7, but it is definitely a great compliment to the other knives/tools/items in my kitchen and if you've got a knife block that you've added items to, you'll find this is an excellent addition for the money.

These ceramic knives are fabulous sharp, light, and durable. The only problem with the paring knife is that it is so small and light, it's easy to forget how sharp it is and cut yourself (voice of experience). Unbeatable for cutting soft vegetables, such as tomatoes.

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WOW! This is my first Kyocera but it won't be the last. I just got it today and put it through it's paces.........a very soft tomato, went right through it, crisp celery, neat and clean, no strings, pared a tater in nothing flat. By comparison, I received a less expensive ceramic knife set for Christmas..........not nearly as sharp as the Kyocera. Can't wait to get a few more. Highly recommend this brand no kitchen should be without at least one!

Read Best Reviews of Kyocera Revolution 3 1/7" Paring Knife Here

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 Red Handle, 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 available in five other 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 Yellow Handle,

and one other blade color:

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

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.

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I have purchased several sizes of the Revolution knives, and found them delightful to use. But when you read some of the Amazon reviews, you have to wonder what's going on... reviewer's names like "Red," "Blue," etc. make me think the reviewer is just one person trying to pump up sales. Folks, this knife doesn't need goofy advertising; it just needs to be used once, and everybody who tries it wants one. The blade is extremely sharp, but honestly, picking up that "white knife" is not intuitive after a lifetime of metal. The knife is lighter, and you may begin to wonder if you've been sold a piece of plastic for a fairly significant amount of money. Fear not! Use the knife properly, and you'll be sold on the benefits of ceramic blades.

The blades are a bit fragile, certainly not meant for hacking apart joints or field-dressing a moose. They are best when cutting vegetables, or doing fine cutting work at the kitchen counter. If you don't use a cutting board (wood or plastic), you will ruin the knife pretty quickly. So invest in a wooden cutting board, or even a good plastic or silicone board. Again, you may feel that using plastic is, well, "plastic" as we used to say in the 70s as an insult. But plastic must have come a long way since then. We live in an age of LED light bulbs that cost $25 or more, and ceramic knives that are supposed to be sharper than expensive German steel. Hey, who knew?!

My advice is, buy one of these knives, give it a try on some vegetable prep, and see for yourself. If the knife works for you, keep it. Spread the word. But do NOT let the kids play with it, despite its kindergarten color handles and that innocent white blade. It could give a finger a gash that won't be soon forgotten! And keep the knives in a good knife block. They're available right here on Amazon. So what if it has the name of a German knife maker burned onto the front? Fill it up with your knifes, make it look like a grown-up's version of a Crayola box. But be mindful that you must use a cutting board, and you must not underestimate the sharpness of the blade.

One final thought ... as I mentioned above the knife is not for every possible use. It's not a cleaver, it doesn't do well with joints or rock-hard frozen food, and it's not meant to be used in a twisting, sawing sort of way. Maybe your current knives need that kind of cutting to get the job done. The ceramic knives are not the same! They do excellently when prepping vegetables, cutting tomatoes, and so on. Use them without being afraid of "hurting" the knife, but also realize it is better for some cutting tasks than for others. Good luck with your ceramic knife -the same way someone might have said, "Good luck with that new jet ski" or, "good luck with that new watchdog." Knowing that the knife has specific purposes, and using the knife to accomplish only those purposes, will be a pleasure. Smile and the world smiles with you -cut your thumb off and you bleed alone." (Hope that's not too gross for Amazon or you, dear reader.)