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

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, 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 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,

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.

This has become my favorite paring knife. Starts sharp and stays sharp. I've been using it for months now and it clearly outperforms my Four Star J.A. Henckels paring knife. I'm seriously considering replacing all my knifes with ceramics.

Buy Kyocera Revolution Series 3-1/7-Inch Paring Knife, White Blade Now