Kyocera Ceramic 2-Piece Gift Set

These are two great knives from Kyocera, the world's leading advanced ceramic company. I've been using their knives for over five years, every since my brother gifted me with a set of their white-bladed ceramic knives. Now, I'm a convert to ceramic knives who would never go back to steel knives, and, I preach their virtues to all who will listen. Those older Kyocera knives from my brother are still going strong, but, I wanted to upgrade to the more durable black-bladed knives. At $61.50, only 50 cents more than the white-bladed version, and over $25 cheaper than buying the paring knife and santoku individually, this is a great deal. The knives come nicely presented in a box, with a small red ribbon securing the knives to a black foam protective encasing. These knives will make a fantastic gift for a home chef or foodie. Made of ceramic, both the santoku and paring knife are very, very sharp and will likely never need sharpening. You won't believe how easily these knives slice and mince. The santoku is very comfortable in the hand and has a good balance to it. This is likely to become your most often-used knife in the kitchen, your "right hand," as it were. The resin handles are comfortable to hold and offer a good grip. The one caveat I would mention with respect to these knives is that, like all ceramic knives, the blade is brittle to a certain extent. Not brittle in the sense that you have to worry about damaging it during normal use; not at all. No, I mean brittle in the sense that, if you drop it on the kitchen floor, it may very well break or chip, depending on how it lands. The black-bladed version (as opposed to the white-bladed ones), are the knives that I recommend, as they undergo a special process which makes the blade harder and more impervious to chipping than the white ones. For a slightly higher price, I think that the extra durability is worth it. But, either way, you'll be getting a great knife which will prove itself to be a very useful addition to your knife collection. If you treat them carefully, they will provide years of good service and enjoyment. Note that, if your knife blade does suffer some minor chipping (which usually doesn't noticeably affect performance), you can send it back to Kyocera and they will re-sharpen all of your knives (as many as you have) for $10. You just pay the $10 and one-way shipping costs. As always, store your ceramic knife in a knife block after use -- never in a drawer. And, use them with wooden or plastic cutting boards only.

Incredibly sharp, comfortable to hold and use, beautiful to look at. These will become your go-to knives. I've had them for a year now and I like them as much as the day I got them. I can't see that they've lost any of their edge at all. I do treat them well because ceramic knives are brittle, their only downside as compared to steel. Never, ever pry with them. Be careful not to drop them onto a hard surface. Oh, and I scored the bottom of a glass pie plate with one... Here I am one year after writing my original review, so that's two years since I acquired these knives. I still love them and they're still as sharp as a serpent's tooth. This update is to add a warning/recommendation. Before I got these knives I had purchased an inexpensive ceramic knife. It was because I liked that one so much that I wanted these. Four days ago I demonstrated to myself the brittle nature of ceramic knives - luckily on the inexpensive one! I was cutting cheddar cheese. Why use a ceramic knife on cheddar cheese, you ask, when it is clearly not necessary? There is no answer to that; I just like using the ceramic knives. I was being careful, I thought, to apply pressure straight down, with no force in any other direction. I must have failed at that, however, because the ceramic blade snapped right at the handle. The dangerous bits were all aimed safely away from my fingers so there was no bloodletting, and I was very happy that it was only the inexpensive knife that I broke. My warning/recommendation, then, is to be careful of any twisting or lateral forces that you might apply to the knife handle. These are beautiful but expensive utensils and it would be sad to damage one by using it inappropriately. And now I'm reminded of another suggestion. My brother and I had bought a set of 4 of these Kyocera knives and a bamboo block for our dear, sweet mum. She has cut herself 3 times. Advice #1: do not use an unwise chopping technique where your knife meets the edge of your finger. It may be safe with a steel knife but it is *not* safe with an ultra-sharp knife. Advice #2: when hand washing the knife, rest the handle firmly on the edge of the sink with the blade over the sink, with the blade flat. That will keep the knife stable and still while you use your sponge with the other hand. If you don't do this, and the knife and the sponge are both moving freely, you may cut yourself. It boils down to this: if you've been cooking long enough to have developed bad habits that are safe(ish) with less-than-razor-sharp steel knives, pay extra attention when using very sharp ceramic knives. Carelessness can result in lopping off a chunk of finger faster than you can say, "Oh darn, I'm bleeding all over our dinner!"

I can't give them anything below four stars because they are very good and sharp, but there are some shortcomings that make them much less than perfect. First of all, the handles. The handles are a smooth plastic feeling material. No surfacing for sure gripping or any friction to support precise gripping at all. They are curved and have good ergonomics (they fit your hand well and support a good feel during use, but a less than confident feel is still present from that smooth plastic. Fat blades. The blades, being made of a brittle material, have to be made about twice as thick as my steel knives. That doesn't really hurt anything but it's noticeable. Sharpened round tips. The tips don't come to a small point like steel knives do. This is probably because they are too brittle. But they come to a point that is rounded vertically, with the front end sharpened. So you could actually stab them into something. Not sure how well they work like that but it's an option. Cutting: If you are the type of person who can not sharpen steel blades, these are great. They come with a sharp edge and they tend to hold it. But, OTOH, if you are like me and can get a good edge on the steal knives in your kitchen, you don't really need these. I'd consider them more of a fad, or knives on training wheels. I have steel knives that I've sharpened just as sharp or even more so than these. And they are a lot tougher. All in all, they are a nice set for precise cutting. But you need to be careful with chopping. I can easily see how chipping could occur. I've cut vegetables and meats with them and they did a good job. But I took my time and was careful as not to get carried away and rotate them at all while the edge of the blade was partially embedded in the cutting board. Oh time will tell how brittle they are.

I live in the U.K. and all I will do is copy and paste my review from amazon uk. I confess to being a lazy git. I don't mind paying for quality products in the slightest, £114 plus £10.26 postage and packing for this set of excellent knives is well worth it IMHO. Sometimes if I am dieting and getting into shape I can eat seven times a day so I do a lot of food preparation daily. *******HOWEVER ******* I went to AMAZON.COM and bought this exact same set and it cost me £53.31 Yes, you read that correctly. £70 cheaper !! Much less than half price than buying it from AMAZON.CO.UK. I have just copied and pasted my order below: Item(s) Subtotal: GBP 37.61 Shipping & Handling: GBP 6.81 ----- Total before tax: GBP 53.31 Sales Tax: GBP 0.00 Import Fees Deposit GBP 8.89 ----- Total for This Shipment: GBP 53.31 Rip off Britain ??? It certainly seems like it. I only got them from AMAZON.COM because a reviewer also mentioned how much cheaper it was. I bought them on 07/03/14 and they arrived at my house today 13/03/14. Six days to get here from the U.S.A. ! Now about the knives, well balanced, light, lightsaber like sharpness and they look fantastic to boot. I experimented with my steel knives and both of these Kyoceras with some grapes, bananas and tomatoes. It's like comparing a can of Fosters to Remy Martin Louis XIII. I wish I had bought a set of these years ago. They are truly something special. Also my mum tried them and mentioned how much easier they were to use, she suffers from arthritis and it looks like I will be buying another set for her. I read many reviews and the only negative thing I found was how easy they can be damaged. Some people have used them for prying and boning - idiots. What did you expect ? People like you shouldn't be allowed anywhere near sharp knives anyway.They are only for specific tasks, they won't replace your entire knife set but they are an excellent addition and you will find yourself using them more and more. Your friends, families and neighbours will all want a set too

Sharing kitchen utensils for so many years, I never had any motivation to replace my hand-me-down tools. However, once I started having my own place, I was able to start buying the good stuff because I didn't have to worry about roommates mis-handling my kitchen utensils. I knew my hodge-podge collection of knives were not the sharpest out there, but I never realized how sharp knives can be until I received these knives. It was a Black Friday lightning deal and I have never heard of ceramic knives before so I decided to do some quick research. I read the reviews and was convinced that these were worth the investment so I bit the bullet. Once they arrived, I found myself gliding through vegetables so quickly and so easily that I feared losing some fingers in the process. I was able to slice food so thin and with such precision and speed that one time I didn't even notice I made a small slice into my finger :-0 It wasn't anything crazy, just a little cut, but man, these knives are sharp! I'm no knife expert so keep in mind I just had mediocre knives before, but this set definitely gave me much more motivation to cook because it greatly reduced my kitchen prep time drastically and made it more fun. I used to have difficulty cutting up raw carrots, especially when they needed to be really small, but these knives make life so much easier now. I've had the knives for almost four months now. They're still in great condition and I don't foresee them breaking or chipping or needing sharpening any time soon. I don't cook that often though. Maybe once or twice a week at most. I did make sure I followed the advice of other reviewers and only use them for straight cutting and avoid any boning or prying motions. All in all, they're super sharp, lightweight, and the black blades actually look pretty cool too :)

I bought these knives from one of Amazons deals and was a little worried about being a single parent spending 40 bucks on two knives. After reading several reviews I figured that I could buy them, try them out and then return them if they didn't live up to standards. Well, I was more than impressed with these and have actually gotten rid of the two month old knife set that I bought (that was not only cute, matching the rest of my kitchen, but the wood block and set took up precious counter space). Like I said I loved this two knife set upon opening them. They are VERY sharp and love the fact that I can slice anything even bones without a problem. I recently moved from a 4 bedroom to a 2 bedroom and had to downsize many things. I only took these two knives and love the fact that they serve for any kitchen job thus far. They are kept in the drawer out of sight, so I don't fear that the kids could easily grab them, and they take very little space. These knives come in a nice little case that protects them from sliding around the drawer and hides them from unwanted eyes. I have had these knives for over three months and they are working like the day I opened them, and since I use only these knives on a daily basis, I would be more than happy to have them sent in when they need to be sharpened and or buy new ones when these can no longer preform. I will keep you updated if I should have any problems. By the way, you must be extra careful of these knives because they are very sharp and will cut you without effort. I have not seriously hurt myself, but have cut myself without even realizing so. Overall best investment in a long time!

You must've change the quality of the blade because it break so easily we had one years ago that never broke and now this is my third time returning the same exact item please refund me I don't wanna bother sending you back a broken knives.

Wow, these ceramic knives really are different and very useful. I bought this set in July, and to tell the truth I've only used the paring knife, as I learn about where I like to use them. My other Santoku knives are pretty good and I didn't do much prep in the kitchen over the summer. OK so as they recommend these knives are somewhat restrained to straight cuts, but that is most of the food prep activity anyway. They take special care, and I am worried about what I'm going to do when they need sharpening, I'm so lazy when it come to sending stuff away for service. While they are sharp though I have found the blade to be PERFECT for tomatoes and other vegetables, tomatoes are a high spot though. Another unexpected use is bread; slicing into a roll with these is nicer and easier than a serrated knife and creates a much nicer cut. Love it! I have not been so excited about it with raw meat, but I need to experiment here a bit more. The one place I found it really didn't work that well was with cheese, especially the soft cheddar. It has no problem cutting, but the cheese sticks hard to the blade so it's difficult to complete the slice. I really do like the ceramic knife, and the fact that they work different than the metal blades on some material is a bonus. If you have visitors or people who don't really appreciate kitchen tools, it's best to tell them these are off limits to them. Happy Slicing!

Summary ------- Advantages: 1) The sharpest commercial knife you can purchase 2) Will hold its edge much longer than carbon or stainless steel knives 3) Great ergonomics (nice handle and beautiful appearance) Disadvantages: 1) Brittle blade 2) Can only be sharpened by the manufacturer Overall: Buy this set Detailed information and advice: -------------------------------- A bit of background information if you are unfamiliar with ceramic knives. There are basically three types of knives you can purchase: 1) High stainless steel knives - Fairly sharp, hold their edge well, somewhat difficult to sharpen. These are the knives that you are most likely to purchase at a store. Prices range from very cheap to very expensive (I own a Wusthof set, so I know how expensive they can get). 2) High carbon steel knives - Very sharp, dull easily, easy to sharpen. These are the cheapest, easiest to sharpen, and lose their edge the fastest. These also tend to be used by professionals (I managed over 80 "knife hands" early in my career and this is all we used - people would dull on average 6 per day). 3) Ceramic knives - Supremely sharp, hold their edge practically forever, impossible to sharpen. Expensive, and prone to breaking if not used properly. Most people purchase high stainless steel knife sets, and these are adequate for general utility. But it's not the best strategy for a well prepared chef to follow. The best approach is to have multiple knives and use them for specialized purposes. Here's what you should do: 1) Buy this ceramic set. Use it for everything except boning, prying, and crushing. Under no circumstance should you ever use it for boning, as you will likely chip the blade (i.e no knife work that requires any prying or side-to-side motion). Hand wash, and don't drop on your tile floor. They will last you forever and you will wonder why you ever used anything else. (I've owned a 5" ceramic utility for almost 10 years and it still hasn't required sharpening). 2) Go to your local restaurant supply store and buy at several 6" high carbon steel boning knives. They are generally very cheap, and very cheap looking. Use these knives for general cutting and boning. Sharpen them frequently (a quick run over a steel after every use is best). If you follow this strategy you will be amazed at what you can do with the ceramics, and you will also have the best (and cheapest) boning knives to decrease the chance that you'll ever chip one of your ceramics. Hope this helps anyone who has stumbled onto this backwater Amazon page in their pursuit of the ultimate knife!

I purchased this set with high expectations, looking for an exceptionally sharp pair of knives to help make cooking a bit easier and more fun. In all I'm only moderately satisfied with these knives. 1) Sharpness: I was expecting the sharpest knives out there. They are indeed sharp, and right on par my regularly sharpened basic knife set. However, when it comes to true tests of sharpness these have let me down a bit. When cutting a tomato for example, I have to saw a bit to get the knife through the fruit. And with the classic "paper test" gently running the knife down a sheet of paper grabs at it before slicing in a half tear uneven fashion. I was happy to have the slightly above average sharpness, if only for its durability and not needing to sharpen as often. Then I purchased a Shun Premiere 8" chef's knife and the difference is night and day. These were supposed to be the sharper knives but the Shun is the one sliding gently through the tomato, whispering through a sheet of paper and nicking off hairs on the sponge when cleaned. I doubt that all of these reviews could be wrong, but I bet that the factory sharpening on these knives was average and I should send them in for a tune-up. 2) Feel: The handle is cheap and light plastic, not at all appropriate for knives that are attempting to be higher end. My hands slip a bit on them and it is hard to get optimal leverage on the knife for cutting tasks. It works just fine, but the balance just doesn't feel completely natural and I often find myself reaching for other knives that are a bit more comfortable. 3) Heft: These are the lightest knives I've ever owned. When I began my search for a new set of kitchen knives I think that I concentrated too much on sharpness. I'm sure that these have the potential to be amazingly sharp, however the light weight forces me to supply all of the force during cutting so even with a sharp edge the knife can't glide through the object but has to be pushed. In sum, I'm using my Shun 8" chef knife for most of the kitchen tasks, with the Kyocera paring knife when a smaller blade is needed. I'll be sending these in for the ceramic sharpening when I can get around to it and hope to see some of that class-leading sharpness I was initially expecting.