Cheapest Tachi 6" Ceramic Chef's Knife Black Series

I bought the Tachi three knife set (with black blades). This knife is identical to one of the three knives in my set. I am not disappointed. In fact, these knives have become my preferred knives for almost everything.

Ceramic Knives are an up and coming thing, but they have advantages and disadvantages. I also bought some Stafford Worldwide Ceramic Paring Knives and I compared all of these very closely to the Kyocera Ceramic Knives, and I find them to be fairly similar, though the Tachi knives are considerably sharper than the cheaper Stafford Worldwide knives.

Advantages:

1. They retain their sharpness for many years, far longer than any steel knife.

2. They are quite inert and do not rust or react to food and chemicals.

3. The blade, at least, can withstand very high temperatures, up to 1,400 Degrees F., and it doesn't hurt the blade. Whether the handle can withstand these temperatures is another matter.

4. The blades are lighter weight than steel.

5. Because of their lack of reactivity, these knives clean up fast and easily.

Disadvantages:

1. Though the blades are sharp and retain their sharpness, I cannot say they are sharper than steel blades. Certainly razor blades are sharper, as are surgical scalpels. A good, sharp carbon steel blade would also be sharper, so don't get confused or expect too much. The advantage is not that they are super sharp, but that they are quite sharp and they RETAIN their sharpness.

2. The blades are not STRONG. They are made out of Zirconium, the same thing that is in Cubic Zirconium, and Cubic Zirconium is a very hard substance, second only to Diamonds. But they lack the crystalline structure of the Cubic Zirconium. On a molecular level they are instead, an amorphous ceramic, almost like glass, and though they don't dull easily, they will break VERY easily if put under any kind of twisting motion, side to side motion, or similar bending stress, or if they are struck against a hard object such as stone or bone. They also might break if dropped on a tile or cement floor.

I strongly recommend you ONLY use it to cut on plastic or wooden surfaces. Vegetables and boneless meat are the premier uses for these knives. Buy yourself a nice counter top butcher block knife holder to keep these knives in, and always hand wash the knives and put them back into the block. Don't leave them in the sink where they might get broken by heavy kettles or plates being placed on them.

Having said all of the above, if you want a sharp knife that will stay sharp and last for many years with proper care, then this certainly is something with which you could be happy. These actually are now the sharpest knives in my drawer, including sharper than several (older) sets of Cutco knives. I rate it four stars ONLY because of the general lack of toughness that ALL ceramic knives have, NOT because of any inherent defect in this product.Get more detail about Tachi 6" Ceramic Chef's Knife Black Series.