Ceramic Blades

[pg john]

I'm a newbe to the forum having purchased my first Spyderhawk--very authoritive tool. My question is what is your opinion of ceramic blade knives? My understanding is that they are extremely sharp and hold an edge for an incredably long time but they can be brittle and break or chip.

Opinions and experiences please.

[Teddy Thompson]

Think your understanding is correct on both counts. Plus, the I understand it, true ceramic blades can't be sharpened by the owner but must be returned to the maker for sharpening. That alone is enough to kill my interest in them.

[Javascript]

As pry bars go, they suck worse than a good knife, which aren't very good pry bars, either.
They will keep their ability to cut even when micro chips develop because of the crystaline nature of the material--they will still slice.
I have one for the kitchen and like it. But I'd rather use a good steel knife, personally.

[Donut]

I have some ceramic razor blades. They don't last that much longer than normal ones to justify the difference in price. They might last twice as long, but the razor blades are 10 times as expensive.

[SQSAR]

High tech ceramics have their place (bearings, armor, grinding, dental implants, brake pads, etc...) but their use in consumer type cutting applications isn't yet evolved to the degree that their cost/benefits outweigh that of steel, , , especially higher-end steels used in the cutlery world. But who knows what the future holds.