Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Revolution Series 7-inch Serrated Slicing Bread Knife, Black Handle, White Blade

My father worked as a professional butcher, on the weekends, at a high-end butcher shop with a Meat Market. His career was in the oil business, but his passion was in that special cut of prime beef, and select cuts of quality meat. He taught me how to use, sharpen, clean and store professional steel blade butcher knives.Professional butchers use Cleavers, Saws, Scissors, Serrated Blades, Boning Knives, Dicers, Filet, Slicing and even Paring knives. The cutting edges of the finer blades are dressed and sharpened with a professional round sharpening steel before each job. Today, some east and west coast butcher shops offer a three-day class for about $1,500, including a professional knife set. Or, for about $15,000 you can attend a 12-week apprenticeship that allows the students work alongside the pros.You probably won't see very many Ceramic Knives in a Professional Butcher Shop. However, America's Restaurants and In-Home Kitchens are a different story~!It took me awhile to make the transition from steel kitchen knives to Ceramic knives, but, I am glad I did. The ceramic knives are just better. They are lighter, sharper and have the feel of precision. However, I did a fair amount of research on the different brands before making the choice to go with Kyocera. Kyocera Ceramic Knives almost always came out on top in reviews and comparison tests. Kyocera also offers free sharpening if you should ever damage your Kyocera knife blade. Otherwise, if used properly, the Kyocera Ceramic blade should stay razor sharp indefinitely.Because the ceramic knives are so light, it took me awhile to develop a feel for the knives. But, as I said, that feel was micro smooth precision. Ceramic blades are very hard, second only to a diamond. So, a well sharpened blade from the factory will hold that edge indefinitely, and this Kyocera blade is very sharp. Steel blades require constant sharpening. Ceramic blades are also very dense. A quick rinse in warm water will get a ceramic blade cleaner than a scrubbing on a metal blade. And, Kyocera's molded handles are cleaner and more sanitary than handles of different materials mechanically attached to a blade.These Kyocera Ceramic knives are capable of very thin slices with very little pressure. If you sometimes slice items while holding them in your hands... fruit, bagels, etc., be VERY carful. These extremely sharp ceramic knives will slice through the item and make contact with your skin before you know it. The Kyocera Micro Serrated slicing knives are wonderful. I have a complete set of Kyocera Ceramic knives and they all come razor sharp. However, between this 7-inch serrated slicing knife and the Kyocera 5-inch micro serrated knife, these two knives take care of 95% of my cutting needs in the kitchen.When using the Kyocera Ceramic knives, you must abandon any old habits of handling your knives in a rough manner. No more prying, hacking or tossing the knives in a drawer. No more chopping through frozen foods or bone. No more hard cutting surfaces. End-grain wooden cutting boards are the best. Ceramic knives are not an all-in-one utility tool. They are precision cutting instruments, and should be treated as such. They should be cleaned after each use, and they should be stored in wooden knife blocks. If surgeons aren't using ceramic scalpels yet, they will probably be using them soon. And, several pocket knives are now available with ceramic blades. I switched to Ceramic blades because they are here to stay.

I was skeptical that it would end up just another knife in the drawer. Not so! This is now my favorite knife because it does what a knife is supposed to do: serve as a kitchen tool that makes work easier. It slices and dices like no other knife I have.When some people have a hammer, everything becomes a nail. In other words, they want one knife that will do every job in the kitchen. If that is what you are looking for, this knife isn't for you. This knife is for slicing and dicing. It is not a knife that I would use on tasks that require twisting or coring. It is ceramic ... not metal. It will break if used on glass or granite. When I have a task that requires me to cut on glass or granite, or a task that requires me to twist a knife, I turn to one of my metal knives. If I am going to smash garlic with the side of a knife, I would not reach for my ceramic knife because I understand that it will break. I would not use this knife to cut through meats that have bones. The bone might chip or damage the knife. I am content to use the right tools for jobs and do not mind switching between this knife and a metal knife if, in fact, the job calls for it. Also, I am careful not to throw the knife into the drawer with my metal knives ... it would probably chip the knife.The other day, I used this knife to finely mince fresh rosemary. It worked like a dream! It slices through tomatoes perfectly. It cut paper thin slices of tomatoes with perfect execution.I am a strong believer that you get what you pay for. There are cheap ceramic knives and there are expensive ceramic knives. I cannot make a statement about the cheaper ceramic knives because I've never tried one; however, I can speak about this knife and am very happy to have added it to my arsenal of kitchen tools.I highly recommend this knife. I believe this knife sets a high standard for ceramic knives.Update (January 29, 2012): Sadly, I must say this WAS my favorite knife. I used it to cut some meat and, not realizing there was a bone, the blade cracked into several pieces. I won't be replacing the knife.

This is my favorite "go to" knife. I use it for cutting fish, meat, fruit..just about everything. Sharp as a razor and stays sharp.The edge is somewhat fragile so don't use it cut boxes or open packages. But, I have one for over a year and now purchased this one to have as a back up.The price goes up and down, so look around for the best price.But, as has been noted, all of these ceramic blades vary widely with regards to quality and longevity.The Kyocera are pretty much the best, but the price is iffy. So, look around and make the choice.This is a great knife for all kinds of carving, not just bread

I'll start with the reason I only gave it 4 stars. Unfortunately, despite being a sharp incredible knife, it has no room for your fingers while gripping the handle. When the blade is fully on the cutting board, you cannot be gripping the handle. I have little hands, so I've never had this issue with a knife before. It's a design flaw they should remedy to make this the best knife.Otherwise the blade is incredibly sharp and cuts like a dream. I find myself using it for tomatoes. The white blade does stain on some herbs like basil, but I'm not bothered by that.

For years, I've been cooking with an expensive Chef knife from Cutco. But, I found it big, heavy and unwieldy for cutting anything delicate or precise. I bought the ceramic Santoku knife from Kyocera and I love it. It's so much easier to work with and it stays sharp for much longer than my steel knives. It weighs about 1/3 as much and is so sharp, you don't need the weight to cut things like carrots. I liked it so much that I also bought the Kyocera Chef and Utility knives, plus the block and cutting board. These knives are a dream to cook with. I highly recommend them.