Ceramic Knives?

[HowardCohodas]

A soldier (not SF) acquaintance waxed lyrical about these ceramic knives (http://www.ceramicknife.org/) which he took one with him several years ago on his deployment to Iraq. Anyone here have any experience or thoughts on this product or the technology in general?

[Plutarch]

Ceramic knives cut well, but have to be sent back in for sharpening and are brittle. I tried them out when I was a chef, but they just weren't practical. This was about nine years ago, perhaps they have been improved upon.

[Bill Harsey]

We used to have an edged weapon area here but tools belong in field craft too.

There is a reason humans went from lithics to steel.

[cornelyj]

Can you sharpen you fancy ceramic knife on a river bed stone?

I bet you could sharpen your well made Harsey knife and it wouldn't crack when you needed it the most.

But they do make some mighty nice sushi knives!:munchin

[HowardCohodas]

Can you sharpen you fancy ceramic knife on a river bed stone?

I bet you could sharpen your well made Harsey knife and it wouldn't crack when you needed it the most.

But they do make some mighty nice sushi knives!:munchin

It takes diamond dust to sharpen it. Sharpening Advice (http://www.ceramicknife.org/gpage4.html) Credit card sized diamond encrusted steel available Diamond sharpening hone (http://www.ceramicknife.org/images/diamondhone.jpg)

[cornelyj]

I guess my point was a knife like any tool for use is only good at the specific tasks it was made for... You don't use a 10lb hammer to fix a watch. Ceramic knives were first introduced from the Japanese as sushi and fine culinary uses; as for a field knife that I would risk my life on not so much. Being in the field I believe anyone would be better suited with a high strength and quality steel blade that would pass the 90 degree test.

Also from the little research I have done cutting with a ceramic blade anything demanding will put nicks and grooves in the blade and it will need sharpening almost every time out of use. Not very useful say on an ftx or deployment when keeping your blade sharp is the last thing on your mind.

The only plus is if your on a super secret squirrel op you can pass through metal detectors from some governmental regulated knives, you must purchase a document that I believe is similar to a silencer stamp. Another plus would be it is a non metallic so it would not make sparks or be susceptible to some types of acids. To be honest I haven't really looked into getting an all ceramic knife that much. Now most of the ceramic chef knifes and the like have enough metallic content to make a metal detector go off so don't buy one and try to get on the next red eye.

I will say it again they do make FINE sushi knives if your into sashimi and the like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFnT5INymiY&feature=PlayList&p=7C010B4994B8C56A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=41