Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Ceramic Knief?

Options
jrb06
jrb06 Posts: 52
edited April 2015 in EggHead Forum
Ok what's the opinion on ceramic knife's? SGH you are a knife coinsurer ever dabble with one and if so how would one sharpen it. I received one as a gift and while it works nice and smooth now because it is new and sharp was wondering if anyone else has experience with them.   
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    Options
    Only have one, use it behind the bar (paring knife) it is al least five years old and looks and cuts like it was new, but then it is only used on lemons and limes and the odd celery stick. I’ve had friends say for everyday use they do require sharpening, maybe not as often as steel, but still they need attention. Requires a fine diamond stone I think. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Options
    I bought one some years ago, when they were quite expensive. Was wonderful razor sharp, and stayed that way until I happened to bump the edge against a chicken bone. Got a great big chip in it. I understand some of the newer ones are a little tougher, and I've seen them cheap enough that I wouldn't be upset if I chipped one. I do now have sharpening equipment that could improve an edge, but I suspect that bad damage would require a trip back to the manufacturer.


    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,842
    Options
    @SGH?

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Jstroke
    Jstroke Posts: 2,600
    Options
    Ceramic knives are delicate and if you drop them they shatter and the bottom line is eventually you will drop it so as an every day work horse they do not make a good knife. I have broken two of them and I will not buy another but since you have one as a gift enjoy it while last
    Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    Options
    You can sharpen a ceramic blade. However it is meticulous and labor intensive depending on what equipment that you have. Let me explain. If you are trying to sharpen it by hand, you have to use something much harder than the ceramic such as a diamond stone. Even then it is no cake walk. They are best sharpened on a machine (Baldor) with muslin wheels that are diamond inpregnated. A hard wheel or rock type wheel should not be used unless you are really proficient with your machine because you risk shattering or chipping the ceramic due to vibration. But yes, you absolutley can sharpen them. Let me offer this as well. It's MUCH harder to touch up or remove dings on a ceramic blade than it is metal. If you get a ding that exceeds about 1/8 inch, you are just stuck with it unless you are willing to really get into some intense labor. I'm no expert on the ceramic knives. I have never owned one. That said, I have touched up and sharpened a few for friends and family. They are a real pain to sharpen and touch up without the proper equipment. Being old and stuck in my ways, I just stick with steel blades. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • jrb06
    jrb06 Posts: 52
    Options
    Thanks for all the replies. One of the recommendations is the Work Sharp Ken Onion model using the diamond belts. SGH I am with you on metal blades. I was taught by my father how to use various stones and fixtures to achieve your desired results so when I received this ceramic one it was foreign to me. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • meat73
    meat73 Posts: 140
    Options
    I just got ken onion work smart have used on metal haven't touched ceramic knifes yet
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
    edited April 2015
    Options
    I use ceramics to sharpen my steel knives.  Don't think I would want a ceramic knife.  Hope the wife never decides to buy one as a present for me.

    My only experience with a ceramic knife was a demonstration as to how well they show up on millimeter wave imaging equipment like the new imaging stations at airport security.  I saw the equipment in action long before they were deployed to airports.
    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • paqman
    paqman Posts: 4,670
    Options
    I had two and both ended up with chips.  Repairing chips will cost you as much as buying a new one.  Beside the chipping issue, they are very nice.

    ____________________
    Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • travisstrick
    travisstrick Posts: 5,002
    Options
    Just buy cheap victorinox stuff and a decent sharpener. 

    I I shop flea markets and get old high carbon old hickories. I'm not a good knife sharpener but I own a few good ones. I can shave with those old high carbon blades. They are usually $5-10. 
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,029
    Options
    Wicked sharp!  Lifetime warranty on cracks and chips. Free sharpening from factory. (Your cost postage).  They've been great knives 
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
    Options
    What is a knief?
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • bboulier
    bboulier Posts: 558
    Options
    I stick with steel.  Much easier to maintain a sharp edge.

    Weber Kettle, Weber Genesis Silver B, Medium Egg, KJ Classic (Black)
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • paqman
    paqman Posts: 4,670
    Options
    Chubbs said:
    What is a knief?
    @Chubbs It's a ceramic knife

    ____________________
    Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,189
    Options
    I thought of buying one some years ago but then heard about the chipping problem with them. I think it would not be a good thing to chew into a chipped piece while eating if it went unnoticed. I understand they are less prone to chipping today.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories