Sorta OT - Seattle Ultrasonics' high-vibration Chef's Knife

Botch · January 10

This afternoon I watched my favorite tech-nerds' weekly show "Waveform Podcast"; normally an hour and twenty minutes or so but because of the Holiday break, and CES hitting first week of January, it was over 2.5 hours (still haven't watched it all).
This device got me pretty excited. An independent tinkerer developed this in his garage, spending years with lots of prototypes, his knife was a hit at CES and is scheduled to hit the market in March ($400); after I see a few positive EweTube reviews I will probably be buying one.
The knife doesn't use two oscillating blades like your standard electric knife, but rather uses piezoelectric transducers to vibrate a single blade, back and forth about the distance of 1/4 of a grain of salt, at 30K rpm. He is slicing baguettes cleanly by just pressing down, scallion greens held up in the air, and grapes without even holding them. If this is the case and not AI, this is an incredible invention.

https://youtu.be/cXjbSVt9XNM?si=LgIBCGJO8L9Ea4Uy

Know how, when your dog is playing in the backyard, and you open a bag of potato chips and they're instantly at your feet because they heard the bag crinkle? Well, this knife, at 30K rpm, we won't even be able to hear (ultrasonic) but Fido will!

Try to copy the Waveform discussion here at the right time, I'm not good at this: EDIT: Nope, it didn't work; start the video at about 1:20

https://youtu.be/TPqmGfulrfw?t=4890

CTMike · January 10

That's pretty damned cool, and hopefully it lives up to the claims in the video.

Corv · January 10

Cool knife. Let us know how you like it, assuming you get it. The price isn't that outrageous, I've seen knives that cost more... but not many.

JohnInCarolina · January 10

Never thought I’d consider buying a vibrator, @Botch, and yet … here we are.

Jokes aside, I’d have a hard time justifying this with what I’ve spent on quality knives and tools to keep them sharp.

GrateEggspectations · January 10

Neat, Botch. I randomly came across the video for this some time back. Would be interested to see a detailed, real world review if you happen to get one of the blades in your hands.

lousubcap · January 10

I'm too old for any more kitchen cutlery hardware. Too much inventory now.
But I hope it works and has market traction.

RRP · January 10

me too, Cap!

Gulfcoastguy · January 10

It would just be a faster way for me to chop off my fingers. The ER isn’t cheap

Canugghead · January 10

In the video it never or hardly touches a cutting board, what happens to the cutting board in real life use?

DoubleEgger · January 10

I can’t believe that people would watch a 2.5hr podcast. Podcasters love to hear themselves talk.

JohnInCarolina · January 10

Canugghead said:

In the video it never or hardly touches a cutting board, what happens to the cutting board in real life use?

The same thing that happens when you use a regular knife that is very sharp. It will cut into the board a little.

With anything like this, my general advice to people is to wait until the second generation of the tool becomes available. There are two reasons for this:
1) if it’s actually any good, the product will survive past the launch
2) there’s no substitute for the testing the public will do. Minor issues will be identified, and likely corrected in subsequent versions.

The same logic applies even more so to new automobile models, by the way. Purchase a new model in its first year at your own peril.

Canugghead · January 10

DoubleEgger said:

I can’t believe that people would watch a 2.5hr podcast. Podcasters love to hear themselves talk.

Agree. I watched the first video, but 2.5hr for the second one is insane no thanks.

Canugghead · January 10

@JohnInCarolina
TBH, with the exception of a so-so Shun chef knife that I don't use everyday, I never owned a very sharp knife

Agree with your thoughts re bleeding edge. However, if it stands the test of time I may bite on it since I have next to nothing investment in decent knives and sharpening tools.

GrateEggspectations · January 10

Canugghead said:

@JohnInCarolina
TBH, with the exception of a so-so Shun chef knife that I don't use everyday, I never owned a very sharp knife
Agree with your thoughts re bleeding edge. However, if it stands the test of time I may bite on it since I have next to nothing investment in decent knives and sharpening tools.

Get your a$$ to the new-ish KnifeWear location in Toronto! 😎

Corv · January 10

Another reason for holding off is the liklihood of cheaper imported versions some time. Hate to say that, though.

JohnInCarolina · January 10

We’re not trying to rain on your parade here, @Botch. You should absolutely get one if you want to, and all of us here will surely be interested to hear about how well it works.

Canugghead · January 10

GrateEggspectations said:

Canugghead said:

@JohnInCarolina
TBH, with the exception of a so-so Shun chef knife that I don't use everyday, I never owned a very sharp knife
Agree with your thoughts re bleeding edge. However, if it stands the test of time I may bite on it since I have next to nothing investment in decent knives and sharpening tools.

Get your a$$ to the new-ish KnifeWear location in Toronto! 😎

Nay...patent pending

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/sf/ouetgx6mzp5y.jpg

GrateEggspectations · January 10

To clarify a common misconception, you can make any knife wicked sharp - especially with narrow blade angles. The difference with higher quality offerings is how long they’ll hold that edge. Rockwell hardness (HRC) helps gauge this.

I’ve said it before and I’ll drone on once again…. A quality kitchen knife has been my favourite culinary purchase by far.

The C-200 may be the one for you, @Botch. That being said, I’ve seen ease of slicing approaching what is depicted in the video by traditional knives as well - albeit without the need to charge and without the point of potential failure.

A few considerations…..

I notice the knife steel used in the Seattle Ultrasonics is Japanese san mai AUS-10. This puts it in the range of 58-61 HRC. I see that Seattle Ultrasonics pegs their knife at 60, assuming that’s accurate. To contrast, most handcrafted Japanese knives fall between 60 and 66 HRC. I’ve owned knives that were 60 and knives that are 66. The delta is really quite significant.

The Seattle Ultrasonics knife is a 200mm (8”) in more or less of a Western chef’s knife shape (“gyuto” in Japanese knife-speak). Is that the size and shape you want? As far as length, a general rule of thumb is that the blade should equal the distance between your wrist and elbow crease. You’re a big guy (6’3” or so, IIRC), so just keep that in mind. I’m shy of 6’ and have my favourite blade in both a 210mm and the exact same knife in a 240mm. The 210 is generally my go-to, though that may be case because the smaller handle is a better fit for my hand. The size of your kitchen and cutting boards should also be considered.

Western blade angles usually sit at about 20 degrees, with Japanese ones being much narrower, at 10-15 or so. The C-200 claims a 13 degree blade angle, so my thinking is that the narrow angle combined with the softer steel means that it will be sharp, but it may require sharpening more frequently than many other offerings in the same price range. Didn't watch the reviews, but keep in mind that they are probably of a brand new, never-before-used blade. It will take work to keep that sharpness up, and in doing so, you will be wearing that steel away.

The other aspect you may want to think about is weight. My wife’s chef knife is light as a feather. She loves this. Conversely, my favourite knives are relatively heavy (they use 3-4 times the volume of steel found in most Japanese knives); I like to let the blade do the work during the cut. When selecting between a wa (traditional Japanese) and yo (Western) handle, I chose yo - partially in deference to the blacksmith, because he preferred it on his knives, and partially because the tang added significant weight over the wa handle, which overall included far less steel. I saw no weight listed for the C-200 on the site, but Google tells me it’s 328 grams - rather heavy for a blade that size. Weight makes a big difference as far as the feel in your hands, so that could be good or bad depending on your preference.

Given the price tag of the C-200, you have some nice alternatives to consider - be they Western or Japanese. I suggest you try out a variety and see what suits you best, whether it be the Seattle Ultrasonics or something else.

GrateEggspectations · January 10

JohnInCarolina said:

Canugghead said:

In the video it never or hardly touches a cutting board, what happens to the cutting board in real life use?

The same thing that happens when you use a regular knife that is very sharp. It will cut into the board a little.

This is why end grain is so much better than edge grain for cutting boards. If adequately hydrated, end grain fibres will almost completely close back up. My 6+ yo Boos looks almost new - especially when well hydrated.

Corv · January 11

I have a cutting board with the grain running lengthwise. It's not end grain, and over the years, it got pretty well carved up. End grain's the way to go. And sharp knives.

RRP · January 11

GrateEggspectations. You taught me more in your educated reply than I have ever heard explained and in an easy to understand manner. So thank you, Sir!

lousubcap · January 11

@GrateEggspectations - the above knife posting is a great knife 101 benchmark. Well-written, full of insights and definitely easy to read and comprehend. Needs to be required reading for anyone getting sucked into the serious knife vortex. Nice!

MaskedMarvel · January 11

I confess I’m intrigued. Swappable batteries?

here are the ribs I just did today…. Well - I did them Easter. Frozen and reheated in the bag in boiling water for 20 minutes. …

Frig. Never mind. I can’t post pics

MaskedMarvel · January 11

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/lp/od3dpq6foqt4.png

Posted to show my knife I got working a kitchen line in 1992…

GrateEggspectations · January 11

@RRP, @lousubcap - Thanks, gents. Went down a bit of a rabbit hole years back and haven’t quite resurfaced.

@Botch - At the risk of droning on (part two), the other thing that stands out to me about the C-200 that I didn’t address above is an ergonomic and aesthetic issue - the handle. That handle is very thick - much thicker than any I’ve ever seen anywhere. I notice that the inventor made a video specifically about the weight of the knife in which he compares the handle to traditional offerings and concludes, wrongly IMO, that it’s only a little bit thicker than many offerings of similarly sized blades from other manufacturers (https://youtu.be/KzmJLbYMi3Q?si=npfd-hqBtVoJia4_).

He explains that the size and weight of the handle is due to all of the electronics and ultrasonic technology that needs to go into the knife, which is understandable. Just know that the proportions between handle and blade are very unconventional on the C-200 - so much so that he made a video focused on it, which tells me that it’s probably been a bit of a sore point re: feedback he received in development and testing.

It is often said that a knife should feel and be used (i.e., gripped) like an extension of your hand and arm - ergonomics count in achieving this aim.

GrateEggspectations · January 11

@Canugghead

I had the same thought but believed it too crass to post. 😂

A bullet vibrator would probably be more ergonomic. 🤣 Just walk on over to the Pentagon’s least favourite store.

Ozzie_Isaac · 4:54PM

So much writing in this thread! A few things:

1. Heck yeah! Commercially viable ultrasonic knife! Better than a hover board, looking forward to real world reviews.

2. 2.5 hr podcast (going to ignore the term “podcast” here since it is more a video blog) is not a big deal to watch. I usually have them playing in the background while I cook. I have watched 8 hrs video blogs on the Star Wars prequels while cooking. I’m not solely focused on it, kind of like music in the background.

JohnInCarolina · 5:01PM

Ozzie_Isaac said:

So much writing in this thread! A few things:

1. Heck yeah! Commercially viable ultrasonic knife! Better than a hover board, looking forward to real world reviews.

Debatable.

Sorta OT - Seattle Ultrasonics' high-vibration Chef's Knife

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