Slice Ceramic Knife Blades

[airdave]

Have you tried resharpening the ceramic blade?

[rickstef]

Have not needed to do so, and I have no idea what to use to do that

[at6]

I've never heard of sharpening a ceramic blade. I was always told that they would never lose their "edge".

[asettico]

Originally Posted by rickstef

Have not needed to do so, and I have no idea what to use to do that

I agree that they don't need to be resharpened, but in the case you need a diamond sharpener (I'm not sure it's the right term), a "rasp" with the surface covered by (synthetic) diamond sand.
I never had it, so my information end here.

[keithwwalker]

If you read the article comments that I hyperlinked above, the best results for sharpening a ceramic blade were with a diamond paste. A solid sharpener like a stone would gouge the ceramic on a microscopic level and a paste would 'cushion' the abrasive to provide a cleaner cut.

With regard to Slice cutters, I ordered a supply of pointed #11 blades as the tip of the blades that come with the handles are curved and dulled at the tip on purpose to lessen injuries for industrial workers. The #11 ceramic blade should have better performance on paper kits.

[mbauer]

Just bought the Westcott Slice Ceramic Safety Blade Utility Knife from Wal Mart for $3.73. Has the retractable blade.


Mike

[Damraska]

Please pardon my ignorance but why the heck would one ever bother with a ceramic blade in any form for anything? Iron is easily worked, easily forged into carbon steel, and makes up 25% of the mass of the Earth!. It is not some ultra rare resource requiring conservation. It is not toxic to life as we know it in the form of carbon steel or rust. A box of 100 #11 blades made of surgical steel costs, like, $10 US. I bought such a box maybe 10 years ago and still have about 75 unused blades. They are more sharp and far more sturdy than any blade sold by X-Acto. I guess if I needed to cut something at a temperature above the melting point of carbon steel a ceramic blade might make sense if lasers and plasma cutters did not exist. Again, please pardon my ignorance and sense of humor but I just do not get this one. Do ceramic blades have some application where they beat carbon steel? I read through this entire thread and my take-away was that they are expensive and suck.

[airdave]

I think the selling points of ceramic blades are two things:
a. supposedly they stay sharp forever (not sure about that since they do chip).
b. they aren't as dangerous to skin. ceramic blades cut through paper, etc very cleanly and yet you can run your finger along the blade edge safely.

but I do agree, they are not the magical discovery of the century.
I've had ceramic knives in the kitchen for decades and I have never been that thrilled with them.

*Ceramic knives don't tarnish or rust or bend. For a kitchen application, I guess thats a good thing.

As hobbyists, we are always looking for new ideas and improvements to what we do.
We like to try new things.
That includes new tools that may not suit everyone, but someone will get some use out of them.

[Damraska]

Thank you for the explanation, Dave!

To be clear, I was not calling into question the review process. Obviously, reviews serve an extremely useful function and I enjoy reading them. I was trying to get my head around this particular item--ceramic blades. If they provide a safety benefit than I immediately see the application for use by children and when cooking. It also occurs to me that a ceramic blade might work well for a dive knife. Mine are all made of exotic metals to prevent corrosion. As a result, the stupid things never stay sharp. A ceramic knife might work well in that environment though the shatter problem would concern me.

[at6]

My "LIFE TIME' supply of U.SA. blades will do me just fine. No Chinese crap blades for me. Ceramic is without question. I won't go that route as I prefer metal no matter what.