Sometimes, steel kitchen knives can be a real pain. Sometimes you’ll start to cut, only to realize that the blade has dulled after just a couple of uses. They can always be sharpened, of course, but that’s an ultimately expensive and time-consuming irritation. You have to resharpen steel knives so often, it can feel like you’re doing more sharpening than cutting. Fortunately, there’s another option: ceramic knives, specifically Kyocera ceramic knives.

Kyocera ceramic knives pack a lot of advantages over your basic steel knife. The most easily noticeable one is that your knives will stay sharper for much, much longer - up to 10 times as long. Ceramic blades do not become dull nearly as quickly as steel knives do, so making the switch to ceramic means a lot of saved time and no more aggravation from having to constantly sharpen steel knives. Kyocera produces some of the top quality ceramic knives in the world, and they’re sure not to disappoint.

Kyocera ceramic knives are generally created using zirconium oxide, an extremely hard ceramic material. Zirconium is one of the harder substances in the world, on Moh’s scale of hardness, a scientific scale of relative hardness, it comes in at 8.5 out of 10. Steel knives only reach 6.5 on the scale at best. It’s because of this property that Kyocera ceramic knives hold their edge for so much longer than standard steel blades. Kyocera also produces a line of advanced knives that are measured at almost 10 on Moh’s scale, making nearly as hard as diamond. If that doesn’t convince you, another interesting fact is that most of the time, when a steel knife is being sharpened, it’s against a ceramic sharpening stone.

However, ceramic knives are not without their disadvantages. Their construction makes them more prone to breaking than steel blades. This mostly only comes into play when trying to pry things apart or cut exceptionally hard or frozen foods. Chipping can also occur if a ceramic knife is dropped - this is usually minor, but still inconvenient. The good news is that advanced techniques in ceramic creation have created sturdier ceramic knives.

For instance, you can purchase Kyocera ceramic knives that are crafted using a process known as hot isostatic pressing, or HIP. This process ultimately forms a new compound material that holds an edge just as well as normal ceramic, and not only gives these knives a stylish black blade, it also greatly increases their durability significantly. With these Kyocera ceramic knives, the primary drawback of using ceramic blades is overcome.

There are plenty more reasons to choose Kyocera ceramic knives as your cutting implement of choice. One of the more subtle qualities is that the blades are chemically inert. The advantage of this feature is that it prevents a metallic taste from seeping into your food, as it can with steel knives. It also prevents reactions with acids, oils, and salts that can otherwise wear down a metal blade. Finally, Kyocera ceramic knives are resistant to germs, which can help keep your food safe.

Kyocera ceramic knives are significantly lighter than their steel counterparts. This may seem like a minor feature, but anyone who’s spent an extended period performing repetitive cutting motions can appreciate the reduced fatigue of a lighter knife. The knives are also well balanced for superior comfort. Along with their sharpness and durability, the ease of use of these knives makes working in the kitchen a snap.

Since this discussion started with talk of sharpening, you may be concerned that when your Kyocera ceramic knife eventually dulls, it’ll be impossible to sharpen. Fortunately, for only $10, Kyocera will resharpen your ceramic knives if you ship them to them. It’s true that this is relatively inconvenient, but given that you so rarely have to sharpen your knives, you’ll hardly even notice.

For all their advantages, Kyocera ceramic blades are offered at a fair price. Any number of retail outlets and websites offer these knives, which range from $40 to $90 individually. Sets of Kyocera knives are also available; you can find some of these sets for as little as $350. While it’s true that you can find cheaper knives the kind of quality that you get from Kyocera matches that of the most expensive steel pieces. These blades are comparable to Henckels knives and Wustof cutlery, which can cost hundreds of dollars for each knife. Making the switch the Kyocera ceramic knives is a choice you won’t regret.