The Kyocera Kyotop

Kyocera Kyotop Damascus

Many Americans got their first introduction to the ceramic knife from celebrity fusion chef, Ming Tsai. Both his Simply Ming and East Meets West programs promoted his use of Kyocera cutlery and the ceramic knife trend was born. These incredibly hard, dense knives offered an interesting alternative to the chef’s traditional steel. The Kyotop is one of the premiere knives in Kyocera’s lineup.

Ceramic knives are produced by pressing zirconia powder and firing them in what is known as a sintering furnace. This process makes for an extremely sharp, hard knife that will never rust and hold its edge for years. Kyocera’s process utilizes a second firing under high pressure and temperature forming what is called Hot Isostatic Pressed, or “HIP” blades. This increases the density of the ceramic material and also gives the blade its distinctive, black Damascus-steel look.

Kyocera’s Kyotop Damascus line features a moisture-resistant, 3 riveted Pakka wood handle and comes with a lifetime of re-sharpening. This is an important point when considering any ceramic knife. While they remain sharp for years, ultimately “microchips” and abrasions will eventually dull the blade. This is not a knife you sharpen yourself. Kyocera will re-sharpen your blade free of charge and ship it back to you (a $10 charge for shipping, you also pay the one-way shipping to them), usually within 2 weeks.

This knife has many favorable reviews from satisfied ceramic knife users. That is an important point we will address in a moment. Reviewers note the Kyotop being scary-sharp right out of the box and were very happy with the overall balance and weight. Several comments addressed the knife being quite a bit lighter in weight than they were accustomed to for that size blade, but that should be expected in a non-steel knife.

The reviewers generally loved the look of the knife and the Pakka wood handles, however one found the handle shape to be a bit straight and square. They felt this made the knife a little uncomfortable for their hand but that it was just a personal choice. Pakka wood handles are being found in a variety of knives these days, including the Shun Classic.

As for the blade, the majority felt that this was about as sharp as a knife can get for cutting and slicing tasks.They cautioned that you should do no prying or twisting as with any ceramic, but for vegetables and boneless meats the edge was the best.  A reviewer did remark that over time his has received a few detectible nicks in the blade, which were too small to see but could be felt by running your nail along the edge. To that end, no reviewer rated the sharpening process by Kyocera as anything but exemplary. They stated the service is outstanding and just “adds to the great experience with any of their kitchen knives.”

My name is Allan Stewart and I have several websites dedicated to health and well being for people and pets as well as product information. Want to learn more about Kyocera products, go to: Ceramic Knives Or visit my website at Kyocera Ceramics for more information about Kyocera products. Also see my other article on ceramic knives: Pros and cons of ceramic knives