Best Chefs Knife Review: Kyocera Kyotop Damascus Pakka Handle 6.0-Inch Chef Knife

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Kyocera Kyotop Damascus Pakka Handle 6.0-Inch Chef Knife

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 Kyocera Kyotop Damascus is one of the premium ceramics in their line.

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 are 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.

Click here to check out current prices on the Kyocera Kyotop Damascus Chef Knife

Kyocera Kyotop Damascus Pakka Handle 6.0-Inch Chef Knife Features

• Specially designed 6-inch ceramic chef knife with superior sharpness
• Ceramic blade with a Damascus look and a hardness comparable to diamond
• Hot Isostatic Pressed blades with greater wear resistance
• Pakka wood handles are moisture resistant and triple riveted
• Dimensions: 11.5 x 0.7 x 1.2 inches ; 3.5 ounces

Kyocera Kyotop 6.0-Inch Reviews

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 Pakkawood 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.  Pakkawood 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.”

Here at Best Chefs Knife we separate the good reviews from the bad, but we’re aware that many negative reviews simply come from the consumer being ill-informed.  Ceramic knives certainly fall into this category, as some reviewers simply were new to using a ceramic knife.  Not knowing the limitations of the material (it cannot be twisted or flexed, and a drop on the floor could mean disaster), several consumers simply chose to give the knife a bad review.

That being said, at Best Chefs Knife we are also sensitive to the fact that our readers are just looking for “The Best Chef’s Knife.” If a knife can’t be used for something like smashing garlic with the side of the blade (which you shouldn’t do with ceramic), then is that only a limitation of the material?  Or of the knife overall?

In the end we were a bit torn ourselves.  Price-wise, this is not a cheap knife nor is it indicative of the cost of ceramic knives overall.  Ceramic does come with a higher retail, but at only 6 inches the price should be comparable to other 8-inch chef knives. At over $200, the Kyocera Kyotop Damascus is much higher, possibly only due to the Pakka wood handles.

In the end, we cannot give this knife our Best Chefs Knife recommendation. The price is simply too high to accommodate the limitations of ceramic.  Don’t get us wrong, we do love ceramic.  But there are far less expensive alternatives out there to introduce ceramic into your kitchen.  At this price you should expect this knife to multi-task its way through everything a chef could throw at it.  It simply can’t.

We have found Amazon.com to have the best prices on chef’s knives including the Kyocera Kyotop.  Click here to check it out.

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