Ceramic cutter

smbrink · November 2010

Anybody here ever use a ceramic cutter? I know that they're great for knives, but I'm wondering if that applies to cigar cutters as well.

kuzi16 · November 2010

im assuming that just like the knives, one drop on the floor and they are toast.

KCW · November 2010

kuzi16:
im assuming that just like the knives, one drop on the floor and they are toast.

or the sink....

One2gofst · November 2010

Most folks think ceramic knives are great. Most folks don't know a whole lot about knives. There are certain characteristics of ceramic that make knives good, in certain narrow instancs. However, for general use and even most specialized uses steels of different varieties are better.

While I am nowhere near as knowledgeable about cigar cutters as I am knives, I would say that high-quality steel cutters work extremely well. They also don't have edge retention or corrosion issues regular knife users are so concerned about. I'd just stick with quality steel.

To each their own. This is just my $.02 based on considerable knowledge of blade steels, edge geometry, heat treat, etc as well as over 11 years in the hobby and a collection of hundreds valued in the tens of thousands...and no ceramic blades in said collection

xmacro · November 2010

One2gofst:
Most folks think ceramic knives are great. Most folks don't know a whole lot about knives. There are certain characteristics of ceramic that make knives good, in certain narrow instancs. However, for general use and even most specialized uses steels of different varieties are better.

While I am nowhere near as knowledgeable about cigar cutters as I am knives, I would say that high-quality steel cutters work extremely well. They also don't have edge retention or corrosion issues regular knife users are so concerned about. I'd just stick with quality steel.

To each their own. This is just my $.02 based on considerable knowledge of blade steels, edge geometry, heat treat, etc as well as over 11 years in the hobby and a collection of hundreds valued in the tens of thousands...and no ceramic blades in said collection

So say I like cooking as a hobby, but the run-of-the-mill WalMart knives aren't my thing - they dull too quickly, hard to sharpen, and they rust over in the dishwasher, etc. What kind of knives would you recommend for someone who enjoys cooking as a hobby, but not a career?

ShotgunJohn · November 2010

xmacro:
So say I like cooking as a hobby, but the run-of-the-mill WalMart knives aren't my thing - they dull too quickly, hard to sharpen, and they rust over in the dishwasher, etc. What kind of knives would you recommend for someone who enjoys cooking as a hobby, but not a career?

Holy crap you should never put knives in the dishwasher. The dishwasher can destroy a knife. I personally use Cutco knives, but my old collection of Henkel knives are great prep knives.

xmacro · November 2010

ShotgunJohn:
xmacro:
So say I like cooking as a hobby, but the run-of-the-mill WalMart knives aren't my thing - they dull too quickly, hard to sharpen, and they rust over in the dishwasher, etc. What kind of knives would you recommend for someone who enjoys cooking as a hobby, but not a career?

Holy crap you should never put knives in the dishwasher. The dishwasher can destroy a knife. I personally use Cutco knives, but my old collection of Henkel knives are great prep knives.

I used to have to handwash all my dishes, cutlery, spoons, forks, etc back in grad school since I didn't have a dishwasher, so I HATE handwashing with a passion

One2gofst · November 2010

xmacro:
One2gofst:
Most folks think ceramic knives are great. Most folks don't know a whole lot about knives. There are certain characteristics of ceramic that make knives good, in certain narrow instancs. However, for general use and even most specialized uses steels of different varieties are better.

While I am nowhere near as knowledgeable about cigar cutters as I am knives, I would say that high-quality steel cutters work extremely well. They also don't have edge retention or corrosion issues regular knife users are so concerned about. I'd just stick with quality steel.

To each their own. This is just my $.02 based on considerable knowledge of blade steels, edge geometry, heat treat, etc as well as over 11 years in the hobby and a collection of hundreds valued in the tens of thousands...and no ceramic blades in said collection
So say I like cooking as a hobby, but the run-of-the-mill WalMart knives aren't my thing - they dull too quickly, hard to sharpen, and they rust over in the dishwasher, etc. What kind of knives would you recommend for someone who enjoys cooking as a hobby, but not a career?

Sorry to say, but you should never put knives in the dishwasher for a number of reasons. Really, if you wash them right away, it is not much of a hassle.

As far as good knives that will not break the bank, I would look to Victorinox by Forschner. They are what many restaurants have for the kitchen staff. You can get better ones or fancier ones, but not or the price. IMO, Henckles knives are overprices for what you get. I would also buy knives as singles. When you buy block sets you invariably get knives you don't use and don't get knives you would like.

For blocks I use the Kapoosh, block, but it only holds knives up to 8", FYI.

Oh, and I always point out that I was turned on to Victorinox by Forschner kitchen knives by an extremely talented and popular custom knifemaker, Tom Krein. He makes amazing knives and when his mother needed new kitchen knives he bought her the Victorinox. That should speak to their quality.

BTW, one last thing. If you insist upon putting knives in the dishwasher, the Victorinox are a good value, as they will resharpen for free, just pay shipping. And stay away from carbon steel. I like carbon steel for certain kitchen knives, but they will not last if you use them in the dishwasher. Stainless will oxidize too, just not nearly to the same extent or at the same rate.

One2gofst · November 2010

ShotgunJohn:
xmacro:
So say I like cooking as a hobby, but the run-of-the-mill WalMart knives aren't my thing - they dull too quickly, hard to sharpen, and they rust over in the dishwasher, etc. What kind of knives would you recommend for someone who enjoys cooking as a hobby, but not a career?

Holy crap you should never put knives in the dishwasher. The dishwasher can destroy a knife. I personally use Cutco knives, but my old collection of Henkel knives are great prep knives.

Cutco knives are not as bad as some would have you believe. However, they are insanely overpriced for what you get and their sales model is irritating. If you have some, I'd definitely continue to use them forever, I would just never recommend someone buy Cutco, as they can get the same or better quality for significantly less.

KCW · November 2010

I have a Henkle chef's knife that I absolutely love. Yes it was expensive but it's worth every penny in my opinion. I run a Steel over it before each use and sharpen it (professionally) about every 12-18 months depending on use. If you have to force a knife to cut, thats when people get hurt. It should go through whatever your using it on like butter. Oh yeah. Always hand wash/dry it after each use. It only takes a second. My $.02

kuzi16 · November 2010

i wash a ton of things in the dishwasher...

but never knives.

bacon.jay · November 2010

I think a ceramic cigar cutter would work pretty good. If you think about it, even if you dropped it you'd still have a buffer against breakage from the frame. It would sure hold an edge too.

One2gofst · November 2010

I would doubt a cutters frame would protect a ceramic blade any appreciable degree. As far as edge holding, it would, but with a properly heat treated blade, it is simply not an issue for two reasons. One, you are cutting tobacco. It is true that anything will dull a blade with enough use. However, tobacco is pretty gentle as far as media go. Secondly, a properly designed, dual bladed guillotine effectively hones itself every time it is used. In theory this should make up for any incremental dulling. With wear and tear it is possible that the tolerances open up and eventually blades get duller. However with lifetime warranties from companies such as Palio and Xikar and how long this takes, it is a non-issue, IMO.

But if anyone really thinks ceramic is the wave of the future, knock yourself out. A quick Google search provides several ceramic bladed cutters for you to try. I just personally don't see a benefit trading something proven to work effectively and reliably for something else that is newer technology. If anyone decides to try a ceramic cutter, let us know how it works.