Here Are Some Good Budget Ceramic Chef’s Knives For Your Kitchen
I don’t know if you’re some trendy dad looking for a way to be different from that idiot Kevin down the street, or a hyper-sensitive health food maniac who’s convinced your steel kitchen knives are destroying the healthy bacteria in your organic pickles. But for some reason you’re looking for a good ceramic chef knife. Personally, I only get and use ceramic knives because I think they’re neat, and part of me enjoys the constant fear of snapping a knife blade off into my soon-to-be-overcooked steak. If you’re like me in at least aspect, though, it’s that you don’t want to spend a million dollars on a set of ceramics, especially if you’re almost positive you’re going to do something stupid and break it eventually.
Problem is, ceramic knives are really dangerous to compromise on quality with because there’s not much you can do if they come from the factory dull and poorly made. So I spent a little time finding cost-efficient ceramic chef knives that are still perfectly usable, even if they aren’t the best money can buy.
Ceramic Chef Knives Under $50
- Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Revolution 7 Inch – Read More…
- Vos 8 Inch – Read More…
- Cuidinart Elements 8 Inch – Read More…
Ceramic Chef Knives Under $25
- Shenzhen 6.5 Inch – Read More…
- Jaccard 6 Inch – Read More…
- Chef Made Easy 8 Inch – Read More…
- Opelware 6 Inch – Read More…
Ceramic Chef Knives Under $50
Kyocera Advanced Ceramic Revolution 7 Inch
Specifications
| Blade Length: | 7 Inches |
| Overall Length: | 12 Inches |
| Height: | 1.9 Inched |
| Weight: | 3.52oz |
Pros
| Reliable edge and composition |
| Slightly less likely to break than other ceramic brands |
| Japanese made blade |
Cons
| Most expensive option on the under $50 list |
This is a tricky knife to include here, it’s typically listed around $60 to $70, but you can usually find a certain color they’re trying to get rid of on sale for $50. And as Kyocera comes out with new series (which they do pretty consistently) this price will drop. With that out of the way, Kyocera has been setting the bar pretty high for ceramic cutlery for a long time now. You can usually count on anything with their name on it to cut well, and the revolution series is no exception. I have the paring knife from this series, and can personally attest to the quality control here. You’ll have no trouble slicing, but this is also the most expensive option on here. That comes along with Kyocera’s customer service, which is pretty helpful most of the time, and easily one of the sharpest knives on this list. If you actually manage to use this knife into losing its edge, you can usually send it in to Kyocera and they’ll sharpen it for free (you’ll still have to pay shipping though). Can’t get safer than Kyocera.
Vos 8 Inch
Specifications
| Blade Length: | 7 Inches |
| Overall Length: | 12.5 Inches |
| Height: | 1.9 Inches |
| Weight: | 3.52oz |
Pros
| Pretty reasonable price for a good quality knife |
| Textured thumb dip |
| Looks nice if you like green |
Cons
| Thin handle |
| Looks terrible if you hate green |
Vos knives work well, and they consistently release practical, high performing ceramic knives . Vos knives ship with sharp blades that great have that great ceramic edge retention. The handle on this one is also a little thinner.
They advertise the handle and it’s little thumb divot as an ergonomic design, but really depends on the shape of the hand using the knife. With something as light a ceramic knife, the most important thing is that it’s textured enough to stay in your hand with a light grip.
You really don’t want to squeeze hard when you’re slicing with these things. You’ll usually see it for around $30 to $40, making it the second most expensive knife on the list, but you’re still getting a good blade with it.
Cuisinart Elements 8 Inch
Specifications
| Blade Length: | 7 Inches |
| Overall Length: | 12 Inches |
| Height: | 1.9 Inches |
| Weight: | 3.52oz |
Pros
| Reliable knife at a decent price |
| Limited warranty for sharpening and replacing |
Cons
| Average edge and retention |
| Only comes in black |
In terms of value, this might be the best knife on this list. Cuisinart makes, at worst, passable kitchen knives. In this case, the edge and structure are probably slightly worse than the Shenzhen so it’s got a pretty high quality edge and retention overall. Where Cuisinart has made their ceramic blade stand out is the break-resistant structure and their 5 year warranty, which is limited (and it’s definitely not going to cover chipping from misuse), but still nice to have. This is a good compromise between the expense of the mainstream and Kyocera and the relative obscure risk of the Shenzehn or Jaccard ceramic knives.
Ceramic Chef Knives Under $25
Shenzhen 6.5 Inch
Specifications
| Blade Length: | 6.5 Inches |
| Overall Length: | 10.8 Inches |
| Height: | 1 Inch |
| Weight: | 4.8oz |
Pros
| Good blade for a good price |
| Comfy design for chopping |
Cons
| Subpar overall construction |
| Not the best looker if that is what you’re into |
Now we’re in true economic territory. This knife really deserves more attention than it gets. It cuts well, feels comfortable, and costs maybe a fourth of your typical high-end ceramic chef knife. They had some issues with the overall knife construction in the past, where the handle wasn’t communicating well with the blade, but they fixed that issue a few years ago. It’s still not the sturdiest option out there, but it will hold just fine so long as you treat it right. The Shenzhen knife is sharp and comfy with a pretty good blade structure. You can’t ask much more of a ceramic knife.
Jaccard 6 Inch
Specifications
| Blade Length: | 6 Inches |
| Overall Length: | 14.5 Inches |
| Height: | 1.5 Inches |
| Weight: | 4.8 oz |
Pros
| Finger choil |
| Comes with a “stay-sharp” guarantee |
Cons
| Sub-par edge retention |
| Pretty boring design |
This knife comes with a finger groove in the handle, which will be a great help to some and just come off as kind of awkward for others. It doesn’t have quite the same edge retention as other ceramic knives, which probably has something to do with how Jaccard has shaped the actual edge. It is still ceramic though, and Jaccard has slapped a 10-year “stay sharp” guarantee onto it. Even if it doesn’t stay as sharp as the day you got it, it will still retain a good cutting edge for longer than any steel blade, and Jaccard is more than happy to sharpen it up for you if you send it in. The blade might be a little less reliable than others, but this about $20 to $30 for about the same kind of service as the Kyocera.
Chef Made Easy 8 Inch
Specifications
| Blade Length: | 8 Inches |
| Overall Length: | 14 Inches |
| Height: | 3.1 Inches |
| Weight: | 11.2oz |
Pros
| 2nd cheapest option in this article |
| Lots of color options |
Cons
| Pointed tip (Some People don’t like pointed tips.) |
| Less consistent manufacturing |
This one stands out in maybe a controversial way. That sharp point you see is a handy feature just begging to get snapped off a big ceramic knife. That’s why almost all ceramic knives are made with rounded tips. This is fragile stuff, so you have to be extra careful with this knife. But if you can manage to keep from chipping that edge, there are a lot of handy jobs you can apply that ceramic razor sharpness to. Whether it’s worth the risk is up to you. Pointy tips aside, this is pretty good ceramic knife to start with at around $15. Chef Made Easy is maybe a little too slack with some of their tools, but they can usually make something well enough that it will work one way or another. Some people report getting a blade that’s, at worst, inconsistently sharp, while someone else is chugging along everyday with a perfectly formed edge. Regardless, it should still cut just fine, and you aren’t losing out on much if you chip it. It’s certainly not the best ceramic knife out there, but it will work well enough for non-professionals.
Opelware 6 Inch
Specifications
Pros
| Costs roughly the same as several sticks of gum |
| Ships with a sheath |
Cons
| Not the best edge |
| Fragile construction |
| Pointy tip |
A lot of people order the Openware chef knife in bulk. Something about a price tag under $10 just makes people want to horde, apparently. It’s certainly worth doing, though, if you’re that worried about chipping your ceramic knife. You might find a more severe attrition on this knife, but like most ceramic blades, so long you store and use it properly, you’ll be able to get it to slice just fine for a while. It’s possible this one is a little easier to break due to the barebones manufacturing applied to it, so it might actually be worth buying two to start out. Just remember these are delicate tools even on the most expensive side of the spectrum. The Openware might be less durable than other ceramics, but it still holds together well enough that if it chips it’s more likely to be from your insistence that it can cut into a block of cheese than from the economical construction of the manufacturer.
