Are All Ceramic Blades Safer?
Because ceramic safety blades are relatively new on the market, they often get confused with ceramic kitchen knives. The general public is more familiar with ultra-sharp (but easily broken) ceramic knives used by sushi chefs and at-home foodies. These knives get mixed reviews and, because Slice uses advanced ceramics, people ask us: are these going to break like my ceramic kitchen knife did?
Not All Ceramics Are Advanced Ceramics
The first important distinction is that not all ceramic blades are made from 100 percent zirconium oxide, which is also known as “advanced ceramics”, “fine ceramics” or “engineered ceramics”. Many companies mix in filler material in order to lower the price point or create a more flexible blade. The problem with this approach is that filler material compromises all the great benefits of pure zirconium oxide and ultimately leads to consumer disappointment.
All Advanced Ceramic Blades Have Great Properties
Once you’re sure that the blade you’re evaluating is made of pure zirconium oxide, you can expect these advantages over metal blades:
- Extreme hardness (and therefore superior wear resistance)
- Blade will never rust
- Chemically inert blade won’t react with material it’s cutting
- No oil coating or maintenance required
- Blade is safe up to 1600 degrees, Celsius
- Material is non-sparking, non-conductive and non-magnetic
Chefs choose ceramic blades specifically because of these properties, but advanced ceramic knives created for cooking are still extremely sharp. In order to slice soft meats and vegetables, they have to be. That’s where Slice blades differ, and why they’re a different animal altogether.
But Only Slice Has...
Slice’s mission is to find safer alternatives to dangerous metal blades. Exchanging extremely sharp metal for extremely sharp ceramics doesn’t accomplish this, which is why we developed our finger-friendly® proprietary grind.
We examined sharpness from a new angle (literally), as well as the composition of skin, and an understanding of what it takes to cut common materials. The result is an impressive safety blade that lasts 11 times longer than metal and is safe to touch. This safety angle—and more specifically our grinding process—is unique to Slice, so beware of poor quality knock-offs.
Note: If you really try hard, you can cut your skin with a Slice blade, but why would you do that?
Most knife manufacturers offer products that they call safety blades, but all they’ve really done is redesign their handles to reduce blade exposure. That’s an important step, but as you can see in the table below it doesn’t address the majority of risks posed by knives.
Sharp metal blades are inherently dangerous, and no handle design can change that. At the same time, most ceramic knives are extremely sharp and therefore fragile and hazardous. The only company that puts safety together with advanced ceramics to create a better, safer blade, is Slice.