I love how Skall starts his videos, explaining how how he was given the knives free for review purposes, I wish other UA-camrs who were given free stuff to advertise/review had his kind of ethics. It's such a simple thing, but so few people seem to do it.
I can't wait for a Skallagrim cooking channel. "This pot handle is very ergonomic, but the bowl is to deep for practical use." "It's time to unbox a 13th century Persian war-skillet." "Hollywood has a tendency to romanticize the serious business of cooking."
I'd like to see one of these faring against something other than paper. They might be lightweight but for everyday usage I think they simply lack the toughness. And while sharpness and a good edge retention are essential for all blades a certain flex is also required.
I had a ceramic fixed blade when I was younger. A friend of mine used it and broke it right next to me. I told him to be careful as the ceramic was more brittle but he did not heed my warning.
Hello Skillagrim! After looking at your videos and watching them for awhile I must say that you provide both a good explanation of medieval combat as well as excellent work upon comparing real life combat with other games such as Dark Souls. May I request that you take a look upon the show Berserk, an anime with several sword and other medieval combat moments, and see if it is at all accurate to real life combat?
I have a Zirconium Dioxide stone I use for sharpening. I dropped it once. A chip broke off the corner that flew 10 feet across the room and embedded into the wall.
For pure edge retention and resistance to chemicals and corrosion resistance no steel doesn't win. The ceramic blade is still brittle and for many uses that is a total deal breaker.
Dwight E Howell >The ceramic blade is still brittle and for many uses that is a total deal breaker. For a few more years, that is. Ceramics are absolutely the fantastic-most materiel we've ever made.
Laglemamu'g Gjiga'qaquj Make it out of Osmium or Iridium. At 6.5 and 7.0 on Moh's hardness scale, they are significantly harder than iron at a 4.0. Plus they are virtually chemically inert. However, I'm sure they are a bit more brittle than steel, and at a price of $400-$600 / ounce, they are significantly more expensive.
ceramic is an utter waste of a knife to be honest, leave ceramic for the budget kitchen knives. Get good steel it will last you a lifetime with proper care, it may even last a few lifetimes if its really taken care of. steel so far has stood the test of time, if i find something better i will change my stance.
I've never owned a knife with a blade made of that material, but I guess some people like it. Personaly I prefer a large high quality fixed blade knife with a carbon steel blade. Everyone like what they like and that's totally okay.
I used to live outside Ellenville, where Schrade was partly based, and had a gf who had worked there. She said their quality was usually good, but dropped to trash if the item was pushed out on deadline, as then they threw untrained ppl on the machines. She flattened her thumb on such a day.
I have a folding ceramic (from Tekut) and use it daily in my warehouse job. It is ideal for opening cartons and packages. A lot of our stuff comes sealed with very sticky fabric tape. The gum tends to stick to metal blades but not so with ceramic. Slices them open with very little effort. Also cuts cardboard with no problems and after several months of use will still feather slice paper. Just dont use it on wood. When I have this on me at work I also have a metal bladed knife. I bought mine from Fasttech.com
SS316TI, this might be an expensive Stainless steel, but its also a good one to use, its resistant to Acids(and tested on a scrap piece, barely any oxidation after 1 month in Salt water)
The larger knife looks very similar to the gent I by Böker (Magnum - their Chinese manufactured line). The blade shape is near identical; the tapering point makes far more sense on a steel blade. I'd actually like to see a Böker review or two, the closest I've seen on this channel was talking about a knock-off.
Due to the brittleness of the material, it seems that snapping or whipping the blade open quickly stands a similar risk to dropping it; chipping, but in this case, where the tang contacts the stop-pin, in which case the stiffness of the smaller blade could be viewed as advantageous. Ceramic blades have their uses, but they seem far to specialized/sensitive to be suitable a a versatile EDC knife. I think the resilience of steel is worth the trade-off of relative softness (compared to ceramic) and needing to resharpen.
I also believe that sharpening is an essential skill (one in which I am still sadly inexperienced). Rather than avoiding it by buying a ceramic blade, I'd personally recommend practicing on a cheap knife that you don't mind wearing out.
I had 2 ceramic knives, 1 broke off at the handle when i was cutting cheese, (i didn't realise you couldn't cut cheese with them, i knew about the other hard materials but i thought cheddar would be soft enough) and the other one is so badly chipped from usage it's almost unusable, so not a major fan of the utility, but they are incredibly sharp.
You could try to repair the chipped one if you (or someone you know) has the appropriate abrasives needed for sharpening and some general experience with knife sharpening. I've only done minor maintenance once on a ceramic knife that had a few tiny chips taken out of it and the owner wanted me to give it a shot. I could get the job done with my "fine" and "extra fine" DMT plates, diamond coated nickel plates with particles supposed to be 25 and 9 micron respectively. If you have a good quality (as in flat and consistent abrasive particle size), there are more than just one brand that'll do the job you can give it a shot similar to sharpening knives traditionally on a flat stone. Just be careful with extra pressure and be aware that if you're removing a lot of material that you may not want to breathe the dust in. One thing I'm not sure about is how well it'll take to things that are more coarse than the 25 micron one I was using and if your chips are large it may take a long time. Also its not a thing I'd recommend trying unless you know what you're doing and have some experience on regular knives already to have a good steady hand for it. Whether you do it this way on flat plates or with a belt grinder (they tend to be pricy but there are diamond abrasive belts out there, not sure how a heavily chipped knife will treat those though it might rip them apart... probably don't grind "into" the chips but away from the edge?). To me personally they're not worth the hassle, steel is more forgiving towards abuse and much easier to sharpen. I find that the edge retention of my VG-10 kitchen knives is great ever since I put a 10-12ish degrees per side secondary bevel on it (the part that makes contact with the cutting material). But because of practical observations of others using my knives and accidental bumps into things I decided to add a tiny 15 degrees per side microbevel with the spyderco sharpmaker (30 degrees inclusive setting), not something you can easily see with the eye but its there and seems to make quite a difference. This way if they seem to lose their edge its less than a minute worth of effort to get it back into shape with the same method to apply the microbevel. This to me is better than having to worry about either a dull knife or one that chips easily like a ceramic, there's something to be said about true corrosive resistance though even with the acidic food and how it can affect the taste. Okay I should end it there :P before it gets even more off topic...
I like ceramic blades in the kitchen. I own a folder just so I have one in my collection. But I would never carry it as an EDC. I don't think I own anything that would sharpen a ceramic blade properly.
One of the few things that can do the job properly as far as I'm aware is diamond. I've once fixed up a ceramic knife for a friend with some tiny chips and other damage from long term mild abuse on my DMT diamond coated nickel plates. I used the "fine" 25 micron and "extra fine" 9 micron ones respectively, I managed to restore it to a good cutting condition but the finish was a little bit "rougher" than I like to see it still. I usually tend to finish knives after that with the spyderco ultrafine to remove all scratches visible to the naked eye but that obviously wasn't an option with a ceramic. To me personally they're not worth the hassle and steel is more forgiving while being easy to fix also I don't have to worry about accidentally dropping it on a hard surface and shattering it into a million pieces. But objectively there's something to be said for them not affecting the taste of products and being truly corrosion resistant in kitchen use.
Side note : Some ceramic blades can flex when testing for blade play, this may lead to the assumption that there is blade play, it is just the material.
Not only you can break these cutting something (I once broke my ceramic knife cutting hard cheese)-drop the open knife on hard floor and it'll shatter to pieces.
Ya, I dont think i trust the durability of a ceramic knife, but I have an idea what if you were to gold plate a sword(not the edge) to prevent rust at sea after all, gold plate can be very thin and it wouldn't effect the weight much. your thoughts?
my dad actually has that knife, its just uber light compared to the knives ive owned...I love the sharpness I just don't prefer ceramics, I like the cheaper steel ones that I don't worry about just using in more abusive manners if needed, since they are easy to replace.
the only use i can find for this is for road tripsof various hours/days and similar, where you may need kitchen knives for eating, but more pocket sized.
Hey Skall, I have a knife...It is a Frost Cutlery Gun Boat Canoe, over six inches long folded. And over a pound. I wondered if you know anything about this sort of knife. I also considered sending it for a review. Tell me what you can bye.
I just wonder about those bolts, which holds the handle together. Is there any protection? I mean, when you have the knife in a pocket, it can be squeezed. In this case the blade can meet those bolts. Is it possible in those knife to squeeze the blade and let edge to meet bolts? I had some troubles with my steel knifes, but these are easily repairable. To have 2-3 notches on ceramic blade is not good.
ceramic knife can pass airport control but only the fixed because folder have metal moving parts. At IWA I have seen carbon fiber knves of different size which can pass airport control too.
to be tsa compliant any knife or gun has to have just enough metal for metal detectors to find the liner lock and all of the stand off pins plus the pivot is enough to be detected
I've never used a ceramic knife before... but edge retention? How well would a ceramic knife work for gutting and dressing a deer? Hunting season is now over, but I had to sharpen my buck knife for each deer.
Ceramic chef knives exist because they are good at slicing. If you had a ceramic butcher knife, which is typically used for chopping large hunks of meat and cracking bone, the knife probably wouldn't last a week.
isgdre I assume you were joking, but a ceramic cleaver would be just about the worst idea possible. Too light and way too brittle for chopping. Cleavers are designed for hacking through bones and other tough material after all.
I think you may be bumping your microphone setup somehow, Skal. I checked and it's definitely not me. Try listening closely, perhaps while wearing headphones, and you'll hear it.
Seems like a good (and more economic) alternative to getting a knife made of H1 steel if you are worried about rusting. The thickness and the huge empty space on the blade of the first one is a bit worrying though, especially since it isnt made of a steel in this case.
I've worked on commercial fishing boats for years and seen little problem with most SS blades. I think my favorite steel on a boat has still been my favorite pocket knife Endura IV full flat grind, in VG10. No traces of rust, even when it got hooked on something in the bilge for a week or so.
I got out of that work. Don't know what white has to do with it, but there are plenty of people in Bristol Bay hiring about this time of year. It is hard work with very long hours. No place for people who pout, or want a break while the fish are running.
GunFun ZS That's good to know, I've got the same spyderco knife with a blue handle and an older black FRN grip delica 4 with saber grind (which was my first pocket knife more expensive than a decent swiss army knife). I've been thinking about regrinding it myself to FFG lately but always put off by the amount of time it'd take, I did regrind both of them to a secondary bevel of about 12 degrees per side and run them with a 15 degrees per side (30 inclusive) microbevel on it. With my relatively light use this seems to hold up well and give good edge retention combined with easy maintenance, but I'm not sure if this might be too fragile when regularly making it do harder tasks. Both are good knives and the amount of space I have in the pockets tend to dictate which stays with me for the day after getting out of bed with a preference towards the Endura if the pants allow it. Always been curious about the effects of salt water as VG-10 is said to be fairly corrosion resistant but slightly less so than some typical stainless steel ones. With that said though I guess I could see the value in H1 based on what I read about it, its not a bad steel no amazing properties other than that it won't corrode but that in itself is a nice guarantee to have if you'll plan to be doing things such as diving/swimming in salt water. The price difference isn't that huge either compared to other decent steel types, just rare to find any manufacturers actually using it. Ah well the usual with any knife everything is a tradeoff, no such thing as the ideal knife for everybody. I'm still curious about H1 just don't think I'll ever be in a situation where I really need it.
I tend to leave a ~25* edge bevel on my FFG knives. I've shaved with a VG10 knife, and find that they hold an edge very long. I think the ZDP 189 version might be a little less durable in practice. My zdp delica lost the tiniest amount of the point, and collects fine notches. I think it takes longer to get truly sharp than the VG10, but it doesn't take perceptibly longer to get dull. I couldn't really suggest the "upgrade" for practical reasons. Magical unicorn steel is nifty and all that, but I use my knives constantly and don;t baby them. I'd kind of like to get one of the superblue edition enduras, but it'll probably be like the zdp.
GunFun ZS Almost the same angles as I use, and yea I've been happy with all the VG10 stuff I've owned so far. It's a combination of price and performance in my experience, its a good step up from the stainless steel you'll find in traditional kitchen knives (which I consider a bit too soft and it requires regular maintenance). Yet the improvement for the so called "better steels" isn't all that amazing for the extra premium you pay. It's all a matter of trade offs property wise with steel once you're beyond a certain quality point. I'm still curious about such things as H1 and ZDP-189, but I can't see myself sharpening so much steel away from the delica and endura in the near future with my use that they'll wear out. So until I have a stupid amount of disposable income I don't think I'll pick either up anytime soon :) Regarding the Endura though, they're nice it might be my above average hand size but the shape is a fair bit more comfortable to hold than the delica. Especially when more force is needed and a longer edge is usually a good thing except for the situations where a small knife is better. That said the Delica is great too, one of the more ergonomic grips in a small light pocket knife I've seen but the Endura is just better for me. Try handling one sometime, if it feels right in the hand and you can fit it in your pockets without issues it'll be well worth it.
How about some cutting tests? Is it really usable? There are only 2 problems with the knife that make it a no go for me. I also don't want a knife I have to treat like a delicate flower. 1. Schrade 2. China
You need to update this information...the black blades you are reviewing are zirconium carbide, not zirconium dioxide. Zirconium dioxide is the material that white ceramic knives are made of.
So, assuming I'm not using the knife to pry open paint cans, is the blade tough enough to carry around as a daily use pocket knife? This seems strange to me since I have a couple ceramic knives in the kitchen; I dropped on in the sink one time, and it chipped... from a 1 foot fall. Thoughts?
Couple of questions. Are the washers on the small vs the large different? Could be a contributing factor to the level of smoothness. Also, is that Carbon Fiber or g10 with a carbon fiber laminate? I've been seeing that a lot on knives that want to look like higher quality than they really are. I find it hard to believe that you're getting real carbon fiber at that price point. If it is, that's pretty damn awesome. And not directed at you, but WHY WHY WHY do knife companies keep making tip down only knives? It's pretty much universally accepted that tip up is preferred at this point, isn't it? When is tip down more useful?
Just a note on the video itself: It sounded like something was knocking the mic throughout the video. I don't know if you were using the clip-on mic or not... Just be aware of that.
Bought the smaller one because of this review... still can't find any replacement for it, and some idiot (not me) broke off the tip. :-/ Never had to sharpen it!
I need help with this! If im going to buy a sword for training. But it is only avaliable sharpened. Is there a way to safely make it blunt? If so can anyonw tell me how
I know dropping it will, but like twisting or accidentally stabing the point into like wood for a cutting board etc, accidential little things one might do.
The unlocking mechanism looks kinda dangerously placed... It looks like if you gripped the handle too tightly, the blade could suddenly fold in, or if you're careless while unlocking the blade it could cut into your finger. Well I am an absolute noob in regards to knives, I do have a pocket-knife and it's mechanism is on the top-side, in the rear, out of the way of the folding blade. Is my perspective just skewed?
The lock these knives use is typically called a liner lock. It's very common and is safely utilized in many knives. You have to apply a lot of pressure to get the lock to disengage, more directly than if you were just gripping it.
Is this blade good for cutting cardboard boxes? Cardboard EATS UP my edge and I'm wondering if this blade is strong enough to handle thick grocery store boxes.
BlankPicketSign Yes, a ceramic blade won't be dulled that quickly by cardboard. And also it will be easier to clean afterwards because of the smooth, non-porous surface.
Hmm out of curiousity mostly, what type of knife is it that you use? and at what angle is it sharpened? I don't cut cardboard on a regular basis, but with the small amounts of it that I cut every now and then I don't see any dramatic effects on my spyderco delica 4 and endura 4 (EDC will depend on pocket space available). Both VG-10 blade steel, supposedly at 59-60 rockwell hardness. I've got mine sharpened at a ~12 degrees per side secondary bevel with a 15 degrees per side (30 inclusive setting on the spyderco sharpmaker for easy maintenance and consistent angles) microbevel, they hold a working edge nicely even when facing such tasks in moderation. But I don't cut cardboard boxes up on a daily basis :) The factory edge on those knives as far as I know is 30 degrees inclusive secondary bevel and 40 degrees inclusive microbevel, with the usual slight variations in machine grinding them. The angles I picked seem to result in a better edge retention for my use without any serious rolling or chipping so far when used properly.
If you are worried about life threatening situations, I would recommend steel over ceramic. A steel blade tends to be more sturdy and versatile in that it won't break if dropped against a rock, or chip against bone or used as a striker against flint. Also steel is more likely to bend instead of break, which is good of that's the tool you are relying on. Ceramic is better in a controlled environment, like opening packaging, preparing food in a kitchen, or just cutting softer materials over all. An extra advantage of ceramic blades is they tend to keep their edge for far longer due to their hardness and that they don't really corrode, which is good because they are extremely difficult to sharpen once they go dull. I personally love having a ceramic knife in my kitchen, but my EDC knife is carbon steel that I keep clean with a polished razor edge.
apollo grach I'm not worried about a situation that is life threatening xD. I was just wondering what the use for one of these would be in a situation, and couldn't think of anything rather than a situation such as that. Thanks for the information though :)
Alex Shi Based on what do you interpret that? Why wouldn't a Norwegian or a Swiss person refer to Europe? Also, it's not like it would make sense to list retailers for each EU member, as there are 28 countries in it.
I have to agree with him here that listing all is too much work and just not practical. Something that tends to be useful though in such cases is the manufacturer website. They'll almost always have a listing of authorised resellers, maybe not useful in this case though as a lot of knife places have a strong preference for steel for all the obvious reasons.
wanadeena It would be basically a lighter sword that takes longer to lose it's edge. It sounds good, but I wonder if there's such a thing as a sword that is "too light"?
wanadeena A lighter one will be faster, but hit less hard. The real question is "is speed more important than packing a punch?" Swords are used for cutting, not smashing, but I don't know if the extra weight will make a difference when cutting through a gambeson, for instance. I guess we can safely say that a fictional zirconia sword would at least be better against unarmored foes?
spaceangelfish Most likely yes, I think the speed really helps. But light = less mass, so even if you got the sharp edge, it means little when it comes to force. Overall, I think a fantasy zirconia sword would be sharp, light, but lack punch. You can't have mass and still be light. I don't think you should make a greatsword out of fantasy zirconia, but I think a longsword or saber would work fine.
I love how Skall starts his videos, explaining how how he was given the knives free for review purposes, I wish other UA-camrs who were given free stuff to advertise/review had his kind of ethics.
It's such a simple thing, but so few people seem to do it.
Cool of them to send you stuff for reviews after your honest review on their hatchet. They deserve credit for that much.
The little one looks nice, generally, but the clip is facing the wrong way and that's a deal breaker for me.
Thrilled to see a knife review, great job, thanks!
Yay, the knife reviews are back! :)
thank you for the review, i bought the 402L for an everyday carry and i love it.
Skall getting back to what he does best :D
You heard it here folks. Skall prefers it "a bit longer" with "something more to hold on to".
I can't wait for a Skallagrim cooking channel.
"This pot handle is very ergonomic, but the bowl is to deep for practical use."
"It's time to unbox a 13th century Persian war-skillet."
"Hollywood has a tendency to romanticize the serious business of cooking."
I'd like to see one of these faring against something other than paper. They might be lightweight but for everyday usage I think they simply lack the toughness. And while sharpness and a good edge retention are essential for all blades a certain flex is also required.
I had a ceramic fixed blade when I was younger. A friend of mine used it and broke it right next to me. I told him to be careful as the ceramic was more brittle but he did not heed my warning.
Hello Skillagrim! After looking at your videos and watching them for awhile I must say that you provide both a good explanation of medieval combat as well as excellent work upon comparing real life combat with other games such as Dark Souls. May I request that you take a look upon the show Berserk, an anime with several sword and other medieval combat moments, and see if it is at all accurate to real life combat?
I have a Zirconium Dioxide stone I use for sharpening. I dropped it once. A chip broke off the corner that flew 10 feet across the room and embedded into the wall.
i would never get a ceramic blade.
nothing beats good ole steel.
For pure edge retention and resistance to chemicals and corrosion resistance no steel doesn't win. The ceramic blade is still brittle and for many uses that is a total deal breaker.
Dwight E Howell >The ceramic blade is still brittle and for many uses that is a total deal breaker.
For a few more years, that is. Ceramics are absolutely the fantastic-most materiel we've ever made.
Laglemamu'g Gjiga'qaquj Make it out of Osmium or Iridium. At 6.5 and 7.0 on Moh's hardness scale, they are significantly harder than iron at a 4.0. Plus they are virtually chemically inert. However, I'm sure they are a bit more brittle than steel, and at a price of $400-$600 / ounce, they are significantly more expensive.
ceramic is an utter waste of a knife to be honest, leave ceramic for the budget kitchen knives. Get good steel it will last you a lifetime with proper care, it may even last a few lifetimes if its really taken care of.
steel so far has stood the test of time, if i find something better i will change my stance.
I've never owned a knife with a blade made of that material, but I guess some people like it. Personaly I prefer a large high quality fixed blade knife with a carbon steel blade. Everyone like what they like and that's totally okay.
I used to live outside Ellenville, where Schrade was partly based, and had a gf who had worked there. She said their quality was usually good, but dropped to trash if the item was pushed out on deadline, as then they threw untrained ppl on the machines. She flattened her thumb on such a day.
Nice Review. You sometimes get stuck for too long at one piont of a blade but this time you had good timing.
I have a folding ceramic (from Tekut) and use it daily in my warehouse job. It is ideal for opening cartons and packages. A lot of our stuff comes sealed with very sticky fabric tape. The gum tends to stick to metal blades but not so with ceramic. Slices them open with very little effort.
Also cuts cardboard with no problems and after several months of use will still feather slice paper.
Just dont use it on wood.
When I have this on me at work I also have a metal bladed knife.
I bought mine from Fasttech.com
I think this is the soonest after Skall posted video has been posted I got to watch it...
SS316TI, this might be an expensive Stainless steel, but its also a good one to use, its resistant to Acids(and tested on a scrap piece, barely any oxidation after 1 month in Salt water)
this may sound silly, but something I recommend for avoiding dry skin is Dove soap. get the unscented kind if you don't want to smell too girly 8)
The larger knife looks very similar to the gent I by Böker (Magnum - their Chinese manufactured line). The blade shape is near identical; the tapering point makes far more sense on a steel blade. I'd actually like to see a Böker review or two, the closest I've seen on this channel was talking about a knock-off.
Due to the brittleness of the material, it seems that snapping or whipping the blade open quickly stands a similar risk to dropping it; chipping, but in this case, where the tang contacts the stop-pin, in which case the stiffness of the smaller blade could be viewed as advantageous. Ceramic blades have their uses, but they seem far to specialized/sensitive to be suitable a a versatile EDC knife. I think the resilience of steel is worth the trade-off of relative softness (compared to ceramic) and needing to resharpen.
I also believe that sharpening is an essential skill (one in which I am still sadly inexperienced). Rather than avoiding it by buying a ceramic blade, I'd personally recommend practicing on a cheap knife that you don't mind wearing out.
nice knife. I want one for my boy scout adventures.
You should show us your knife collection
I had 2 ceramic knives, 1 broke off at the handle when i was cutting cheese, (i didn't realise you couldn't cut cheese with them, i knew about the other hard materials but i thought cheddar would be soft enough) and the other one is so badly chipped from usage it's almost unusable, so not a major fan of the utility, but they are incredibly sharp.
You could try to repair the chipped one if you (or someone you know) has the appropriate abrasives needed for sharpening and some general experience with knife sharpening.
I've only done minor maintenance once on a ceramic knife that had a few tiny chips taken out of it and the owner wanted me to give it a shot. I could get the job done with my "fine" and "extra fine" DMT plates, diamond coated nickel plates with particles supposed to be 25 and 9 micron respectively.
If you have a good quality (as in flat and consistent abrasive particle size), there are more than just one brand that'll do the job you can give it a shot similar to sharpening knives traditionally on a flat stone. Just be careful with extra pressure and be aware that if you're removing a lot of material that you may not want to breathe the dust in.
One thing I'm not sure about is how well it'll take to things that are more coarse than the 25 micron one I was using and if your chips are large it may take a long time. Also its not a thing I'd recommend trying unless you know what you're doing and have some experience on regular knives already to have a good steady hand for it. Whether you do it this way on flat plates or with a belt grinder (they tend to be pricy but there are diamond abrasive belts out there, not sure how a heavily chipped knife will treat those though it might rip them apart... probably don't grind "into" the chips but away from the edge?).
To me personally they're not worth the hassle, steel is more forgiving towards abuse and much easier to sharpen. I find that the edge retention of my VG-10 kitchen knives is great ever since I put a 10-12ish degrees per side secondary bevel on it (the part that makes contact with the cutting material). But because of practical observations of others using my knives and accidental bumps into things I decided to add a tiny 15 degrees per side microbevel with the spyderco sharpmaker (30 degrees inclusive setting), not something you can easily see with the eye but its there and seems to make quite a difference. This way if they seem to lose their edge its less than a minute worth of effort to get it back into shape with the same method to apply the microbevel. This to me is better than having to worry about either a dull knife or one that chips easily like a ceramic, there's something to be said about true corrosive resistance though even with the acidic food and how it can affect the taste. Okay I should end it there :P before it gets even more off topic...
I like ceramic blades in the kitchen. I own a folder just so I have one in my collection. But I would never carry it as an EDC. I don't think I own anything that would sharpen a ceramic blade properly.
One of the few things that can do the job properly as far as I'm aware is diamond.
I've once fixed up a ceramic knife for a friend with some tiny chips and other damage from long term mild abuse on my DMT diamond coated nickel plates. I used the "fine" 25 micron and "extra fine" 9 micron ones respectively, I managed to restore it to a good cutting condition but the finish was a little bit "rougher" than I like to see it still. I usually tend to finish knives after that with the spyderco ultrafine to remove all scratches visible to the naked eye but that obviously wasn't an option with a ceramic.
To me personally they're not worth the hassle and steel is more forgiving while being easy to fix also I don't have to worry about accidentally dropping it on a hard surface and shattering it into a million pieces. But objectively there's something to be said for them not affecting the taste of products and being truly corrosion resistant in kitchen use.
Side note : Some ceramic blades can flex when testing for blade play, this may lead to the assumption that there is blade play, it is just the material.
Not only you can break these cutting something (I once broke my ceramic knife cutting hard cheese)-drop the open knife on hard floor and it'll shatter to pieces.
If you drop one in like the kitchen and it shatters you can get flakes of razor (or shaving) sharp pieces and lacerate you foot so be careful
Ya, I dont think i trust the durability of a ceramic knife, but I have an idea what if you were to gold plate a sword(not the edge) to prevent rust at sea after all, gold plate can be very thin and it wouldn't effect the weight much. your thoughts?
my dad actually has that knife, its just uber light compared to the knives ive owned...I love the sharpness I just don't prefer ceramics, I like the cheaper steel ones that I don't worry about just using in more abusive manners if needed, since they are easy to replace.
Please do a video on the weapons/combat in Bloodborne! Is there any historical precedent for (less ridiculous) trick weapons actually being used?
the only use i can find for this is for road tripsof various hours/days and similar, where you may need kitchen knives for eating, but more pocket sized.
Hey Skall, I have a knife...It is a Frost Cutlery Gun Boat Canoe, over six inches long folded. And over a pound. I wondered if you know anything about this sort of knife. I also considered sending it for a review. Tell me what you can bye.
Very nice review! :D
I just wonder about those bolts, which holds the handle together. Is there any protection? I mean, when you have the knife in a pocket, it can be squeezed. In this case the blade can meet those bolts. Is it possible in those knife to squeeze the blade and let edge to meet bolts? I had some troubles with my steel knifes, but these are easily repairable. To have 2-3 notches on ceramic blade is not good.
ceramic knife can pass airport control but only the fixed because folder have metal moving parts. At IWA I have seen carbon fiber knves of different size which can pass airport control too.
to be tsa compliant any knife or gun has to have just enough metal for metal detectors to find the liner lock and all of the stand off pins plus the pivot is enough to be detected
Fantasy weapons scrutinized: Infinity blade! Please make this happen!
Hey Skall, do you have a link to that kitchen knife? It sounds like it would be an awesome gift.
You are awesome i'm gonna buy one
I've never used a ceramic knife before... but edge retention? How well would a ceramic knife work for gutting and dressing a deer? Hunting season is now over, but I had to sharpen my buck knife for each deer.
Would a ceramic cleaver be a good idea then?
isgdre No
Ceramic chef knives exist because they are good at slicing. If you had a ceramic butcher knife, which is typically used for chopping large hunks of meat and cracking bone, the knife probably wouldn't last a week.
isgdre
I assume you were joking, but a ceramic cleaver would be just about the worst idea possible. Too light and way too brittle for chopping. Cleavers are designed for hacking through bones and other tough material after all.
***** Oh No! All my hopes and dreams are dashed. :p
***** pouvez-vous me to know the name of one of my collection blade skallagrim ?
I think you may be bumping your microphone setup somehow, Skal. I checked and it's definitely not me. Try listening closely, perhaps while wearing headphones, and you'll hear it.
what about fish, would it be any good against fish, since fish is generally softer than meat and the bones are a lot smaller.
Seems like a good (and more economic) alternative to getting a knife made of H1 steel if you are worried about rusting. The thickness and the huge empty space on the blade of the first one is a bit worrying though, especially since it isnt made of a steel in this case.
I've worked on commercial fishing boats for years and seen little problem with most SS blades. I think my favorite steel on a boat has still been my favorite pocket knife Endura IV full flat grind, in VG10. No traces of rust, even when it got hooked on something in the bilge for a week or so.
I got out of that work. Don't know what white has to do with it, but there are plenty of people in Bristol Bay hiring about this time of year. It is hard work with very long hours. No place for people who pout, or want a break while the fish are running.
GunFun ZS That's good to know, I've got the same spyderco knife with a blue handle and an older black FRN grip delica 4 with saber grind (which was my first pocket knife more expensive than a decent swiss army knife).
I've been thinking about regrinding it myself to FFG lately but always put off by the amount of time it'd take, I did regrind both of them to a secondary bevel of about 12 degrees per side and run them with a 15 degrees per side (30 inclusive) microbevel on it. With my relatively light use this seems to hold up well and give good edge retention combined with easy maintenance, but I'm not sure if this might be too fragile when regularly making it do harder tasks. Both are good knives and the amount of space I have in the pockets tend to dictate which stays with me for the day after getting out of bed with a preference towards the Endura if the pants allow it.
Always been curious about the effects of salt water as VG-10 is said to be fairly corrosion resistant but slightly less so than some typical stainless steel ones. With that said though I guess I could see the value in H1 based on what I read about it, its not a bad steel no amazing properties other than that it won't corrode but that in itself is a nice guarantee to have if you'll plan to be doing things such as diving/swimming in salt water. The price difference isn't that huge either compared to other decent steel types, just rare to find any manufacturers actually using it.
Ah well the usual with any knife everything is a tradeoff, no such thing as the ideal knife for everybody. I'm still curious about H1 just don't think I'll ever be in a situation where I really need it.
I tend to leave a ~25* edge bevel on my FFG knives. I've shaved with a VG10 knife, and find that they hold an edge very long. I think the ZDP 189 version might be a little less durable in practice. My zdp delica lost the tiniest amount of the point, and collects fine notches. I think it takes longer to get truly sharp than the VG10, but it doesn't take perceptibly longer to get dull. I couldn't really suggest the "upgrade" for practical reasons. Magical unicorn steel is nifty and all that, but I use my knives constantly and don;t baby them. I'd kind of like to get one of the superblue edition enduras, but it'll probably be like the zdp.
GunFun ZS Almost the same angles as I use, and yea I've been happy with all the VG10 stuff I've owned so far. It's a combination of price and performance in my experience, its a good step up from the stainless steel you'll find in traditional kitchen knives (which I consider a bit too soft and it requires regular maintenance). Yet the improvement for the so called "better steels" isn't all that amazing for the extra premium you pay. It's all a matter of trade offs property wise with steel once you're beyond a certain quality point.
I'm still curious about such things as H1 and ZDP-189, but I can't see myself sharpening so much steel away from the delica and endura in the near future with my use that they'll wear out. So until I have a stupid amount of disposable income I don't think I'll pick either up anytime soon :)
Regarding the Endura though, they're nice it might be my above average hand size but the shape is a fair bit more comfortable to hold than the delica. Especially when more force is needed and a longer edge is usually a good thing except for the situations where a small knife is better. That said the Delica is great too, one of the more ergonomic grips in a small light pocket knife I've seen but the Endura is just better for me. Try handling one sometime, if it feels right in the hand and you can fit it in your pockets without issues it'll be well worth it.
Can you do a knife/sword sharpening techniques video?
7:15 replace word knife with other word and it gets even more interesting :)
he doesn't *say* the word knife....
***** oh right.... I was confused by the terrible grammar- and still am.
Is there any chance that we will be seeing any more fantasy weapons scrutinized soon
How about some cutting tests? Is it really usable?
There are only 2 problems with the knife that make it a no go for me. I also don't want a knife I have to treat like a delicate flower.
1. Schrade
2. China
You need to update this information...the black blades you are reviewing are zirconium carbide, not zirconium dioxide. Zirconium dioxide is the material that white ceramic knives are made of.
So, assuming I'm not using the knife to pry open paint cans, is the blade tough enough to carry around as a daily use pocket knife? This seems strange to me since I have a couple ceramic knives in the kitchen; I dropped on in the sink one time, and it chipped... from a 1 foot fall. Thoughts?
Couple of questions.
Are the washers on the small vs the large different? Could be a contributing factor to the level of smoothness.
Also, is that Carbon Fiber or g10 with a carbon fiber laminate? I've been seeing that a lot on knives that want to look like higher quality than they really are. I find it hard to believe that you're getting real carbon fiber at that price point. If it is, that's pretty damn awesome.
And not directed at you, but WHY WHY WHY do knife companies keep making tip down only knives? It's pretty much universally accepted that tip up is preferred at this point, isn't it? When is tip down more useful?
I would be worried using that smaller knife about the hole in the blade weakening it structurally.
How would they fair as a craft/scout knife?
Cutting string/rope/cords and carving wood?
***** How is your knee progressing? I think we, the subscribers, would be interested in an update on it. #KneeGateSkallagrim
Skall, could you perhaps take a look at the bundeswehr combat knife, the Eickhorn KM2000? (Kampf-messer i think..?)
I'm curious what's up with Skall's left thumb in this video.
Patrick. why would you do that with a folder zirc
Just a note on the video itself: It sounded like something was knocking the mic throughout the video. I don't know if you were using the clip-on mic or not... Just be aware of that.
If you haven't can you review the schf9 survival knife.
WOO GO SKALLAGRIM KNIFE REVIEWS WOOOOOO
Hey Skall. What is your opinion on Cold Steel? Foreign made crap or underrated?
Wait, it cost 35$?
Excuse me while I go place an order. Gonna fit nicely in my small but growing collection.
Are zirconia blades capable of cutting textiles and cords/ropes or anything else highly fibrous?
Review the Iain Sinclair Folding Card knife plz.
Im just curious... Is the video pre-recorded or are you actually talking live while showcasing the knives?
I have an idea open for opinions. What about a ceramic karambit. I'd like to see that.
It sounds good in Thierry
Pls review the karambit u have from traditional Filipino weapons. Pls .
I would like to see one made with no metal materials used, making it metal detector safe
Will a metal director go off on these
I'd buy one if the clip were reversible for tip-up carry. Doesn't seem that it is.
are you in ontario? It would be really cool to help you film stuff :)
Skall (or anyone else who wants to give their opinion)
I'm looking into buying a Karambit. Where should I look to buy from?
Are sawtooth swords useful in any way or is it just for TV and games?
Can i get that knife shipped to the netherlands?
Bought the smaller one because of this review... still can't find any replacement for it, and some idiot (not me) broke off the tip. :-/
Never had to sharpen it!
is there an way to buy it in germany? nice vid by the way :)
skall i could realy appreciate your opinion on the FOX israel kapap knife :)
I need help with this! If im going to buy a sword for training. But it is only avaliable sharpened. Is there a way to safely make it blunt? If so can anyonw tell me how
I wanna see what it tAkes to break it
dropping it on the floor will do the job so yeah, its easy to brake it.
I know dropping it will, but like twisting or accidentally stabing the point into like wood for a cutting board etc, accidential little things one might do.
Really easy to break. Imagine it's glass,that's very close to that.
Random question, but how's your leg doing?
301 club
Yeah!
Why does the 402L remind me of the Kershaw Injection.
And here I am, proud of my Husky knife, hahaha
Is ceramic good for cardboard?
do you have any ideal on any good budget ($50) edc knife?
u need to make a video on that kukri a viewer sent u
The unlocking mechanism looks kinda dangerously placed... It looks like if you gripped the handle too tightly, the blade could suddenly fold in, or if you're careless while unlocking the blade it could cut into your finger.
Well I am an absolute noob in regards to knives, I do have a pocket-knife and it's mechanism is on the top-side, in the rear, out of the way of the folding blade.
Is my perspective just skewed?
The lock these knives use is typically called a liner lock. It's very common and is safely utilized in many knives. You have to apply a lot of pressure to get the lock to disengage, more directly than if you were just gripping it.
CraigNW Thanks for taking the time for explaining it to me!
Would it be completely non magnetic?
The tactical/black/agressive looks kinda work against the material of the blade...
i like the big one
lol I wanna see if you can get through air port security with this?
The plus side is that they'll never rust.
Is this blade good for cutting cardboard boxes?
Cardboard EATS UP my edge and I'm wondering if this blade is strong enough to handle thick grocery store boxes.
BlankPicketSign Yes, a ceramic blade won't be dulled that quickly by cardboard. And also it will be easier to clean afterwards because of the smooth, non-porous surface.
*****
SWEEEEET! Thank you Skall, Love you! Take it easy with the knee and play some fun video games! GTA5 is coming out on PC =^_^=
Hmm out of curiousity mostly, what type of knife is it that you use? and at what angle is it sharpened? I don't cut cardboard on a regular basis, but with the small amounts of it that I cut every now and then I don't see any dramatic effects on my spyderco delica 4 and endura 4 (EDC will depend on pocket space available).
Both VG-10 blade steel, supposedly at 59-60 rockwell hardness. I've got mine sharpened at a ~12 degrees per side secondary bevel with a 15 degrees per side (30 inclusive setting on the spyderco sharpmaker for easy maintenance and consistent angles) microbevel, they hold a working edge nicely even when facing such tasks in moderation. But I don't cut cardboard boxes up on a daily basis :)
The factory edge on those knives as far as I know is 30 degrees inclusive secondary bevel and 40 degrees inclusive microbevel, with the usual slight variations in machine grinding them. The angles I picked seem to result in a better edge retention for my use without any serious rolling or chipping so far when used properly.
A shame it only ships free to the US and Canada. It would be double the price to ship to where I live.
China. I'm gone
But you rock!
what would the point of carrying one of these be besides in a life-threatening situation?
reebaconator
Cutting things. Boxes, paper, strings / ropes, plastic packaging, etc.
If you are worried about life threatening situations, I would recommend steel over ceramic. A steel blade tends to be more sturdy and versatile in that it won't break if dropped against a rock, or chip against bone or used as a striker against flint. Also steel is more likely to bend instead of break, which is good of that's the tool you are relying on. Ceramic is better in a controlled environment, like opening packaging, preparing food in a kitchen, or just cutting softer materials over all. An extra advantage of ceramic blades is they tend to keep their edge for far longer due to their hardness and that they don't really corrode, which is good because they are extremely difficult to sharpen once they go dull. I personally love having a ceramic knife in my kitchen, but my EDC knife is carbon steel that I keep clean with a polished razor edge.
apollo grach I'm not worried about a situation that is life threatening xD. I was just wondering what the use for one of these would be in a situation, and couldn't think of anything rather than a situation such as that. Thanks for the information though :)
Dan you also put a link for where to buy it in europe ?
miauw
For all 50 European countries? :)
I live in Finland, and I usually order American knives from Ebay, because they seem to have the most reasonable shipping rates.
***** When people say Europe they mean the European Union.
Alex Shi Based on what do you interpret that? Why wouldn't a Norwegian or a Swiss person refer to Europe? Also, it's not like it would make sense to list retailers for each EU member, as there are 28 countries in it.
I have to agree with him here that listing all is too much work and just not practical. Something that tends to be useful though in such cases is the manufacturer website. They'll almost always have a listing of authorised resellers, maybe not useful in this case though as a lot of knife places have a strong preference for steel for all the obvious reasons.
If there was a fictional material with the same qualities of a ceramic blade WITHOUT its cons (brittleness), would it make for a good sword?
wanadeena It would be basically a lighter sword that takes longer to lose it's edge. It sounds good, but I wonder if there's such a thing as a sword that is "too light"?
spaceangelfish I wonder that too. So does mass = force, or velocity = force?
wanadeena A lighter one will be faster, but hit less hard. The real question is "is speed more important than packing a punch?" Swords are used for cutting, not smashing, but I don't know if the extra weight will make a difference when cutting through a gambeson, for instance. I guess we can safely say that a fictional zirconia sword would at least be better against unarmored foes?
spaceangelfish Most likely yes, I think the speed really helps. But light = less mass, so even if you got the sharp edge, it means little when it comes to force.
Overall, I think a fantasy zirconia sword would be sharp, light, but lack punch. You can't have mass and still be light. I don't think you should make a greatsword out of fantasy zirconia, but I think a longsword or saber would work fine.
can you baton with it?