These are knives you'll want to love, but adapting to them is more than just a little tricky. While ceramic blades do have real advantages over steel, the improvement isn't universal. The three-inch paring knife, five-inch utility knife, and massive 16-inch chef's knife wield blades of hard but fragile ceramic, with a sharper and longer lasting cutting edge than the best high carbon stainless steel. These blades never rust and, if used properly, will keep their razor sharpness for years.

If slicing and peeling make up most of your prep work, you could use these knives constantly -- but only if you play by the rules. Unfortunately, there are lots of those rules, and to get work done, you'll need a matching set of knives made of ordinary steel to back these up. Side pressure or dropping could snap the ceramic blades, and working with anything but wood or plastic cutting boards could do far more than micro-chip the edge. If you're used to swiveling the blade's cutting edge on the board while you slice or chop, you'll have to give that up. A straight slicing cut is what these knives do. Don't even run the edge over small bones. Ruin that edge and you'll have to ship these knives back to the factory for reworking.

Something about these knives may convince you that ceramics are the wave of the future, but the future is still slightly out of reach. This Kyocera knife set is fun, and it makes you wish the company would solve the problems. You'll like the knives, and then you'll use something else.

Find this Kyocera Ceramic 3 Piece Knife Set:

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Find this ceramic knife set on eBay:

Kyocera Adv Ceramics FK110CP09BK Ceramic Paring Knife and Peeler Set Black US $29.99   Auction Ends: 27d 20h 4m

Kyocera Kitchen Ceramic Knife Peeler Cutting board Set Pink New Free Shipping US $119.99   Auction Ends: 8d 7h 57m

By virtue of their hardness and structure, ceramic materials can make for a very sharp knife which holds an edge for a long time. This hardness comes at a typically high cost in terms of the inherent fragility of the material, as it is very brittle, making for a very delicate knife. Normally, I wouldn't touch a ceramic knife meant for use on a board, but the idea of using one in hand is far more appealing, as there should be very little impact to the blade, assuming you're using a paring knife in a "normal" manner.

Even though I allowed the door on ceramics to creep open a bit, the basic construction and geometry of the blade just didn't work well for me, as the blade is a bit too deep and significantly thicker than I would like to see in a paring knife. Despite these drawbacks and my strong inclination to stick with materials I can sharpen and maintain, I think using ceramics for paring knives has some merit, assuming you can afford to have a second knife which can be used in rotation when the other is sent into the factory for resharpening.

If not, then I'd stick with some of the better made parers on the market, like the Mac or the Shun.

Find this Kyocera Ceramic Paring Knife:

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That extra blade depth is most welcome, as a little extra blade goes a long way to reducing the occurrence of the all too familiar sensation when knuckles meet cutting board. The blade isn't quite as thin as I'd prefer in a small knife, but it will perform nicely on Kyocera's list of foodstuffs appropriate for use with this knife: boneless meats, fruits, and vegetables. That said, when it comes down to it, despite the well considered design and aesthetic, I simply can't honestly say that I would ever actually buy and use this knife, for the primary reason that the blade is made from a ceramic material and secondly, it's quite expensive for such a small knife. Granted, there are similarly sized high end handmade Japanese knives on the market which fall in the same general price point.

I might even consider purchasing one of those handmade knives, but setting aside the cost consideration, the ceramic blade on this knife gives me pause, not the price point. Why would a ceramic blade be a bad thing? After all, Kyocera claims the knife will almost never have to be sharpened. That's a nice selling point and a good benefit isn't it?

In all fairness, Kyocera is correct that it won't have to be sharpened often. The ceramic material is very hard and abrasion resistant. This would seem a good thing, as the blade can be very sharp and will hold its edge for a good long time. However, when it's time to sharpen it, it has to be shipped back to the factory to have a new edge ground in using computer controlled diamond grinding wheels.

I, for one, would never buy a knife that I couldn't sharpen with any one of the plethora of sharpening methods I have at my disposal. The same attributes ceramic materials possess which will make a blade that can take and hold a good edge are the very same qualities which make it a very poor material for a knife blade.

Ceramic, for all it's hardness, is a very brittle material with extremely low impact resistance, meaning it is easily chipped or broken. If you drop a conventional knife on the floor or accidentally knock the blade into a steel table or sink, the blade might deform slightly or may not have any damage at all. If that happens with a ceramic blade, it's likely to be the end of the knife as the blade will break or shatter.

Would you want to have a nearly two hundred dollar knife as delicate as an egg in your kit? I certainly wouldn't want one in mine.

As an alternative, check out the Shun utility knife we reviewed recently. It's less expensive, roughly the same size, and is made of sturdier materials.

Find this Kyocera Slicing Knife:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com
• Click here to find Shun slicing knives on Amazon.com

Okay, whatever. Let's talk about these shears.

These blades are made from ceramic and they're made by Kyocera. Ceramic will never rust or corrode, is lightweight and keeps its edge just about forever.

These scissors come sharp right out of the box and will likely never need to be resharpened. If they do, though, you'll probably want to let a pro do it -- ceramic can be a bit tricky to resharpen.

These aren't just limited to kitchen use, however. In fact, they're extremely safe to use on electrical wires and cords, due to its non-conductive construction. They're also dependable with acid, juice, oil, and salt. And they won't contaminate magnetic media items either.

One downside to ceramic -- it can chip or break if dropped. So you'll want to be careful with these shears.

They're expensive as far as scissors go. But you likely won't ever have to buy another pair again. It's worth the investment if you use heavy-duty scissors every day.

Find these Kyocera Ceramic Scissors:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

For those who want a quick recap, though, ceramic knives are a good alternative to stainless steel knives. They're typically sharper, lighter and hold their edges longer. Ceramic can chip or shatter when dropped, though, so you should handle this knife carefully.

Kyocera is the most well-known company producing ceramic knives. This Kyotop is their high-end knife. It's been heat-treated twice, which increases the ceramic's already-high wear resistance.

The six-inch blade has a damascus-like pattern, which is all the rage right now in high-end kitchen cutlery. If you display it on a magnetic knife rack, it'll be sure to draw some "oohs" and "aahs."

The handles are black pakkawood, a resin-injected hardwood that is quite wear-resistant as well.

If you're looking for a sharp stainless steel knife that requires very little maintenance, this one makes an excellent choice.

Find this Kyocera Ceramic Knife:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com

Let's take a closer look....

The hardness of ceramic means it can be made very sharp. This Kyocera, for example, will almost certainly be sharper than a high-end Wusthof or Henckels.

Ceramic is also stainless and lightweight. This makes for a very convenient knife -- no rushing to clean it the minute you're done chopping. And it won't produce fatigue after long food prep sessions.

Another great thing about ceramic is that it retains its edge for a very long time. So much so that you'll probably never need to worry about resharpening it. When you do need it resharpened, you'll need a professional since ceramic is tricky to resharpen.

Now for the downsides:

Because ceramic is so hard, it's also brittle. This has two consequences you should be aware of.

First off, ceramic knives can't be made quite as sharp as the sharpest high-end steel knives. The edge just can't be made that thin without breaking.

And second, it can shatter. Drop your ceramic knife on the floor and it's likely to chip or shatter.

This Kyocera knife is a quintessential ceramic blade.

Kyocera has been on the forefront of ceramic knifemaking for quite some time, and the Revolution Series is their latest offering.

The 7" blade is on the smaller size for a Chef's knife but you'll find longer versions available as well.

The handle is a contoured, lightweight, non-slip resin that should be quite comfortable in your hand.

If you're looking for a lightweight, sharp and maintenance-free Chef's knife, this Kyocera is an excellent choice.

If you're looking for the sharpest knife in the block that is guaranteed not to chip or shatter, look at a premium-steel Japanese knife like a Shun Classic.

Find this Kyocera Ceramic Chef's Knife:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com