Miyako 3-piece Ceramic Knife Gift Set (6" Chef's, 5" Utility & 4" Paring), Glossy White *** Recommended by the NEW YORK TIMES ***

I read a lot of reviews here on Amazon and elsewhere on the web before purchasing THIS set of ceramic knives. I am not a chef or knife expert by any means, but I do know a good sharp knife when I use one. These knives are in fact VERY sharp and are my first set of ceramic knives, so I don't have anything else to directly compare them to. As I said I did a lot of research before purchasing and these Miyako Knives were always mentioned as being in the top realm along with the Kyocera brand. When I looked at the prices of the Kyocera knives though, I knew they were way more expensive than I was willing to pay, so I went ahead and ordered these. When they arrived they were everything I expected and more. First off the packaging is almost a work of art. We do not store these knives in that beautiful box - we store them in the wooden knife holder along with our other steel knives, however I notice we almost always grab one of these since they work so wonderfully. We are careful to not abuse these though because we don't want to chance chipping or shattering them as we have read is possible. But they are ALWAYS sharp and foods tend to stick less to them. I know this review is rambling on, but I just wanted you to know that you can order these without fear and know that you are getting a high quality product at a reasonable price with these Miyako knives.

I purchased this set of knives as a Christmas present for the family. My wife loves cooking and had been asking for a nicer set of knives for a little while before Christmas, and the reviews on this set seemed to say to me that this was the best bang for the buck when it comes to affordable ceramic knives. The knives arrived, were opened, and used starting Christmas day. It's now February 18, and one of the knives (middle size utility knife) has not only chipped in the middle of the blade edge, but has also broken clean of the handle. We noticed last week that the blade seemed to be a little wobbly, which started to worry us. While washing the knife and drying it a couple days later, the blade slipped completely out of the handle, revealing what I believe is a break in the ceramic piece inside the handle. This renders the knife completely useless, as it will no longer stay in the handle. We love these knives. They are quite sharp and we have had no other issues with the other 2 in the set. We use at least one of the knives every day, though I would really consider our level of use as "moderate" - we're no gourmets making fancy dishes 3 times a day or anything - usually just for preparing dinner. That being said, we are please with the other 2 knives in the set but disappointed that one has already become useless. We're hoping this was just a fluke. These knives are great, but be cautioned that they may chip or break easier than expected. UPDATE: After this initial review, I was contacted by the seller ( The Ambie Group, LLC ) about the defective knife. They confirmed my mailing address and which knife it was that was giving us issues and promptly sent out a brand new knife to replace the defective one. We are very pleased with the set now, and the replacement seems perfect, and I don't expect to have any further problems. So, despite the fluke of receiving a defective knife in the set, the Ambie Group took care of the situation (excellent customer service!) and all is right with the world.

The knives I meant to replace with these are years old, I've never sharpened them, and they're sharper than these brand new Miyakos. They were half the price, the handles are better, and their balance is better. My old knives are starting to get a little stained, but the Miyakos got stained the first time I used them. I though I was going to upgrade, but I ended up returning these.

Based on other reviews, I was expecting some great knives to use for cutting fruits and vegetables, but I am very disappointed in this set. Fit and finish of each knife is mediocre. One of them has glue on the blade--a remnant from gluing the tang into the handle. The factory sharpening job on each knife isn't very good. The tips of each blade are dull as a butter knife. It is difficult to get a good edge near the tip of the blade since the shape of the blade usually results in a thicker tip, but they certainly could have done a better job. For comparison, I freshly sharpened my 10+ year old set of JA Henckels knives and have been using the two knife sets side-by-side for the last couple weeks. There really is no comparison; the steel Henckels knives are far better for every cutting situation. I can get a significantly sharper edge on the steel knives than that on these Miyakos. The ceramic knives also have much thicker blades, which makes it more difficult to push the knife down through a thick piece of food (cutting a whole onion in half, for example). At times it feels like I have to force the knife through the food, which scares me a little. The bottom line is, people who think these are sharpest knives they've ever used either don't know how to properly sharpen a knife or are using an inferior sharpening system. The ceramics may hold their edge longer than a steel knife, but I would rather have a sharper knife that requires an occasional touch-up than a moderately sharp knife that I have to force through food I'm cutting. Buy some decent steel knives; invest in a very good sharpening system; and learn how to properly sharpen a knife. You will get far better performance than you will with these ceramic knives.

I love the sharpness of the blades, because my steel knives have all become dull. I don't wash them in the dishwasher, either. I wanted more knives like a Yoshi Blade as seen on TV. However, although I am more careful not to let the blade chip, the medium sized one simply broke off at the handle, before I even pressed down to make a cut. I had used these knives for a few months, but for the very high price, I had hoped they would last for years.

Pros - cost, cutting edge, comfort, blade thickness Cons - as with all ceramic blades - fragile, have to hand wash, does not come with blade guards Only had them for a few days but they are, so far, as good if not better than the other brand I have been buying. I went to a ceramic review site, because the knives I have been buying are overly expensive, and it rated these as good as the kyocera blades that seem to be rated the best. These blades are actually thicker than the other company blades and in a cutting contest I did not see any difference. They are less expensive than the other brands. Very good product. Dec 16 20103 Just got my second set of these knives. They beat kyocera by a mile. The set I bought last Xmas is still in original shape with no nicks or cuts unlike the other guys. I had tried another brand, can not remember their name, and they did not last 6 months. I use these knives every day and they are exceptional.

I agree with everyone's reviews that these are nice knives at a great value. My only issue is the handle. you can't just grab the chefs knife and go to town slicing without banging your knuckles on the cutting board. The blade doesn't give enough clearance so I've had to modifie my grip. However, it is perfect for the pairing knive. Spin that puppie around and cut fruits and veggies against your thumb is what this handles seems to be made for.

When my shipment arrived, i immediately used them in preparing dinner that night. i've used them on fruits, veggies, and meats. The first thing i noticed was how light the knives were which allowed me to have better control in cutting and slicing. The blades are nicely design and sharp. I was amazed that i was able to slice through a soft tomato without mushing it. Cleaning the knives was a breeze. Food residue did not often stay on the blades and when there was residue, it easily came off by just rinsing the blades. Overall, the knives work well, better than i expected. what makes the knife set even more better, is the value compared to traditional knives that can do just the same or less as these Miyako Ceramic knives.