UPDATE: This ceramic knife sharpener is now avaiable in the United States.

Japan is know for having all the best gadgets before we get them here in the states. During all my visits to Japan, I am always so excited to bring back something neat. This trip didn’t disappoint at all. Along with the bags full kitchen gadgets, I came back with something I never knew existed, a Kyocera Knife Sharpener that is designed to work with metal AND ceramic knives.

As we all know, a ceramic knife is not supposed to ever get dull. I have yet to have a ceramic knife require sharpening because it was dull. However, I have had the blade chip. Although the knife still works perfectly with a few chips, the accumulation of many chips can deteriorate it’s performance.

Kyocera offers free knife sharpening, just pay $10 and the ship the knives to them (up to two knives). Their service is relatively speedy, but… not as fast as sharpening them at home.

I paid the equivalent of about 60 U.S. dollars for the sharpener. A bit pricey for a knife sharpener but I had to have it! 🙂 The sharpener is powered by 4 AA batteries and contains 2 diamond coated sharpening wheels. There are 2 guides to slide the knife through. Each guide hones 1 side of the knife. The guide keeps the knife at the correct angle so there is no guesswork involved.

I have a very low end ceramic knife that was given to me. The blade was never sharp from the day I received it. It was a very poor design with no brand on it. I pulled the ceramic knife through each guide twice and felt the wheels making contact with the blade. To my surprise, it only took 2 pulls on each side to get a super sharp knife! This diamond coated wheel actually worked quite well. The cheap ceramic knife I have is actually very sharp and usable.

I also tried to sharpen a ceramic knife that had 3 chips on the blade. One of the chips was rather big. I pulled the knife through the sharpener a few tips on each side. 2 of the 3 chips are gone but the larger chip but it was a lot smaller, probably less than 25% it’s original size. The knife now feels as sharp as new!

Although $60 is a lot to spend on a plastic knife sharpener, it is a fun gadget for anyone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen. Since this sharpener works on metal knives as well, it’s existence in your kitchen can be a bit more justified. If you own several ceramic knives, this sharpener is almost a must have. I’m not sure how I lived without it. It literally takes less than 20 seconds to sharpen a knife, and the results are excellent.

We could not find this available in the U.S. yet. Rumor has it that it will be here soon. We’ll keep looking and keep you updated on what we find.