I wasn't looking for a new peeler at all to be honest. Just that I got the Yoshi Blade 4.5" Ceramic Santoku Kitchen Knife and that peeler was an add-on to the santoku knife. Free peeler is a free new thingy to check out and review, so why not, I wouldn't throw it away unchecked. Being an add-on to a 20$ knife didn't really inspire much of a confidence. Plus, I was already unhappy with Yoshi blade santoku performance, and their marketing tactics, but I did my best to disassociate myself from the negative impressions and do the fair assessment. Not so sure how well did that work out, but here's a review as it came out :)
General
- Yoshi blade ceramic peeler is what is says in the description, a peeler with ceramic blades which is situated on a plastic frame. While I didn't find any defects on the peeler, overall impression wasn't positive, left an impression of a cheap plasticy thing, but then again, that was in line with the "free peeler" with the knife arrangement. Not much else to tell, average size peeler, not to sharp out of the box. Closest I can associate it with, was the Kyocera ceramic peeler, which was a better made product, but wasn't all too exciting either. Well, Yoshi blade peeler didn't reach even that level. Ceramics used in the peeler construction is white, which means it's the cheaper variation - Zirconium oxide(ZrO2) of the two types of ceramics used in modern cutlery. For the curious minded: Zirconium Carbide(ZrC) is a better choice for the cutlery, and typically it is black, although I can't exclude the possibility of the blade being coated with different color, never seen that though. Regardless of the ceramic type, statements that ceramic knives never need sharpening and last forever, etc. simply are not true. Yes they are harder than the steel, and do not deform but they do chip just fine, which results in dulling. Doesn't really matter what dulled your blade, rolling, chipping or a combination of both, the edge is still dull, and unlike steel edges, you are stuck with a dull blade which is very difficult to sharpen at home. Actually, it is impossible for most of the people, you need diamond sharpeners and considerable experience in sharpening. Although I do sharpen my Rosle crosswise peeler, which has a steel blade, and I can sharpen ceramic knives at home, I wouldn't bother with Yoshi blade peeler, price/effort ration is simply too big, not worth it in other words.Usage
- Well, it's a peeler, so you can't really get too creative with its use :) So, I put down my trusty Rosle and went on with Yoshi Blade ceramic peeler for next 2 weeks. As far as pure peeling performance is concerned, it was about the same with Kyocera ceramic peeler, and way noticeably worse compared to Rosle Crosswise peeler, because I do sharpen Rosle myself, putting high polished, extra sharp edge on it. Frankly, it is on fun sharpening Rosle blade, too small and even though I have a special magnetic holder to make sharpening easier, it's still a hassle. In short, performance was rather subpar, but with peelers not may people care about that, just push through and be done with it. Sharpening isn't a criterion for absolute majority of the peeler users, so you might as well skip the part about sharpening. Anyway, initially performance was good and I can't say I've noticed any degradation during the two weeks I've been using it.As for the actual use, it was the usual, carrots, apples, potatoes, which I carefully washed before peeling them. For the record, if you care about your edges, especially ceramic edges, be it a knife or a peeler, you should spend extra minute or two on washing. Dirt particles embedded in the skin you are peeling or cutting do wreak havoc on the edges. I knew all that, and I've observed chipping on ceramic peelers before, as well as ceramic kitchen knives including Yoshi Blade 4.5" Ceramic Santoku Kitchen Knife and Kyocera OK-45 4.5in Utility Kitchen Knife. Still, two weeks later I have two small chips on the Yoshi peeler. No clue how did they got there. Must've been a super hard carrot or a potato :) I didn't have any real use for Yoshi peeler, my own Rosle works a lot better. I was still curious to observe its edge for a prolonged time. To keep myself happy and have a chance to keep track on the Yoshi peeler, I simply gave it to a friend, and checked on it once every month or two. Said friend received a mini lecture on a topic - "how to make your ceramic peeler last longer", which was mainly about washing the stuff to be peeled. Well, can't comment on how diligently my friend was washing those veggies, but I can definitely comment on the Yoshi ceramic peeler. In short, it was trashed in about 4 months of average household use. I'd toss it earlier, but the new owner said it was ok, although after 6 month of use Yoshi peeler was discarded anyway.
Conclusion
- Nothing much to say, for a free peeler, 6 or even 3 month is a good run. Use it, then once it becomes bad enough, toss it. I wouldn't pay for it, that's certain. If you are choosing between ceramic peelers, I'd still go with Kyocera, but personally I like steel, sharpenable peelers better. If you don't plan on sharpening the peeler, get the cheapest one and forget the rest.Related reading:
Last updated - 05/19/19