Description: Ceramic knife that’s sharper and longer lasting than steel
Main Pitch: "40 percent sharper than steel"
Main Offer: $19.95 for one, all-purpose ceramic knife
Bonus: Ceramic Peeler (just pay S&H)
Website: www.YoshiBlade.com
By John Miller & Peter Hutton (more)
Ceramic knives are a hot category right now with a high-perceived value. The Yoshi Blade looks like a good entry into this category and the inclusion of the bonus ceramic peeler is compelling. What’s critical in selling this product is really separating it from the other knives that have been marketed in the past. With so many competing knives out there already offered with high piece counts, the only chance this item is going to have is real emphasis on the ceramic blade.
The commercial does attempt to do this but the message seems to get lost in a flurry of rapid edits and an excess number of facts that overwhelm the first 20 seconds of the spot; e.g., “40 percent sharper,” “10 times longer,” “1,400 degrees.” There is no established problem with old-fashioned steel knives. The commercial just jumps right into split screens and loosely arranged copy points.
(Note to all producers: Claiming a product is “space age” doesn’t have the same impact as it did 30 years ago. It’s probably safe to officially retire that phrase from DRTV once and for all.)
There is also too much demonstration with the same professional chef (removing his wedding ring might have helped de-emphasize that the majority of shots featured the same pro). We would love to have seen some everyday moms using the Yoshi Blade with more contrast to the old way of cutting.
The strongest demo happens when a knife sharpener is actually destroyed by the Yoshi Blade. Unfortunately, this demo isn’t paid off with a practical sharpness application, like easily cutting through hard crunchy bread or something. More demos like this one should have been included to create some more memorable moments.
There was also a missed opportunity to turn the potentially negative point that Yoshi Blade is only one knife into a positive one. Perhaps “say goodbye to a drawer or counter full of dull knives … Yoshi Blade takes up no space and does the work of all these knives.”
Overall, this spot is a decent effort but falls short of making the impact that it could. While it does a good job at highlighting the features of a ceramic blade, it does very little to show a prospective buyer why these features will make life in the kitchen any easier.
All that said, there hasn’t really been a successful single knife sold on TV since the Ginsu. Without offering a full set of Yoshi Blades, the marketers are fighting an uphill battle.
The shipping and handling Kills the sale for me I am getting tired of the free just add more very high cost shipping and handling. I found a store that sales a knife like this one and paid $11.00 and no high cost shipping and handling.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to try one and compare it to my Forschner knives that are easy to keep sharp and work very well. I have a chef, paring, bread, boning (carving) and utility...that is all I need because they are very versitle too. 5 knives aren't that much and you must have to keep washing the blade as you cook so as to not mix onions with dessert. I wash all at the end:)
ReplyDeleteAs a rule, one usually can find better quality and better pricing for products advertised this way at a good box retailer, such as Target.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of ceramic knives available on the market from expensive, high-end ones to economy versions. So the best advice I can give is to go to a brick and mortar store and look over their selection instead of taking a chance on the quality and value of one offered only through a TV commercial.
Also, when an TV retailer offers you a second product just for the cost of additional shipping and handling -- watch out. Invariably they are going to burn you on the shipping and handling charges for both products. In the case of this knife, there are claims on the Internet that shipping and handling charges are more than twice to cost of the product itself.
Finally, ceramic knives have good and bad points. While they retain their edge better than metal knives, they actually are easily broken if dropped or otherwise have pressure applied in the wrong way. They are not for everyone or for every purpose.
When I received this knife it was not the knife they show on the commercials or their website. The piece that holds the blade hang longer than the blade so chopping is a problem since the blade can not be held to the cutting board. I like the knife but I feel I was given another knife all together!
ReplyDeleteI ordered my Yoshi on January 4 and it arrived on February 17. Get your ceramic knife elswhere and forget the Yoshi. It's a ripoff.
ReplyDeleteThe price of the Yoshi Blade is $19.99 US plus shipping. The Canadian total price is $41.48 (even when the CAD $ was a penny less than par to the US dollar. This is a rip-off and should be noted. Our Blade has not arrived yet-if it is not as advertised back it will go and BBB will be notified. $ 41.48 is out of order!
ReplyDeleteWhat a POS ! Back to steel blade for me. Besides, have you ever seen an "Iron Chef" use one of these ceramic jobs...there's a reason, ya know!
ReplyDeletei bought this knife at walmart in their as seen on tv section the knife is realy sharp and stays sharp i cut up about 6" of a 2x4 and a card board box and it is still as sharp as the first cut i made with it... id dint like the feel of the peeler it just felt weird in my hand and i didnt like it
ReplyDeleteCeramic is very hard, and very weak--it will chip. The guarantee says it will stay sharp, but it does not say it won't break. Even if they do offer a "free" replacement, the shipping charge for the free replacement is more than the knife is worth.
ReplyDeleteJust another television infomercial rip-off.
Why is never any mention of its physical dimensions? i.e. how long is the blade?
ReplyDeleteThe blade is 5 inches long
ReplyDeleteI originally ordered the YoshiBlade BOGO set from their website at a cost of $19.95 +$9.95 basic s/h + $6.99 "extra s/h" for doubling the order. Total should have been $36.85. Their order confirmation e-mail a few minutes later showed a credit card charge of $78.93! I called their customer service # the next day and was told that there was no record of my purchase, and that it must not have gone through, so try again. I declined to "try again". Now, a MONTH later, a DIFFERENT knife assortment arrives at my door, priced at $49.97 + $28.96 s/h = $78.93! Call to customer service says I can return the set and get $49.97 back, but no refund of the exhorbitant $28.96 shipping! I'm going to contest the purchase through my credit card company -- we'll see what those Yoshi weasels do when dealing with AMEX instead of John Q. Public!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all of the reviews about Yoshi blade's CS dept, I decided to just watch the "as seen on TV" area @ WalMart. Finally my wait was rewarded. Got the Yoshi Blade & veggie peeler...next stop...the produce department. Once I got everything home, I peeled a cucumber & sliced cucumber, onion, jicama, tomato. The peeler was average but the knife was exceptionally useful for vegetables. Paper thin slices, perfect for pickling and salads. The ceramic blade doesn't react with the food, which means I can chop veggies without having the color change & taste from the oxidization. This is not the be all, end all for knives...I am not replacing any of my knives with the Yoshi, just adding to my collection and am satisfied with my purchase...but if I wasnt satisfied, I could return it to WalMart...no hassle. Bon Apetite
ReplyDeleteI just bought a Yoshiblade 5" Santoku from WalMart... my first Ceramic knife. I'd been interested in ceramic blades for several years, And the Yoshi was the first I've seen that was in my Budget range.
ReplyDeleteI've been crazy for knives for many years, my Dad having taught me to sharpen, hone, and strop pocket knives at age 10. Then, I started cooking, and my appreciation for edged items increased. So, the notion of Zirconium Oxide blades was really intriguing.
I find that the Yoshiblade 5" Santoku is an excellent medium-sized Kitchen Knife. The thing is amazingly sharp, and with care should stay very sharp for many years. Still, it's not a perfect knife... for new cooks, or those who are careless with kitchen knives in general, it would probably prove unsatisfactory.
Far more useful than a knife that doesn't dull would be for people to know how to sharpen their Steel blades properly !!
Also, I would keep this blade away from Guests... the white blade, as murderously sharp as it is, still looks like a plastic Sandwich-spreader. The unwary could come to grief, simply because the blade doesn't "look" sharp.
Still, a wonderful knife, if you repect both its strong and weak points.
The TV and Internet sales of it are a real shame. Its a great knife... just being sold fraudently :(
Why do you care about showing "moms" using it? That's just silly. Are moms the only ones who use knives, or are they just the ones most likely to both use knives and be bad at using knives?
ReplyDeleteHow come none of the professional chefs on tv use this knife. If it is so amasing I would think they would. Pople who buy from infomerticals always get ripped off. The company never stands behind their product. If they do, you have to pay for replacements. Like they say in court "BUYER BEWARE". There is a sucker born overy minute.
ReplyDeleteYoshi blade knife did not stay sharp very long a big rip off
ReplyDeleteWow what a nightmare 37.00 and change for crap and the worst part since I responded to the phone number on the ad is the company has sold my number and I get calls from sales people selling everything. When you call their so called customer service they want to argue with you wtf?? I know this because this is a prepaid cell phone and I have never received any calls on it but only from people I know!! WARNING STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!!!! or YOU WILL BE IN SOLICTORS HADES
ReplyDeleteThis is garbage. I bought mine at Bed Bath and Beyond for $20. I'll be returning it promptly. It smooshed a tomato I tried to cut, and the finger guard on the handle next to the blade extends below the cutting edge, so the back half of the blade is blocked from reaching the cutting surface. Dumb design, dull knife. Don't waste your money or your time.
ReplyDeleteHere is a awesome Yoshi Blade review http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKPicYJWiyY
ReplyDeleteI got one of these a few weeks ago. I have not had it very long but it is very nifty. Great for slicing through meats, especially things like bacon that are more fragile. I have also used it to slice through all sorts of veggies with ease. Nice clean cuts.
ReplyDeleteI love the size of this knife, it's a nice small knife and is very versatile. For the 20 dollar price tag at Wal-Mart, it's VERY worth it. Definitely not the best knife in my drawer but a very practical (SHARP) knife that I have caught myself using over the past few weeks.
I bought the Yoshi blade on sale at CVS and so far I like it. when cutting, the veggies do not stick to the blade. this makes it easier to dice onions, tomatoes and the like. I knew beforehand that ceramic blades are not for everything. Watch Ming Tsai, he uses both steel and ceramic knives. Note, due to the fact that ceramic knives can snap, it is not recommended for cutting up a whole chicken, use the back end of a steel chef knife for that instead. With the Yoshi blade, I can throw out many of my knives but not all of them. In short, you get what you pay for so I had no unrealistic expectations for this knife. Over all it is a good product provided that you take care of it like you are supposed to.
ReplyDeleteI use a leather strop on my steel knives to keep a fine edge on them. Would this also work on the Yoshi?
ReplyDeleteI have a Kyocera and thought I would pickup the Yoshi to compare. The Kyocera cost me about 80 and the Yoshi 20ish with the peeler. The Kyocera was clearly superior from sharpness and ergonomics.
ReplyDeleteThe Yoshi sharpness was not up to that of a properly sharpened and dressed Henkel. I gave it the tomato test and it did not fair as well as I would have expected of a brand new knife, let alone a ceramic knife.
Ergonomically it is also lacking. Anyone who knows how to properly use a knife and has an average hand size (both my wife and I tested) will find it uncomfortable to work with. It doesn't fit well in the hand and puts you at an awkward cutting angle. The handle set is just not right and as a result, blocks the proper use. As a result, it sits unused despite it being often the sharpest available knife.
If you've never owned and worked with well sharpened quality knives, this will be a step up for you but take the step and invest in a good knife and learn how to take care of it.
The peeler on the other hand, very nice, now my Henkel peeler is collecting dust. You just have to ask yourself if a peeler is worth $20.
I use a leather strop on my steel knives to keep a fine edge on them. Would this also work on the Yoshi?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing with us.
Yoshi Blade