FAQ: NASA Inspired Kitchen Knives by Habitat Housewares
For the most up-to-date information about the status of our project, check our project updates on Kickstarter!

Does the Habitat Chef Knife need to be sharpened? If so, how and when?

When you feel the knife is not as sharp as you would like, we recommend one of the following:

1) Send it to Habitat for complimentary lifetime sharpening - which involves a small service charge to cover return shipping.

2) Sharpen it by hand on ceramic or diamond “whetstones”.

3) Use a ceramic specific home electric sharpener such as the Chef’s Choice Model 700. These use diamond sharpening media which is necessary to cut the Habitat Chef Knife edge. We recommend a very light touch (i.e. don’t grind off a lot of material).

Our testing shows dramatically extended sharpening intervals, which will, of course, vary from user to user depending on factors specific to your use and the quality and type of your steel knives.

Last updated: October 28, 2017 18:58

What are the handles made out of?

The gorgeous, distinctive handles are ergonomically designed and made from beautiful pakka wood. Perfect weight so the knives feel like a balanced extension of your hand.

Last updated: October 28, 2017 21:41

What are the dimensions of the Habitat Chef Knife - and how much does it weigh?

The over-all length of the knife is 13 and 1/4 inches and the length of the blade itself it 8 and 1/4 inches. The width at the widest point of the heel is 2 and 1/8 inches. It is 2.15mm at the spine. The balance point is at the centerline of the bolster. The weight of the Habitat Chef Knife is 8.1 ounces.

Last updated: October 28, 2017 19:06

How wide is the metal alloy that is bonded to the steel for the cutting edge?

When you receive the knife, you will be able to see the transition from one material to the other. The edge material is 3-4mm “tall”. Unless the knife is carelessly sharpened, this is adequate to stand up to years of use - probably a lifetime of use. Be sure to read the sharpening instructions we have published above.

Last updated: October 28, 2017 19:05

How does this alloy compare to powder metallurgy steels like OPM 110 or Hitachi M390?

Both CPM110 and M390 are good materials and reach up to 62 HRC. However, powder metallurgy is challenged to maintain thin, long, and straight crystalline structures. Thus, these alloys are usually limited to shorter hunting or tactical applications.

Our alloy is a composite of super hard granules or “teeth” with hardness over 70 HRC dispersed in a ductile matrix. This extreme differential in hardness between the hard and the ductile phases is what gives the Habitat knife edge it’s superior properties.

The Habitat knife edge has similar hardness to ceramic, without being brittle.

Last updated: October 28, 2017 19:05

Is the Habitat Chef Knife "dishwasher safe"?

High quality knives should not go in the dishwasher as a general rule. The Habitat Chef knife also has a wood grip that will degrade over time if subjected to the dishwasher. Hand wash and dry is best.

Last updated: October 28, 2017 19:06

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