Have you considered the Japanese laminated kitchen knives? Some come with VG10 core and stainless Damascus on the sides, others have a core of either Blue or White Hitachi steel and plain sides. I bought one of the Ice Bear laminated knives from Axminster for myself and have been pretty happy with it. It takes a very good edge and holds it well, although it isn't quite as sharp as the Murray Carter I bought my dad
I considered the ceramics, I have diamond hones and wasn't too worried about them breaking since I haven't dropped any of my steel knives so don't expect that to be a problem. In the end I just liked the idea of something with a little more character.
Some people might well treat ceramics as if they will never get blunt. I am always amazed at how dull most folks will let their kitchen knives get. I have seen some where it hardly matters which side of the blade you use! I have also met otherwise savvy people who think that the TiNi coated blades never dull and cannot be sharpened (both incorrect). It only stands to reason that many that buy ceramic knives do so because they know nothing about sharpening and want something that will take a long time before getting dull
If you get some, do a little review
I am sure folks would be interested!
