Resources >> Reprocessing Guidelines >> About Your Diamond Knife

About Your Duckworth & Kent Diamond Knife

Duckworth & Kent diamond blades are laser cut and hand honed from the highest quality gemstone diamonds to provide a superfine cutting edge of exceptional sharpness. Normal use will not cause the blade to deteriorate in any way and the cutting edge will lose its sharpness only if damaged in some way.

Duckworth & Kent recommends:

● To ensure your diamond knife is fully protected, the blade should be retracted back into the handle at all times, except when being used.
Blades are most commonly damaged during cleaning, but if the cleaning process below is followed, no damage should occur.

● As a regular cleaning process, gently wipe the blade from the back to the tip with a wet cleaning swab. Please ensure the diamond knife is thoroughly washed to remove residues and then finally rinse with de-mineralised water prior to autoclaving.

● Never use saline or a salt-based solution for cleaning , as salt residue may cause
damage to the handle mechanism.
With a superfine edge of this type any slight imperfection may cause a deterioration in sharpness although no damage to the blade is visible. Such slight imperfections can only be seen under extremely high magnification (x100) and are sometimes caused by the blade being touched against another instrument during use. Blades damaged in this way can normally be re-sharpened and reground to the original superb quality.

● If you notice that your knife is less sharp than it was, pack it firmly in a box (with the blade retracted) so it cannot be shaken about during transit, and return it to us for repair. Diamond is a hard brittle material and the blades should always be treated as fragile and handled with great care. Never exert any form of sideways pressure on the blade as this can cause it to break across and snap off completely. Blades which have been fractured in this way usually cannot be repaired.

● Ensure the knife is handled only by the staff who are completely aware of its fragility and who have access to these notes. If possible keep the knife separate from your other instruments and allow only restricted access by your staff.

Normal methods of sterilisation cannot affect the diamond blade or the titanium handle in any way, but rough treatment during sterilisation can result in a damaged knife. Always ensure the blade is fully retracted before placing in the autoclave, preferably on its own.