Poll Results

Total votes: 835

Definitely. I've had relatively more accidents with dull knives than sharp ones: 223 (26.7%)
I don't use knives enough to have a personal opinion on this: 186 (22.3%)
Probably. I feel like dull knives have accidentally hurt me more: 115 (13.8%)
Definitely not. I've had relatively more accidents with sharp knives than dull ones: 112 (13.4%)
Probably not. I feel like sharp knives have accidentally hurt me more: 108 (12.9%)
Unsure. It feels about 50/50 to me: 91 (10.9%)

I've been using kitchen knives regularly for decades. I do virtually all the cooking at home, so I'm chopping stuff on a daily basis. I'm no expert chef, but I reckon I have a reasonably good idea how to handle knives properly. Early in 2020 I was getting frustrated with the current set of knives we had aways being dull and no longer holding an edge properly. My wife and I had had them since we got married. I decided it was time to replace them. I got a decent quality knife set - nothing super high range, but not right near the cheap end either.

I really love the new knives. They handle well, are nicely balanced, and they came super sharp. And I've invested in some proper sharpening tools as well to keep them that way.

BUT... since getting the new knives I've nicked and cut myself while chopping food so many times it's really not funny. Before, with the old dullish knives I'd do it maybe once every few years. But I swear in the past 18 months I've cut myself at least once every month.

And recently I saw on reddit someone asking "Why do people say that sharp knives are safer than dull ones?" It made me realise that just maybe that often-cited aphorism is actually false. I certainly like using sharp knives better than dull ones, they make chopping food so much easier. But obviously in my own anecdotal experience they are anything but safer. Maybe I'm just not used to the balance of the new knives yet? I dunno.