There was a short line at Unveiled — the press event that kicks off CES — and people were waiting to do something you don’t usually see at a tech show: slice tomatoes. The gadget attracting the attention wasn’t a smart oven or a robot chef but a chef’s knife with a button on the handle. Press it and the blade hums, vibrating tens of thousands of times per second.
A knife that hums
Seattle Ultrasonics’ C-200 isn’t theater. The company says its blade oscillates in the tens of thousands of cycles per second (various demos put that between about 30,000 and 40,000 Hz), creating a microscopic cushion of motion that reduces friction as the steel moves through food. On the showroom floor you don’t see the blade move — the travel is measured in microns — but you can sometimes hear a sharp, glass-like ping if the blade is wet.
Why bother? The pitch is practical: the high-frequency movement helps the blade slide through soft, squishy items like ripe tomatoes or delicate bread without crushing them, and it can make dense, starchy vegetables like potatoes easier to cut with less brute force. The company also claims the blade releases slices more readily and reduces cutting effort by as much as half.
What it’s like to use
Journalists and attendees who tried it described a mix of delight and skepticism that quickly gave way to impressed nods. For tomatoes, the C-200 glided through paper-thin slices with almost no downward pressure, and the pieces tended to spring off the blade cleanly. Potatoes required more force — not magic, but noticeably less than a comparable non‑powered knife. On some potato slices the food still clung to the steel; on others it released as promised.
There’s a subtle buzzing in the handle when the knife is powered, a sensation some likened to a faint electric tingle rather than any dangerous shake. Demoers stressed that you still need to respect a sharp edge — the device doesn’t make the knife safe by itself — but by reducing the force required it may help users keep better control.
Who might actually benefit
For home cooks who enjoy chopping, this may feel like a luxury splurge: the C-200 is pitched at the premium-knife tier and commands a premium price. But the utility case is clearer for people with hand-strength or mobility challenges. Those with arthritis, carpal tunnel, or repetitive strain issues could find genuinely meaningful relief from an ultrasonic-assisted cut because it reduces the physical effort required.
Professional kitchens, hobbyists who prize gadgetry, or anyone who buys premium Japanese blades might also be tempted — though some testers said the difference wasn’t so dramatic that it replaces the need for a good traditional knife.
The backstory that didn’t make the booth
The knife’s inventor, Scott Heimendinger, spent six years bringing this concept down from industrial-scale ultrasonic cutting to a handheld form. He planned to stand behind the table at CES, but severe cervical radiculopathy and a pre-scheduled surgery kept him home. His early investor and friend Rand Fishkin — with his wife Geraldine DeRuiter — stepped in to demo and talk through the product. That human wrinkle didn’t stop journalists from lining up; it did, however, add a reminder that bringing hardware to market is as much about logistics and stamina as it is about clever engineering.
Practical details and the business side
The C-200 is built from Japanese AUS-10 san mai stainless steel and, according to the company, can be re-sharpened like a conventional blade. It’s cordless: a removable battery charges over USB‑C and there’s an optional wireless mahogany charging tile if you want the full countertop look. Seattle Ultrasonics rates the knife IP65 for water resistance, meaning hand‑washing is fine but it’s not a dishwasher toy.
Price varies by bundle: the standalone knife has been shown at about $399, while a package with the wireless charging tile has been listed nearer $499. Early production runs reportedly sold out, with the company scheduling additional batches in the months that followed CES.
Where the C-200 fits in your kitchen
If you’re happy with your current blades and enjoy the ritual of chopping, the C-200 is a flashy supplement rather than a must-have. If you struggle to exert force or want an easier way to slice delicate produce, it’s a more defensible purchase.
There are open questions: long-term durability of the electronics inside a knife handle, how often the removable battery will need replacing, and whether the ultrasonic mechanism changes sharpening cadence in real kitchens. But for a category as ancient as the knife, shrinking industrial ultrasonic tech into a pocketable chef’s tool is an intriguing engineering feat.
The machine‑meets‑kitchen aesthetic — the small orange power button on an otherwise familiar eight-inch blade — captures why CES keeps pulling people into the intersection of the ordinary and the futuristic. Whether the hum of a blade becomes a common kitchen sound remains to be seen, but for now people are enjoying the simple pleasure of slicing a tomato like it’s butter.