Well, you have a knife, and it vibrates, so your claims to this extent are factually correct. However, in the video linked by the o.p., there are several exaggerated or misleading claims or images. For instance, at 1:41 of that video, there is a pair of SEM images showing blade edges that are severely rolled (left image) and blunted (right image). Since there is no scale on the SEM we can’t see what the extent of the deformation is but the narration indicates that these are typical conditions for a kitchen knife in normal use. In fact, the left image is clearly not a kitchen knife (apparent from the profile of the blade behind the edge) but likely a fine scalpel abused in a way that such an instrument should not every be used. The right image has the correct profile for a heavy kitchen or utility knife but the blunted shape of the edge is not from normal use; that has clearly been pushed edge down onto a harder substrate such as glass. In normal, non-abusive use, the edge of a well-honed kitchen knife used for slicing and chopping will first roll at the very edge and then wear away, leaving a more rounded profile which is perceived as gradual dulling.
Second, in the discussion of how the piezo elements cause the blade to vibrate, there is an animation (starting at 2:33) showing the response of the blade. The narration and the note at the bottom right corner does indicate that the animation is exaggerated but doesn’t offer a scale factor, and the motion of the animation shows the blade flexing and waving around with the tip deflecting more than 1/2 inch up and down, giving the impression to an unsophisticated viewer that this is the mechanism by which the blade is effecting cutting. The reality is that the deflection is scaled by at least a factor of 100000X or more, and the actual benefit that comes from vibration is preventing food from sticking to the face of the blade.
The video showing the cutting of the tomato (starting at 3:33) compares the cutely named “J. Robot Choppenheimer” cutting a tomato with a ‘dumb knife’ versus the Ultrasonic Chef’s Knife by just pushing the edge down into the fruit. This is a very misleading comparison as this isn’t the way any reasonably experienced cook would try to slice a soft-bodied fruit like tomato; they would push the knife forward or (or draw it back) to facilitate cutting through the comparatively tougher skin. It is also much easier to do this with a fillet knife with a narrow bevel rather than a broad-faced chef’s blade which is actually intended primarily for chopping and mincing; in fact, a sharp fillet knife will cut its way through a ripe tomato just on the weight of the knife alone and produce slices that no thicker than cardstock.
As I noted above, the vibration may indeed help to prevent food and residue from sticking to the blade but that is a ‘problem’ that most cooks learn to cope with procedural steps, i.e. by using their non-cutting hand to remove and organize cut material. The notion that one should use the vibratory motion vice learning the simple task of quick honing and occasional full-edge resharpening with a flat stone is basically trading learning a basic skill (which, it should be noted, is still necessary for all of the other knives needed for applications where this chef’s knife doesn’t serve) for a convenience of an at-best questionable practical utility. This is a $400 ‘solution’ to a problem that doesn’t really exist for the home cook who is more into gadgets than learning actual craft of cooking. And frankly, as someone who has spent many, many hours prepping hundreds of pounds of produce and meat for cooking at mass scale, I would far rather have a ‘dumb’ knife with good ergonomics and balance that I spend a minute or two honing for every several hours of use than a big, blocky-handled cutting gadget that is likely to run out of power or just stop working when it is most inconvenient.
I’ve spent several years as a cook working in commercial kitchens using all kinds of kitchen cutlery, and going on three decades as an engineer doing mechanical design, structural and dynamic analysis and testing, and mechanism synthesis, including the design, analysis, and qualification testing of cutting, severing, and penetrating devices for aerospace, military, and emergency rescue/extraction applications. I’ve owned a lot of knives for cooking and other applications (including some approaching the price of this gadget, albeit for the steel, balance, and quality of handle materials) and to me this product seems like a gimmick with little practical benefit for the cost and promoted with misleading comparisons.
Stranger