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Is The Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 A Heinlein Vibroblade?

The Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 claims to cut with 50% less force, less sticking and easier cleanup. Is it a Heinlein vibroblade, as described in If This Goes On..., published in 1940?

First, let's check what science fiction Grandmaster Robert Heinlein wrote about it:

'We've caught a spy, Zeb,' I answered hurriedly. 'What'll we do with him?'

Zeb flashed his light. 'You've knocked him out?'

'He won't come to,' answered Magdalene's calm voice out of the darkness. 'I slipped a vibroblade in his ribs.'

'Sheol!'

'Zeb, I had to do it. Be glad I didn't use steel and mess up the floor with blood. But what do we do now?'

Heinlein uses the same idea in Methuselah's Children, published the following year:

"Better get away from that phone, Bud." Then, in an aside to Mary, Lazarus added, "I won't touch my gun, Sis. I'll use my knife."

Vanning stopped. "Very well," he said in annoyed tones, "don't touch that vibroblade. I won't call from here..."

"It ain't a vibroblade. It's steel. Messy."

Now, let's learn about the Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 ultrasonic chef's knife:

What does an ultrasonic knife do? When it's on, it cuts with up to 50% less force, with less sticking, and easier cleanup. Nearly six years in the making, we're thrilled to announce the world's first ultrasonic chef's knife, designed specifically for home cooks.

I think it's pretty close to what Heinlein described. Thanks to ionah_ for posting about it.

Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 12/13/2025)

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Is The Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 A Heinlein Vibroblade?
'It ain't a vibroblade. It's steel. Messy.' - Robert Heinlein, 1940.

 

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