Kitchen Cleaver Recommendation

Varga Knives

Varga Knives

Joined
Aug 12, 2006
Messages
1,302
I know there is a specific forum for this question but it looks seldom traveled...

My wife finally showed an interest in knives last night and I don't want to screw this up. Kitchen cutlery is definately not my forte but I can't let her know that. I just told her I'd get her a good cleaver. She mentioned that Rachel Ray always uses a cleaver for blah blah blah. Is there a perfect all around cleaver? Not too big. Not too small. Ergonomic, Quality. Not really looking to cut through bones but mostly softer food, veggies and such, and then scoop 'em up.

Thanks.
 
Dont get a rachel ray, those things are like the bear grylls series of kitchen knives. I would recommend a JA Henckels or a Shun.
I particularly like Shuns because they are made by our very own Kershaw, and they look supa nice! Your wife may like the Henckels better due to their size.
But if you have a knife shop or knife sharpener around you I would go and check out what they have. You can pick up some sweet vintage cleavers on the cheap.
If you are feeling crazy, you can get a custom built like this one...http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/898404-Custom-Cleaver-T-M-Hunt

Good luck!
 
Something like a "Ginsu 07100 Chikara Cleaver", "Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Signature 7-Inch Vegetable Cleaver" use your favorite search engine and type in "kitchen cleaver" a plethora of results will appear and some of the sites have reviews of the knives.

I think unless you are looking for a very specialized cleaver, what's on the market can vary from $10 to over $800 so a price range would be helpful if you want to see a cleaver that sells for over $800 you can look for "Murray Carter International Pro"

Also the kitchen forum does get traffic.

For size, it's really going to depend on your wifes size and with that goes ergonomics as well, she might like a knife with a handle that you or I find to be on the skinny side, so getting the appropriate dimensions will take more input.
 
Sounds like your wife wants a Chinese chef's cleaver. In which case I hear that the pieces produced by the Chinese company Chan Chi Kee are the best.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Sounds like your wife wants a Chinese chef's cleaver. In which case I hear that the pieces produced by the Chinese company Chan Chi Kee are the best.
Click to expand...

Yep. Actually a chinese cleaver isn't a cleaver in the same sense that westerners think. A western cleaver is thick and used to go through bones and basically cleave flesh. A chinese cleaver is much thinner and lighter and is used as a chefs knife would be in western culture.
 
Yeah you'd f*** up a Chinese cleaver right quick if you tried chopping bone with it. :p
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Sounds like your wife wants a Chinese chef's cleaver. In which case I hear that the pieces produced by the Chinese company Chan Chi Kee are the best.
Click to expand...

@ strider214

This is good advice. I have a CCK cleaver and love it. My wife does as well. It will do everything you stated in your original post. If decide to pick one up, make sure you're getting a cleaver and not a chopper. The CCK chopper = western cleaver.
 
You guys are right on the money. A Chinese Chef's Cleaver seems to be exactly what I was describing. The CCK seems a good choice for the price, too. Just so I'm not missing anything, I recall seeing something about a cleaver like this with some kind of ball at the end of the spine. I can't quite picture it and it may be just something I glimpsed on an infomercial. If you know what I'm talking about is that just a dumb gimmick that should be avoided?
 
I've seen those ball-spined thingies. Cheap garbage, if it's the one I'm thinking about.
 
Yeah they're branded under "As seen on TV." Never tried them so I don't know if they're good or not. I've kinda been blown away by my girlfriends 5 dollar asian market special in how well it does at food prep so I tend to reserve judgement on kitchen knives. It's 1/16" thick, holds an edge like a butter knife, but dang it can cut like a demon. Even when dull.
 
Several years ago I picked up a cleaver on E-Bay for $3.00. I later found out that it was around 130 years old. It takes and holds an edge as good as I could ever hope for and has served me well since I bought it. Good cleavers are a dime a dozen.
 
jvan said:
Good cleavers are a dime a dozen.
Click to expand...

Nah--cleavers are a dime a dozen but good cleavers are more like $50 a dozen. Lots of old cleavers on eBay and you can snag them real cheap sometimes, but I've seen most of the really good examples go for a fair (but not excessive) price. Still much cheaper than you can get new ones for typically, though. And those tend to all be Western-style cleavers rather than the Chinese chef's cleaver that the OP is looking for.
 
strider214 said:
You guys are right on the money. A Chinese Chef's Cleaver seems to be exactly what I was describing. The CCK seems a good choice for the price, too. Just so I'm not missing anything, I recall seeing something about a cleaver like this with some kind of ball at the end of the spine. I can't quite picture it and it may be just something I glimpsed on an infomercial. If you know what I'm talking about is that just a dumb gimmick that should be avoided?
Click to expand...

I think you are referring to the rock and chop. Gimmick for sure.
 
Best place buy cleaver is a good Chinese market. That's where I picked mine up. Great for veggies and dismembering/splitting chickens, but I wouldn't use it for any other bones.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top