Chinese chef's cleavers are somewhat a mistranslation, as they are not true cleavers. It is actually used for as a slicer and chopper. Much like a French chef's knife or a Japanese Santoku bocho, a Chinese chef's cleaver is an all-purpose knife with a medium blade. It is known as "vegetable knife" to Chinese. This is not a thin blade slicer, nor a thick blade meat cleaver. Chinese chef's knife sits between the Chinese slicer and the Chinese cleaver. It is not designed for hacking through big bones, though thin chicken bones are acceptable.
I bought this knife on March 2009. Dexter-Russell Chinese chef's knives are highly regarded among Chinese chefs in America. This particular model S5198 is the best selling of them. Its blade is 8 inch in length and 3.25 inch in width. It spine is 3/32 inch thick, which is 1/32 inch thicker than my previous Sekizo Chinese chef's cleaver. The thicker spine gives the knife a sturdier feel and a heavier chop. The 3-1/4 inch walnut wood handle is nice. A wood handle is warmer to hold and allows a non-slip grip compared to a steel or plastic handle. I oiled the handle with tung oil to prevent it from absorbing too much water. The tang extends 40% into the walnut wood handle and can stand up to 500 pounds of pull. According to customer service, this Dexter-Russell S5198 is constructed out of 420 stainless steel and harden to Rockwell 54-56 HRC. Because normal 420 cannot be harden much above 50 HRC, this knife must be made of 420HC and not the normal 420. 55 HRC is normal for kitchen knives, but soft comparing to hard steel Japanese knives, like Shun or Hattori cutlery. For a given steel, there is a trade-off between strength and toughness. A very hard knife is resistance to low level impact, but will chip/crack when the force is great. A softer and tougher knife tends to give and have its edge roll up easier, but has greater resistance against chipping and cracking. As Chad Ward pointed out, "The most extreme examples of both would be the extremely hard, yet shatter-prone ceramic knives from Kyocera compared to very tough, soft stainless Chinese cleavers". Chinese chef's cleavers often are made out of softer and tougher stainless steel due to their all-purpose function. This is a stamped knife with no bolster, finished with a saber grind profile. I ground mine with a 15o back bevel and a 20o on the edge face. Finally, this knife is made in USA by Dexter-Russell, the largest and oldest American cutlery manufacturer. I rate this Chinese chef's cleaver between a 4-star score and a 5-star score. I am quiet happy with this knife and it is certainly a fine cutlery for its $30-40 price, so it deserves at least a 4-star rating. I am just not sure if it is exceptionally great given its 420HC stainless steel grade is rather common.
I have now moved toward the Chan Chi Kee (CCK) thin blade chef's knife due to its thinness.
*Skip the bottom if you already know how to hold a Chinese cleaver.*
Some of you probably are Chinese cleaver veterans, but for those of you who are not, here are some suggestions for holding a Chinese chef's cleaver. It is a pinch grip just like a French chef's knife. Hold your knife with your dominant hand. Have your thumb and index finger hold on the spine (slightly passed the bolster section), while the other three fingers wrap around the handle. Alternatively, have the thumb, index and middle fingers on the spine, and hold the handle with ring and little fingers. Both grips are acceptable. Hold your foods with your other hand with your fingers tips curl inward, allowing your minor knuckles or your joints exposed. Lean the side of the cleaver blade against your knuckles or your joints and you are good to chop, cut and slice, but never lift the blade edge above the knuckles/joints. In other words, your knuckles/joints will guide your cutting motion and preventing you from cutting yourself. I have uploaded a photo of this in this review.
Calling this a 'cleaver' is a bit off. Cleavers
are usually thought of as heavy, axe-like blades
ground to a convex profile and used with a swinging
motion to break or separate bones. This knife, on
the other hand is intended for all the cutting
tasks that one does in a kitchen with other knives.
What makes this the almost perfect knife is the width
of the blade. At over three inches, it provides a lot of
control surface in relationship to its edge. So the
cook who has learned to chop by guiding the knife
with his or her knuckles is almost immune from accidents.
The wide blade also makes this great for whacking
a clove of garlic before mincing it and for scooping
up chopped food from the cutting board.
The edge is easy to maintain-not too hard or too soft.
I use a chef's choice sharpener and keep the knife
on a magnetic tool bar to avoid knicking the blade.
The only thing wrong with this knife is the handle,
which is in a barrel shape and uncomfortable and
insecure in the hand. I modified mine with a bit
of coarse sandpaper, making grooves where my fingers
wanted to land.
This is my most frequently-used tool and one that I
recommend to students and friends.
--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005
Buy Dexter-Russell S5198 Chinese Chef's Cleaver 8-in. Now
I own a full set of J. A. Henckel Professional "S" series knives, and I love those... but it's this Dexter-Russell Chinese Vegetable Knife (the technical name) that I use for everything. It is easily the sharpest blade I have ever encountered, and easily the longest lasting edge I have ever encountered. When I first used my Henkels, I thought "Okay, this is what a great knife is..." and yes, that was great. Then, when I used this knife (after being inspired by the Chinese Made Easy show with Ching-He Huang), I realized that "THIS" is what a great knife is, and there is nothing like it. Just get it. You'll use it for everything. Careful thought, this thing will cut you up like crazy.
Read Best Reviews of Dexter-Russell S5198 Chinese Chef's Cleaver 8-in. Here
Although it is billed as a cleaver, I would not use it that way.
It is a beautifully weighted versatile knife with a comfortable handle.
This is a wonderful implement for rapidly chopping, pressing garlic quickly, etc.
It is very easy to care for. We keep the handle out of the water & wash it with warm, soapy water. It is then left either to air dry or wipe dry with a soft cloth.
We've used this knife for 28 years & it has held up well. The handle NEVER became loose. The original one was bought in Chinatown in NYC for about $5.00 (1981). I've seen this same knife in stores for $58, so this price here is quite good.
We thought we had left the knife somewhere, & decided to check with Amazon if they had it. Great news, it was there! After 28 years, we didn't expect it to be $5. Got it to Alaska for additional S&H-about $51 all together. Still less than the price in the store, no gas, no poking around looking for it.
Well, the original knife turned up after all, so now we have two & are happy for that-it is that good a knife! Actually-gave the new knife away as a present. It is a beloved, useful accompaniment-no, A NECESSITY in that household, too.
The knife was shipped all the way to Alaska in great condition. It was well packaged. NO problems.
You'll certainly be glad to own this knife. Yes, if you have access quickly to a Chinese grocery, you may find it. But absent that, this is a great alternative!
This is just simply a great versatile knife-good for bluntly chopping meats (thru bones, too), finely chopping herbs, etc.
NO complaints. Would buy again. (If the one from the 80's ever falls apart).
Want Dexter-Russell S5198 Chinese Chef's Cleaver 8-in. Discount?
This particular knife was a present for my cousin who is just starting to get interested in cooking. I have many knives in my kitchen, most of them presents, and most of them junk. I use only two knives: this one and a 4 1/2" Wusthoff paring knife. Aside from specialty knives like ones to cut bread or open oysters, those are the only two knives you will ever need.
This knife looks like a meat cleaver. It is not, and never use it like one. It is a Chinese chef's knife and is a precision instrument. You do not wrap your hand around the handle your thumb and forefinger should extend beyond the handle and end up on either side of the blade to guide it through its stroke. Draw the knife gently through whatever you are cutting. You will find it wonderful for cutting vegetables for salads, and after you have sliced or chopped your onions or peppers, simply tilt the knife until it is nearly parallel to your chopping board and slide the chopped food onto the blade to transfer it to a bowl or pot.
Always rinse and dry your knife immediately after use and store it in the box in which it comes or in a proper knife block. This knife hold an edge better than any other knife in your kitchen. Eventually, however, you will need to dress the edge of the knife. When it refuses to cut a tomato as a razor would, use a good quality diamond-hone electric sharpener. You should need only the "hone" part of the device you don't need to take off any metal.
Never use the knife on anything other than a wooden or polyethylene chopping board never on a hard or brittle surface.
If you follow these directions, your knife will last almost forever and give you years of satisfying service. Mine is over 20 years old.
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The bamboo silverware set is great. It's just the right combination of tools to toss in my backpack and use wherever I go.
