This is our favorite knife. If you have a cleaver and a paring knife, you don't really need anything else. We bought one for each of our kids when they moved out of our house. It is wonderful for chopping and slicing and the size of the blade makes it easy to transfer minced vegetables from the cutting board to the pan. Our Wusthof knives have lasted for years and I expect the cleavers will still be used daily 25 years from now.
If you want a Chinese vegetable cleaver, then this is the one. Made from 3/16" high carbon stainless stock, and flat ground to a paper thin cutting edge. I have not found a better one than this. Plenty of weight for crushing, and yet, beautifully balanced for tireless cutting, pinch grip a must. The razor thin edge gives complete control for all precision work. Check out some Martin Yan videos for cutting demonstrations using this knife. I give this an eleven out of ten.
Buy Wusthof Gourmet 8-Inch Vegetable Cleaver Now
As an Executive Chef, I use my knifes daily. I have a complete set of Wusthof knifes and this Chinese Cleaver was a welcome addition. Actually it has become my new kitchen work horse. I would say however this knife is not for people with beginner knife skills. For beginners i would recommend starting with a 7 or 8 inch Wusthof santoku knife.
Read Best Reviews of Wusthof Gourmet 8-Inch Vegetable Cleaver Here
Pros: very sharp. I actually cut my palm once when I started using it and another time when I wash it. But this is how it supposed to be, you just need to be careful with it.
Cons: I do Chinese cooking a lot at home. This cleaver is pretty good when cutting soft vegetables, such as tomato and leafs. But since its front end is not as heavy as other Chinese cleaver I own, I'm having problem when slicing hard vegetables, such as yams and potatoes.
Overall, it is a very good cleaver, I just need to get used to it and modify my cutting methods a little.
Want Wusthof Gourmet 8-Inch Vegetable Cleaver Discount?
Not much to say about it, it is made to do its job. Solid handle with 3 rivets.
Sharp out of the box, and doesn't require re-sharpening with use of a steel. Unless you go and chip it...
Just a few notes to clear up confusion about the Chinese "vegetable" cleaver.
It's not a meat cleaver, don't chop bones with it.
Chinese chefs use it for almost everything, not just vegetables; it's the equivalent of a French chef knife.
About 2/3 to 1/2 the weight of a meat cleaver of the same size. It will fit into the cleaver slot of your knife block, ~3 inches wide.
I find this is a good mid range price since you don't want cheap 10-20$ cleaver that might fly out of your hand; and unless you are a professional chef, $100+ for 1 knife is just ridiculous (unless you plan to use it for the rest of your life).
Save 24% Off
The serrated blades on these knives are really sharp and cut easily. The knives also don't require handwashing and the finish holds up well after being washed in the dishwasher. Thinking of getting another set!
