Dexter-Russell S5198 Chinese Chef's Cleaver 8-in. Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)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


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Walk into the kitchen of any Szechuan or Cantonese restaurant in America and you're likely to find this American-made knife.An excellent lightweight tool, its 8"-by-3??" blade is beautifully manageable. It minces and slices--and can it shred lettuce! Use it to crush garlic, tenderize meat, and slice scallions, carrots, and anything else that might find its way into your next stir-fry.

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Dexter Russell Chinese Knife 8in x 3-1/4in Review

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(More customer reviews)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 (some people like this, some don't) 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.

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Dexter Russell has become the dominant manufacturer of professional cutlery in the United States. Throughout their extended and rich history, they have maintained a tradition of perfection in both materials and workmanship. The tradition of quality and variance is carried on in Southbridge, Massachusetts, where their cutlery is designed, built and tested. Features:- Chinese Knife- 8in x 3-1/4in Home

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J.A. Henckels International Classic Stainless-Steel Meat Cleaver Review

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(More customer reviews)For years I never owned a cleaver and then I saw Julia Child using one and a butcher friend recommend this one. It holds its tone or sharpened blade longer and I can whack a whole chicken and then use my boning knife and do the job in less than ten minutes.
And this cleaver is great for quickly dicing vegetables for stir fry. The handle is a nice weight and the blade is designed to allow me to dice-rock at a nice speed. Like I said I never owned or thought I needed a cleaver, then I was proven wrong when I bought this one.

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Meat and poultry can be intimidating. But with the right tools, you can slice right through the whole prep process. Chop through joints and bones in seconds using this board blade with professional-caliber weight and balance. Lifetime warranty.

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Shun Ken Onion Cleaver, 7-Inch Review

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(More customer reviews)This is my third Shun knife and my second Ken Onion. They come quite literally sharper than a razor in that the edge lasts longer and it unbelievably sharp. I sharpen mine about once a month. Sending to Kershaw would take way too long. Blade is heavy and very thick, great for cutting through bone (which is why I bought it) but still sharp enough to slice through bits of skin. If you want the images to remain longer clean them with a gentle toothbrush or they will come off over time. Ergo handle very comfortable to use. Also have the 7" santoku knife with same handle. Look very attractive sitting on the counter and ready for action when needed. Love it!

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Chop your way through meat and vegetables without breaking stride. The Ken Onion Cleaver is as handy to have around the kitchen as any of your kitchen utensils. The Ken Onion series of knives featurea VG-10 blade core clad with 32 layers of SUS410 stainless steel-the blade made famous in our Shun line. The Ken Onion series features not only this handsome, non-stick blade, but it is combined with Ken Onion's signature ergonomic handle design, creating the unique blade sweep found only in a Ken Onion knife. Ebony Pakkawood handles made a beautiful statement, in and out of the knife block. Due to customer demand, we've expanded the Ken Onion series to feature all those 'can't live without" knife styles-you're sure to find the Ken Onion Knife right for any job.

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Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin High Carbon Stainless-Steel Meat Cleaver Review

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(More customer reviews)First off, it's a little bit confusing figuring out which of Henckel's lines this cleaver belongs in. Amazon's site doesn't say it's a Pro S blade, but when I put the product # into the Henckel site it actually came up with 2 different descriptions for the same blade - one said Pro S, the other did not. When the product arrived I confirmed that it DOES say "Pro S" on the blade itself, so I think I am justified in comparing it to the rest of the Pro S line in my review.
When I decided to get a good meat cleaver, I was debating between this and the 5-star. Generally speaking, comparable knives within the Pro S and 5-star lines are essentially identical in terms of quality, with the only real difference being the handle, which comes down to personal preference. Prices are generally quite similar as well, which is why I couldn't figure out why this blade was significantly cheaper than the 5-star cleaver. Because of the price difference, and because all my other knives at home are Pro S (and I like to have the handles match), I went with this one.
When it arrived, I discovered that while this is a nice all around cleaver, it is NOT comparable to any other knife in the Pro S line because the blade is NOT forged steel, but steel sheet.
Despite this, I'll admit it is a pretty nice cleaver, it has a nice weight to it and it works well. But it simply doesn't belong in the Pro S line, and it's a lower quality product than the (justifiably more expensive) forged steel 5-Star meat cleaver. If I could do it again, I'd order the 5-Star. If you're on a budget, this is still a very nice cleaver for the price.
If this blade wasn't mislabeled as a Pro S knife I would give it 4-stars, but because it says Pro S I think it should have Pro S quality and it simply does not.

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The cleaver, a formidable tool, is kind of like an axe for the kitchen. The blade is thick, inflexible, heavy and forwardly weighted. It needs to be tough enough to chop through joints and bones. Don't expect an inferior blade that doesn't extend through the length of the handle to tackle this kind of work. Insist on a quality tool, full tang blade with an ice-hardened forged blade.

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Scanpan Classic Cutlery 6-Inch Cleaver Review

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(More customer reviews)A nice-looking, well-designed knife with a wide array of possible uses. Use it as a cleaver for raw meat and heavier vegetables, or to slice cheese, cooked meat, fruit... or come to think of it, pretty much anything you want. Great as a general all-purpose knife, or as a specialty cleaver.
While I've only had it for a few weeks, the nice single-tang design bodes well for the quality of the knife as well.

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Scanpan Classic Cutlery is crafted from the finest grade German stainless steel.Each blade is expertly ground, honed and tested.The angle must be exact, uniform from bolster to tip and the curve flawlessly tapered.Theblade is Rockwell tested to ensure that it's tempered and hardened toperfection.Chop through beef, lamb, pork or poultry like a professional with the Scanpan Classic Cleaver/Nakiri.

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Wusthof Gourmet 8-Inch Vegetable Cleaver Review

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(More customer reviews)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.

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Craftsmanship has been a tradition at Wusthof for over 190 years. Quality and precision have always been the standard that we measure our knife by. Our Gourmet line of German knives take precision to a new level.Each knife in this line is actually cut from a piece of steel using a laser beam to make an exact a perfect blade. The Gourmet 8 inch vegetable cleaver chops fruits and vegitable instantly.Its V-taper edge allows for thin cutting.

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