attention chefs

[AaronTT]

The Chinese crap at Wal-Mart is not the same as at a Chinese restaurant supply store. One is for Americans, one is for Chinese restaurants. You may want to ask your local Chinese joint where they get their knives. They are known for well made cleavers.

And I agree about Chinese metal for the most part. I would not trust the cast iron, and I've heard of SS grills rusting.
 
There may be some vintage ones on eBay.

I know of several shops so I might just stop in and buy one for the hell of it. It would be nice if they lasted for that price. Thanks.

 

[sicman]

 Many people think it's just for whacking.
 
 

Could get very messy.

 

[John1234]

The thing about China is buyer beware. If you cluelessy shop as many people do, you're going to get burned very quickly. They have no scruples about passing off inferior products to their own countrymen, let alone foreigners. Whole sections of industry are devoted to duplicating high quality products using inferior material. There are great products made though. The best stone polishing disks I've ever used come from China, and make a mockery of anything American made, at literally 1/20 of the price.
 
The "best", in my opinion, knives and steel (worked, finished product, not ingot) come from Japan. Even Henckel is changing design to reflect the Japanese tendency to take in to account that a human hand is holding the knife.
 
Chinese cleavers are a great tool. The only concern I would mention is the tiny handles on most imports. I want to hold it with all my fingers, not just the few I can fit on the wee handle XD
 
 
Never buy usuba/nakkiri. Trendy hipster cooks have ruined that for the rest of us....
 
Deba, Shinichi Watanabe

 
Yes, I am the douchecanoe that buys a fish knife and doesn't process enough fish to justify it's use. It's very pretty though   Especially after I send it back to get a few newbie mistakes polished out...

 

[JoynersHotPeppers]

I need to sharpen my knives, they are dull from some deer and what not  

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

 
 
Chinese cleavers are a great tool. The only concern I would mention is the tiny handles on most imports. I want to hold it with all my fingers, not just the few I can fit on the wee handle XD
 
 

 
     Chinese veggie cleavers have small handles by design. Unlike meat cleavers, which are meant to be held with a firm grip (like a hatchet), veggie cleavers are designed so that the handle is just there to help stabilize your grip on the blade, which is pinched between your thumb and your index + middle finger.
     The handle on my Dexter-Russell is plenty big to accommodate my little and ring fingers wrapping around it. Which is saying something, as I have hands like a samsquamptch.

Trendy hipster cooks have ruined that for the rest of us....
 
 

 
     The only thing a hipster ever ruined for me is my lack of something to laugh at.

 

[John1234]

 
     Chinese veggie cleavers have small handles by design. Unlike meat cleavers, which are meant to be held with a firm grip (like a hatchet), veggie cleavers are designed so that the handle is just there to help stabilize your grip on the blade, which is pinched between your thumb and your index + middle finger.
     The handle on my Dexter-Russell is plenty big to accommodate my little and ring fingers wrapping around it. Which is saying something, as I have hands like a samsquamptch.

 
     The only thing a hipster ever ruined for me is my lack of something to laugh at.

 
Those are huge compared to my small Chinese one.
 
This one's definitely a meat cleaver, thickness/bevel, but the handle barely covers the pinky and doesn't feel right when I try to use it with force. Sharpened it, put it in the knife roll, thought "neato", and haven't really used it since. Gives me a wierd "this axe is about to go flying behind me" feeling, maybe my bad hand technique.

 

[Jeff H]

I need to sharpen my knives, they are dull from some deer and what not

 
Dull knives Blasphemy.
 
Get the stones and strop out pronto and get them sharp again.

 

[JoynersHotPeppers]

 
Dull knives Blasphemy.
 
Get the stones and strop out pronto and get them sharp again.

Don't you worry, I carry 5 knives so always have at least 2 razor sharp when in the field. I had to clean 2 on Tuesday and that will dull any knife  

 

[grantmichaels]

We rock the 8" Victorinox here as well, and the 7" Santoku is D's preferred blade now ...

It all started four years ago with "demon-blade" ... that's what we named the 12" turkey slicing one that introduced them ...