Cleaver Dimensions
Blade: 220 mm x113 mm
Blade width at heel: 3.125 mm
Blade width at tip: 1.5 mm
Weight: The site says 735 g; binding I do not have a really accurate scale but it
feels every bit of 735 as this thing is heavy!
The first thing you notice of the box is the cleavers weight; I guess it's because I'm familiar with relatively light chromium-molybdenum-vanadium Trident knives that I am used to-this thing is definitely heavier for its size. The balance point is about one third of the way down the blade; when you pick it up you will notice it is a heavier knife but it is not tip-heavy the way a large French knife can feel.
The handle is larger and thicker than I'm used to on a Chinese Cleaver, it really fills my hand up-like most Chinese cooks I do have smaller hands. The handle itself is wide enough that I found my middle finger wrapping around it comfortably, with the index finger out on the blade and my and
thumb right over the edge of the bolster on the opposite side of the blade.
The forward edges of the bolster like the spine and the choi have sharp edges, and will need to be rounded off. In my case, the handle and bolster filled up my and enough that the only place I really want to round off is the top part of the bolster where it joins the blade; I personally would like to file down a flat place perpendicular to the handle where my thumb can rest, but that is a matter of individual fit.
As far as, I found it to be scary sharp right out-of-the-box. There is a video on this site of a man using a Chinese Cleaver and leaving his shoes at the door of his kitchen; he is much braver than I am. This is one of those knives that you will be afraid to use in tennis shoes. This thing is heavy and sharp enough to pose a significant risk to those of us on blood thinners! I got the green handle, I would have preferred the black micarta but it seemed to be unavailable. I intend to have itrehandled in california burl, so this is not an issue for me.
The Damascus itself is beautiful, with different shades of mottled gray patterns start against the shiny nickel silver layers covering the VG-10 core. It will remain to be seen how long this surface lasts, I don't know about reactivity vis-à-vis acidic foods such as tomatoes or citrus.
As far as the blade itself, this thing is a beast! I cut up two cases of whole fryers for Saturday night’s fried chicken special, along with 5 quarts of diced vegetables for minestrone with no appreciable denigration to the blade; a few strokes on the strop and it was as sharp as otob. The edge retention is far superior to the Shun Cleaver I bought five years ago, I suppose the hand forging makes the VG 10 core stronger and facilitates edge retention capabilities but this is only supposition. It should be noted that I use a ISF rubber cutting board, I would be hesitant to do any hard chopping on a plastic or hardwood board. The blade itself is heavy enough that is hard to get that blinding fast "mushroom chopping" action, but you use heavier cleavers for cutting jobs like disjointing chickens, and larger, thicker vegetables like potatoes or carrots. No wedging with this blade!
I'm overjoyed with the quality of this Cleaver. I reiterate, it is a larger and heavier blade but for chukbocho aficionados it is well worth the money. In a Chinese kitchen the cooks will have a thin bladed Cleaver, a larger heavier version and a long thin paring knife (petty), and that is their knife kit! In Bermuda, Thong Chai and his cooks would laugh at "Western man" carrying around a bag with 25 knives in it, particularly when I used a Cleaver as a line knife. I can absolutely recommend this knife, with the only caveat being want to use using it, you'll reach for your other knives less often!
Still working on pictures, sorry for the delay! Hax CLEAVERS RULE!!!