I decided to give the CCK 1303 a try, and it arrived today. My first impression is that it doesn't feel as big in my hand as I'd expected after reading a number of reviews along the lines of "when you actually see this knife, it's going to be surprisingly big". It was not surprisingly big. My first thought was that I should have gotten the bigger one (as several people here suggested). The factory edge was sharp but not scary sharp. I was able to sharpen it enough to (barely, not comfortably) shave my arm hair, which is no better and no worse than I've done with my Forschner stainless knives.
My current impression is that I am pretty likely to order a larger cleaver before too long, but we'll see how I feel after using it for a while. (I'll post an update here.)
My current impression is that I am pretty likely to order a larger cleaver before too long, but we'll see how I feel after using it for a while. (I'll post an update here.)