BillHanna
Gotta get ready for ARM
You should check out what @Martyfish did. It’s a gorgeous handle.
Judging a Budget Chinese Cleaver by the Coil Shot
- Thread starter naptight
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naptight
Well-Known Member
Wow all of his mods are really cool! I know want to do a wa handle on my 12 yo victorinox now
I bought a CCK 1303 recently for about $90. There is no way I'd consider rolling the dice on a DV for $30 less.
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I bought a Dau Vua cleaver when they first started showing up in the US. I like it fine and its way better workmanship than the one I bought in Hanoi. Chinese style cleavers really aren't that common in Viet Nam.
I've had a DV 52100 cleaver. It was bent and the grind was wonky (likely due to the bend). The CCK1303 I bought this year had a profile issue near the tip.
That said, both were fine knives in hand and cut well for the price. I usually buy at a higher price point so neither stayed.
That said, both were fine knives in hand and cut well for the price. I usually buy at a higher price point so neither stayed.
I’m interested what they mostly use. Vietnamese knives are actually quite popular in boarder towns, they have a good reputation for their thinness
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The pros seem to like Thai Kiwi brand knives with kind of a sheeps foot type point. There were also lots of locally made versions of the same. But not much for cleavers until I found mine in a Hanoi cutlery shop.
I have a trip through Hong Kong coming up in September. Has anyone been to the CCK store there lately?
it's hard for me to justify buying a cleaver online, but if it's a trip souvenir...
it's hard for me to justify buying a cleaver online, but if it's a trip souvenir...
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I was there a 3 or 4 years ago. CCK is in the middle of the restaurant district of Hong Kong. Lots of other shops to explore with it.
naptight
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This sounds like so much fun
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I meant restaurant supply district but maybe you got my meaning.
naptight
Well-Known Member
Imagine the magical place full of Hong Kong cuisine and knives 
naptight
Well-Known Member
Hello again. So, I've become somewhat obsessed. I bought a few different budget knives and I need to start modding them because I'm addicted to grinding metal on stones. I don't have a ton of free time, but I'd like to incrementally over time improve on the cck1302. Using the makeover @Martyfish did on his Shibazi as a template, how should I approach this?
From his thread:
"The makeover comprised the following:
- A light thinning
- Rounding of the spine and choil
- Polishing the spine and choil to a near mirror finish
- Polishing the core steel to a near mirror finish
- Giving the lower section of the blade a kasumi finish
- Polishing the upper section of the blade to a fine satin finish"
It seems like the grind marks on the lower section of the cck blade are pretty deep and trying to get all of those out using stones would potentially thin the knife too much. Is that a legitimate concern? Would using sandpaper on a block with a felt backer help avoid going too thin by getting into the shallow spots without taking too much off the high spots? Similarly, if I'm going to polish the upper section; polishing out the QR code would be nice. But, I don't want to lose too much thickness. Is that a legitimate concern? Rounding and polishing the spine and choil will be nice for comfort, but the spine is already so thin does it really make much of a difference? Is there a different approach to polishing the spine and choil on very thin knives (my petty could also use this)?
From his thread:
"The makeover comprised the following:
- A light thinning
- Rounding of the spine and choil
- Polishing the spine and choil to a near mirror finish
- Polishing the core steel to a near mirror finish
- Giving the lower section of the blade a kasumi finish
- Polishing the upper section of the blade to a fine satin finish"
It seems like the grind marks on the lower section of the cck blade are pretty deep and trying to get all of those out using stones would potentially thin the knife too much. Is that a legitimate concern? Would using sandpaper on a block with a felt backer help avoid going too thin by getting into the shallow spots without taking too much off the high spots? Similarly, if I'm going to polish the upper section; polishing out the QR code would be nice. But, I don't want to lose too much thickness. Is that a legitimate concern? Rounding and polishing the spine and choil will be nice for comfort, but the spine is already so thin does it really make much of a difference? Is there a different approach to polishing the spine and choil on very thin knives (my petty could also use this)?
Taurahe
Well-Known Member
That dao vua is a pretty useful cleaver. Not the finest grind, but it does a good job. I have moved all of my Dao vua to new homes, but I kept the cleaver. The only real complaint I have with Dao vua is they need a better edge quench to give the knife longevity. They honestly get quite a bit of love here.
I also do the same with some inexpensive knives. After processing, they feel very comfortable to hold, especially when the spine and the edges of the blade are polished and rounded.
I once ground a Chinese chef's knife to be extremely thin. It was made of 52100 steel wrapped in stainless steel.
Extremely thin, extremely thin. This led to a problem. Because Chinese chef's knives are very suitable for applying force, it's easy to use more force than with a gyuto. After several times of making hamburger mince, the edge of my knife developed some waves ranging from 1mm to 2mm due to the impact during cutting. It wasn't notches; the edge became wrinkled.
