Discourse on why I love Chinese Cleavers re-post

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Thanks for all the welcomes to me on my last posting but my first posting on this forum!Thanks guys!

I just wanted to give an update on my cleaver adventures. I mentioned in my previous post that I was running my kitchen solely with a Tojiro 120mm petty, a CCK 1303 Cleaver and a Victorinox/Forschner serrated bread knife.

I bake crusty bread (Jim Leahey's no-knead recipe) at home every week and the Victorinox gets a workout.

My latest loaf of bread had completely cooled off and as I was reaching for the serrated knife, I glanced over at the CCK. The CCK said "Try me! Go ahead and try me on that crusty loaf. I dare you!" I said "OK, loudmouth, you're on!" I dropped the Victorinox.

I grabbed the cleaver and lined up on the bread expecting the cleaver to slip and slide on the crust. WRONG! It bit into the bread (Light Saber loud humming noise in background) and slid through the bread like Obi Wan Kenobi's light saber. Zap! Big slice of bread on cutting board with almost no effort.

I was amazed. Another and another slice. Same story. It was miles ahead of the serrated knife for slicing the bread! I put the CCK back on the mag holder and it looked at me and said, "Never doubt what we cleavers can do! Cleavers Rule!!"

Amen, brothers, Victorinox now is in storage drawer. CCK 1303 stands proudly up front waiting for its next mission.

By the way, I just got in yesterday a very beautiful, Tanaka 150mm, blue steel, Damascus Petty to upgrade my petty choices. I haven't really tried it out yet but I am looking forward to working with it.

Meanwhile, as Andy says: "CLEAVERS RULE!!":thumbsup:
 
So I recently just bought a Clever and today was the first day I used it on the line! It was amazing! I need some more practice with it but it was a sweet knife to work with!!! Its a sweet Shibazi clever ! p.s. Love Martian Yan!!
 
The thing about cleavers is that they tend to replace your whole knife kit; by the time you take out the case and open it you can make your cuts' pick up your cut product, and move on. I will frequently bring out my Wusthofs just on principle, not because I really need them.

Hax the Cook CLEAVERS RULE!!! :D
 
I can't believe igts been 7 years! Great post then and still is. Thanks Andy
 
just got a togiharu cleaver from JMac this week. it came in excellent condition, 5 minutes on a cheap combo (1k/4k) stone and its just melting through food. i think it's white #2, but i can't be sure, the make seems identical to the yoshihiro (for that matter, it looks like the togiharu damascus knives and the yoshihiros are identical as well). this is my new favorite knife. coming in at a little under 400g it still feels nimble and i prepared an entire dinner with it for 6 people. shaved sunchokes and fennel, citrus segments, this thing is really versatile, highly recommended. makes me wonder about all my other knives that cost three times as much!
i just couldn't get down with those hideous looking handles on the CCKs...
 
TheDispossessed said:
just got a togiharu cleaver from JMac this week. it came in excellent condition, 5 minutes on a cheap combo (1k/4k) stone and its just melting through food. i think it's white #2, but i can't be sure, the make seems identical to the yoshihiro (for that matter, it looks like the togiharu damascus knives and the yoshihiros are identical as well). this is my new favorite knife. coming in at a little under 400g it still feels nimble and i prepared an entire dinner with it for 6 people. shaved sunchokes and fennel, citrus segments, this thing is really versatile, highly recommended. makes me wonder about all my other knives that cost three times as much!
i just couldn't get down with those hideous looking handles on the CCKs...
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CCk's won't win any beauty contests, but that's what makes em great- you can beat the living $#!+ out of em and they ask for more.:spiteful:

The handles really aren't that bad. Ugly- yes, but functional, especially if you extend your index and middle finger out across the flat of the blade when cutting. My biggest gripe with them(besides the ugly patina, and discoloration of some foods) is how thin the spine is, really screwed up my knife callus the first couple days I used one.
 
Funny to stumble upon this thread just now. I purchased a cheap cleaver from a 99 Ranch Market maybe eight years ago. Never felt comfortable with it at home - intimidated by the size, and the thickness of the blade meant that most large items I tried to cut would actually end of cracking instead of cutting. But I've been developing my knife sharpening skills, and so I really went to work on the blade, grinding down the angle to get a nice sharp point.

A couple weeks ago, I began taking the cleaver to work with me. I work at a Japanese restaurant and will cut between two and four quarts of green onion tops on a daily basis, and cut up a lot of daikon radish. As much as I love my Wusthof nakiri, the sheer volume of cutting began to run down the edge. Not so much an issue with the cleaver. I've touched it up on a 4000 grit stone a week ago, and gave it a couple passes on a ceramic honer, and the thing will still easily go through two bunches of green onions at a time. Such a time saver. Plus, my nakiri is still super sharp a few weeks later cause it's not doing all the heavy lifting.

Just thought add myself to the ranks of the cleaver lovers club. :knife: I'm keeping an eye out for another $25 cleaver to leave at the house.
 
interesting thread. just went thru it all while eating my lunch.

i'm chinese and i dont have a cleaver. at least not a chinese styled one. big rectangle shaped things..i just gave away a Henckel version to a co-worker. i just never used it. i do however use a smaller cleaver which i think is from Japan. it is heavier, thicker..so it tends to split things like Daikon. but it will blast thru a coconut..or any squash. for me the main advantage it the ability to scoop up chopped ingredients. the biggest win. my parents have them scatter throughout the house. my stepdad, was a chef. he used them primarily.

hmmmm..i also dont own a Wok.
 
Probably not, for me. Handle looks a bit too short and too stubby for my liking. Rivet handle version looks much better.

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After reading through this thread I was inspired to give a cleaver a shot. Went to the CCK shop in Pacific mall just north of Toronto and picked up a 1303. Mt current favorite knife for veg prep is a beater usuba. I'm still trying to get used to the control of the blade due to the height of the blade, but I think with time and practice I will grow to enjoy using it.
 
For the last 3 weeks I've been using a Dexter that I've thinned. Found on ebay for $9 new. I've really come to enjoy using it and am probably going to pick up the suien vc next.
 
schanop said:
Probably not, for me. Handle looks a bit too short and too stubby for my liking. Rivet handle version looks much better.

img_4781.jpg

img_0031_15.jpg
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the reason i ask is because i used to own the riveted/western handle version. it was a little heavy for me. maybe 470ish grams. im guessing the wa is much lighter.
 
Looks fugly, but I reckon Ashi might be on to something. I reckon a d handle would probably be more comfortable on a cleaver but the dimensions look nice, much better than Moritakas and Takedas IMO. I'll fly the flag for barrel style handles on cleavers though. Absolutely smitten with the Sugimoto #7 I recently added to my kit, it's heavy but feels perfect in hand....the fat spine helps with that too though.
 
JKerr said:
Absolutely smitten with the Sugimoto #7 I recently added to my kit, it's heavy but feels perfect in hand....the fat spine helps with that too though.
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Congrats on your new cleaver! You already have 2 Sugimotos if I´m not wrong and It seems you are very happy about them (I know i will have to get one myself at the end, sigh). Pics or further comments about this new purchase would be utterly appreciated :lol2:

Regards
 
malacara said:
Congrats on your new cleaver! You already have 2 Sugimotos if I´m not wrong and It seems you are very happy about them (I know i will have to get one myself at the end, sigh). Pics or further comments about this new purchase would be utterly appreciated :lol2:

Regards
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Cheers, Indeed I have a #6 too, though it's getting pretty old now (by my standards) and really needs some heavy thinning to bring it back to what it was. I don't have the time or patience to put it to the stones and I probably don't have the skills to use a power tool (or the space really).

I can't really remember what the #6 was like out of the box, but it seems like the F+F on the #7 is a little better, perhaps Sugimoto are upping their game a bit; engraving is neater, spine and choil are nicely rounded. Cladding and steel seems to be very reactive on Sugimoto cleavers and they take an ugly patina, had a touch more belly than I recall the #6 as having too.

Steel and geometry is amazing though. I've heard they use white 2 and if so they should get props for their HT cause I reckon it's better than any white 2 I've used. Sharpens incredibly easy, gets piss-take sharp and the retention is surprisingly good. For comparison's sake, I think it ***** all over the Konosuke Fujiyama #6 in all those aspects, and the Konosuke is certainly no slouch.

I'll try to get some pics that work with some other cleavers for comparison and post a review later.

Ta,
Josh
 
JKerr said:
Cheers, Indeed I have a #6 too, though it's getting pretty old now (by my standards) and really needs some heavy thinning to bring it back to what it was. I don't have the time or patience to put it to the stones and I probably don't have the skills to use a power tool (or the space really).

I can't really remember what the #6 was like out of the box, but it seems like the F+F on the #7 is a little better, perhaps Sugimoto are upping their game a bit; engraving is neater, spine and choil are nicely rounded. Cladding and steel seems to be very reactive on Sugimoto cleavers and they take an ugly patina, had a touch more belly than I recall the #6 as having too.

Steel and geometry is amazing though. I've heard they use white 2 and if so they should get props for their HT cause I reckon it's better than any white 2 I've used. Sharpens incredibly easy, gets piss-take sharp and the retention is surprisingly good. For comparison's sake, I think it ***** all over the Konosuke Fujiyama #6 in all those aspects, and the Konosuke is certainly no slouch.

I'll try to get some pics that work with some other cleavers for comparison and post a review later.

Ta,
Josh
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Thank you very much!! really interesting info. I have been long thinking about getting a Sugimoto #6 and/or 7 someday and I really appreciate all this valuable information.

Again, thanks.

Regards
 
I think it is takefu v2 core cladded with iron. Quite a handsome chuka, it is.

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Looking forward to playing with it, especially interested to see how the wa handle feels.

Starting to amass more cleavers than I can rotate, maybe I'll look at doing some pass arounds soon.

Cheers,
Josh
 
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