Help ID this Chinese Cleaver

[prairiedog]

I couldn't find anything about this on the internet, but I really want to try a cleaver so I went ahead and took a chance and bought this on the bay. Anyone recognize this company/cleaver? I feel like the triangle symbol should help, but I can't find anything about it.

Thanks!


edit: figured out how to post images correctly

 

[Timthebeaver]

I'm stumped.

 

[prairiedog]

I'm stumped.

added direct links :newhere:

 

[XooMG]

Yongli brand, silver steel (iirc v-gin semistainless). Taiwan brand.

 

[prairiedog]

Yongli brand, silver steel (iirc v-gin semistainless). Taiwan brand.

wow that was fast! I'm impressed, thanks! Are they any good? Do you think it's worth $30 or am I better off going with a widely available new cleaver?

 

[XooMG]

they are nice for the price. v-gin models are relatively hard (over 60rc) and can be made into very competent cutters. I have some from the discontinued vtoku line and like to thin them a fair bit. once thinned, they become pretty formidable slicers.

 

[prairiedog]

thanks, I really appreciate the info. Sounds like I didn't do too bad then. The close-up shots from the seller show a lot of scratches & fairly rough condition, but I figure I'll just make it a project knife to learn on.

 

[prairiedog]

so XooMG, I went and did a little researching, and pretty much everything I could find on these comes from you, which is fun :biggrin: I am curious though, because the characters you have attributed to Yongli (永&#21033 don't seem to be present on my blade. I found a knife that looks to be exactly mine from a B/S/T post on here (http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/23078-330mm-Takobiki-175mm-Chuka), except the characters on mine are different, even inside the circle. I can't find 永利 anywhere on the picture I posted. Thoughts? Not that it's a big deal, I just found it interesting.

 

[inzite]

so XooMG, I went and did a little researching, and pretty much everything I could find on these comes from you, which is fun :biggrin: I am curious though, because the characters you have attributed to Yongli (永&#21033 don't seem to be present on my blade. I found a knife that looks to be exactly mine from a B/S/T post on here (http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/23078-330mm-Takobiki-175mm-Chuka), except the characters on mine are different, even inside the circle. I can't find 永利 anywhere on the picture I posted. Thoughts? Not that it's a big deal, I just found it interesting.

it's actually right below in the triangle icon, it's just written in a more hand written style.

 

[XooMG]

it's actually right below in the triangle icon, it's just written in a more hand written style.

+1.

 

[XooMG]

so XooMG, I went and did a little researching, and pretty much everything I could find on these comes from you, which is fun :biggrin: I am curious though, because the characters you have attributed to Yongli (永&#21033 don't seem to be present on my blade. I found a knife that looks to be exactly mine from a B/S/T post on here (http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/23078-330mm-Takobiki-175mm-Chuka), except the characters on mine are different, even inside the circle. I can't find 永利 anywhere on the picture I posted. Thoughts? Not that it's a big deal, I just found it interesting.

The reason I'm the source for most of it is that the brand is fairly local for me, and isn't broadly exported as far as I know. I happened upon them in a secondhand kitchen supply store here in Taiwan and thought they were relatively promising for the kind of thin edges I usually like. Information and expertise on Chinese knives is very limited in general, and especially limited outside Chinese language communities. I try not to post too much because it gives the impression that I'm a shill or arrogating authority.

 

[prairiedog]

it's actually right below in the triangle icon, it's just written in a more hand written style.

oh, now that you say it, I can definitely see it in the second character. When I showed it to my to friend from Taiwan before I posted, she told me that she didn't know what the first character in the circle was supposed to be, but that the second one could be translated as "benefit".

The reason I'm the source for most of it is that the brand is fairly local for me, and isn't broadly exported as far as I know. I happened upon them in a secondhand kitchen supply store here in Taiwan and thought they were relatively promising for the kind of thin edges I usually like. Information and expertise on Chinese knives is very limited in general, and especially limited outside Chinese language communities. I try not to post too much because it gives the impression that I'm a shill or arrogating authority.

Well I'll say this, I'm certainly glad you've posted what you have about it. It's helped me to know a great deal more about my new (to me) knife. I never would have known what steel I was dealing with without that. Plus it's fun to know more about secondhand finds in general. I was just commenting to my wife last night about how amazing it is that you can post a picture of a completely obscure used knife on this forum and someone could ID it in less than 15 minutes. The internet never ceases to amaze. Thanks again!

 

[Colorado_cutter]

Yongli (永&#21033 means "forever sharp." This "li" means "benefit" but also "sharp."