Write up on Chinese cleavers

Japanese Knives - by Tokushu Knife
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What do you think about Watanabe cleavers? I was between Sugimoto #1 or #6, but I prefer very thin knives, and one of the complaints I saw about the Sugimotos is that they weren't thin enough. Currently using a CCK 1303 that I love, but I'd like something more exotic haha.
 
pownedju said:
What do you think about Watanabe cleavers? I was between Sugimoto #1 or #6, but I prefer very thin knives, and one of the complaints I saw about the Sugimotos is that they weren't thin enough. Currently using a CCK 1303 that I love, but I'd like something more exotic haha.
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Here is a good comparison of a Sugimoto #6 and a Watanabe cleaver if you haven’t seen it already.



I have a Sugimoto #6 I’ve used a lot, but I recommend this Sugimoto #1 as it’s a little narrower, lighter, a bit thinner and a decent bit cheaper than the #6.

https://www.hocho-knife.com/brands/...-chefs-chinese-cooking-knife-220x95mm-1-4001/
Watanabe is good if you want a flatter profile, but Sugimoto has nicer taper down the spine. Japanese cleavers won’t really be as thin overall as a CCK, but Sugimoto and Watanabe are pretty thin right behind the edge. You’ll want to thin your cleaver every few sharpenings anyways.
 
blokey said:
Xiao Pian Dao/ Siu Pin Dao/小片刀/Small slicer, as their name imply, they are slicer but smaller. They can be seen everywhere, from home cooks to professionals. They also vary greatly in size, from just a little smaller than a large slicer to what basically is just a taller nakiri. CCK 1902 is a good example, the famed Dexter Russell Chinese chef could be also labelled as a Siu Pin, as they are based on the knives used by early Cantonese immigrants. Some of the interesting examples of Siu Pin are beef knife and Yu Sheng (Chinese Sashimi) Knife, they usually have lower front height than the back, they are used predominantly in Chao Shan restaurants for beef hot pot and Chinese sashimi dished.
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@blokey I just ran across this great resource you've started! Thanks for all the interesting info!!

I am curious about the CCK 1902 being called a small slicer though since mine is 460g and definitely not what I would consider a slicer like a 1302. In fact, I got mine specifically as a more all purpose chopper/slicer and for the heavier tasks that I wouldn't want to use my 1302 thin slicer for (e.g. hard winter squash skins, crispy bacon, poultry bones, etc.). The 1902 is rated for chopping use including chicken bones, ribs, etc. Not a heavy bone chopper for large, dense bones, but it's way thicker and heavier than a 1302 (300g), and it's actually thicker than my grandmother's old American-made cleaver for butchering chickens (her dad, my great grandfather, was a butcher and she kept his old chicken cleaver and his smooth(ish) steel honing rod). Even after thinning the front two thirds of the blade behind the edge I still won't hesitate to take this to any tougher job that I have (I don't have any serious bone chopping to do, e.g. larger pork or beef bones). So I'm wondering if the CCK 1912 (or the well know 1303) would be a better / more accurate example of a small slicer?

Also, I believe the CCK large slicers (110x series) are actually a touch thinner than the 130x series (not thicker as you stated above). The old 1103 I picked up a few months ago is actually the thinnest cleaver I've ever held (230 X 110, 350g), and I've seen mention elsewhere online that the 110x series are thinner than the 130x series as well.

Thanks for creating such a great resource! I hope my comments here can be helpful in making this resource as accurate as possible.
 
agknifesharp said:
@blokey I just ran across this great resource you've started! Thanks for all the interesting info!!

I am curious about the CCK 1902 being called a small slicer though since mine is 460g and definitely not what I would consider a slicer like a 1302. In fact, I got mine specifically as a more all purpose chopper/slicer and for the heavier tasks that I wouldn't want to use my 1302 thin slicer for (e.g. hard winter squash skins, crispy bacon, poultry bones, etc.). The 1902 is rated for chopping use including chicken bones, ribs, etc. Not a heavy bone chopper for large, dense bones, but it's way thicker and heavier than a 1302 (300g), and it's actually thicker than my grandmother's old American-made cleaver for butchering chickens (her dad, my great grandfather, was a butcher and she kept his old chicken cleaver and his smooth(ish) steel honing rod). Even after thinning the front two thirds of the blade behind the edge I still won't hesitate to take this to any tougher job that I have (I don't have any serious bone chopping to do, e.g. larger pork or beef bones). So I'm wondering if the CCK 1912 (or the well know 1303) would be a better / more accurate example of a small slicer?

Also, I believe the CCK large slicers (110x series) are actually a touch thinner than the 130x series (not thicker as you stated above). The old 1103 I picked up a few months ago is actually the thinnest cleaver I've ever held (230 X 110, 350g), and I've seen mention elsewhere online that the 110x series are thinner than the 130x series as well.

Thanks for creating such a great resource! I hope my comments here can be helpful in making this resource as accurate as possible.
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Are you sure it is a 1902? I never see one go past 300g

http://chanchikee.com/Chinese Knives.html
 
blokey said:
Are you sure it is a 1902? I never see one go past 300g

http://chanchikee.com/Chinese Knives.html
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Yep, it's definitely the 1902. Bought it new. The CCK website you linked has the 1902 listed as a chopper as well:

Screen Shot 2023-08-30 at 6.34.13 PM.png



And here's what the CCK ebay seller from HK has for the description of the 1902:

Screen Shot 2023-08-30 at 6.24.50 PM.png


At under 300g it sounds like maybe you're thinking of the 1912? I think they're usually around 260g or so, and are CCK's stainless small slicer (just a tiny bit thicker than the 130x series from what I've read). The 1911 probably ends up right around 300g (same size as the 1302).

Screen Shot 2023-08-30 at 6.38.30 PM.png
 
agknifesharp said:
Yep, it's definitely the 1902. Bought it new. The CCK website you linked has the 1902 listed as a chopper as well:

View attachment 265942


And here's what the CCK ebay seller from HK has for the description of the 1902:

View attachment 265941

At under 300g it sounds like maybe you're thinking of the 1912? I think they're usually around 260g or so, and are CCK's stainless small slicer (just a tiny bit thicker than the 130x series from what I've read). The 1911 probably ends up right around 300g (same size as the 1302).

View attachment 265943
Click to expand...
Yeah I got it wrong, should be 1912 series
 
Interesting write-up! The Chinese cleaver is the first knife I ever used. My first ever job, as a teenager, was prepping food at a local Chinese Buffet, and that's what everybody used for everything. Chopping semi-thawed meat, chopping/slicing all the vegetables, we had cleavers and whetstones, plus a honing stick. You can do anything with a Chinese cleaver. I absolutely love them for vegetables because of the square shape, which makes it easy to scoop up the prepped stuff, and put it in the container/off to the side/straight into the wok!
 
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