I have been working far more with vegetables lately, and I am pondering a Chinese vegetable cleaver. I already have a pretty good selection of knives, but I find this style intriguing. I am no collector, and I place a high premium on the nimbleness of a knife. I like low cost, I prefer carbon steel, and my sharpening practices are adequate. Does anyone have experience with or thoughts regarding the small Daovua leaf spring cleaver on CKTG? I know the prevailing lower cost recommendation is CCK, but I am interested in the shorter edge and half the cost.
If you are prioritizing QPR, look at the Tojiro cleaver (see below).
And if you have a Chinese grocery store near you (like a Ranch 99), you can get a really nice functional no-name vegetable cleaver for under 20.
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Iâm going to echo @ipsedixit and suggest a cheap-o Asian market store knife. Theyâre probably stamped with cheap handles, but you can see if you like the geometry of a Chinese cleaver for a pretty low buy-in. I have one and have used it for probably over 30 years. It hasnât gotten a lot of use lately, but when Iâm doing a lot of prep, the size of the blade makes a convenient board scraper to scoop up sliced onions or celery or whatever. ISTR mine came from a Chinese hardware store in SF Chinatown, so itâs hardly a high zoot blade, but it works and I donât see a need to replace it.
Ditto to all of this.
I know there are folks here who will throw up when I say this, but spending $$$ on expensive or designer cutlery is a big waste of money.
Buy the cheapest most functional knife, and when it gets dull, get a new one.
Knives are not functional jewelry, they are simply tools. Nothing more, nothing less.
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I checked out the Tojiro but do not want SS. Sounds like I am going to check out some Chinese stores.
Thatâs a good plan.
If you are really prioritizing QPR, avoid any cleaver that has a brand name stamped on its blade. Thatâs just wasted effort and labor that youâre paying for.
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Iâve test driven a number of chinese chefâs knives and have to say that I would recommend the CCK KF1303. The Daovua knives are okâŚI have one of their chinese cleavers as well, but itâs a little thick behind the edge as itâs from a leaf spring. The grinds are inconsistent and it doesnât come that sharp out of the box. I appreciate what the Daovua folks are trying to do, but theyâre still pretty rough as far as knives go. You could go the generic asian grocery store route as well if you wish, but they can be hit and miss as well, with many with just stamped blades. The CCK used to be the entry level chinese chef knives, but theyâve just creeped up in price the last few years. The CCK 1303 is just a great all arounder and a nice introduction into chinese chef knives. I say go for it.
Just know that, like Japanese chefâs knives, you can go down a rabbit hole of excellent knives. A lot of Japanese makers make a chuka bocho that can set you back hundreds of dollars.
Youâll get a lot of opinions here, mine is take a serious look at the CCKs. And if you have not dealt with the folks at ChefknivestogoâŚthey are VERY reliable.
@Vecchiouomo for your consideration, seems like it fits all your criteria, in case you donât want to trek out to a Chinese grocery store.
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I have dealt with CKTG. I have had old carbon steel Sabs all my cooking life, but several years ago tried a few Tojiros from CKTG. My brother in law had no decent knives. So he got my nakiri, a gyuto, and a small petty. I decided I much preferred my Sabs. For vegetables now I mainly use an 11 1/2" stainless chefâs knife, a âBâ grade and deeply discounted knife from Bernal. It is a terrific knife but much, much heavier than my old 10" knife, which now feels almost like a petty! I love its edge and its wide blade. I was thinking a Chinese cleaver might bring a good edge, lightness, thinness, and a wide blade in a single package.
That sure tics the boxes! Merci! It is a haul to the north side of town to the good Chinese grocery stores. Plus, every time I go I over shop. The internet is safer!
PS I just noticed it ships from Pomona, right next to the town where I went to college. My first brush as an adult with French restaurants was in Pomona.
I like the shape of the handle on that Crude knife!
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This is not a great example of a chinese cleaver. It looks like it was made to be a rocker for some reason.
My 2 cents:
For carbon steel, I would spend more money. I would probably get one of the CCK cleavers even though they are a tad overpriced. They look great when they patina too.
For stainless steel, Iâd probably just get a cheap Mercer or Dexter chinese cleaver. You can beat them to hell and they wonât rust. Iâve always used Mercer in my home and professional kitchens. Some Iâve had for ten years.
Another 2 cents:
I think the most important thing is to get a knife you will value, care for, sharpen, and not immediately add to the landfill. I think my expensive knives have given me more value than some of my cheaper knives because I have them longer. I can also say that I love using my pricey Japanese knives even if they do the same job as my Mercer knives.
Has anyone called Chan Chi Kee the store in Hong Kong directly and ask if they ship internationally? Because the knives arenât expensive at the store.
Not sure where everyone is located, but you now have to pay tariffs on everything coming into the US. Before August, if the item was $800 or less you didnât have to pay. Now that the de minimus exemption is gone, it is more expensive to import anything. Iâve watched Japanese knife prices continuously go up over the past few months. Considering this, I think the current CCK cleaver prices are fair on CKTG. Any new shipment they get will likely increase the price.
They do, but in you are in USA, then Canada CCK store may be a good choice too. CCK is also sold in many local stores in USA too.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/chan-chi-kee-cultery-markham?osq=Kitchen+Supplies&override_cta=Get+information
Sounds like you like a thinner blade Chinese style knife
shorter edge as in a thinner blade width (not blade thickness).? That sounds more like a nakiri may be a better fit.
Kiwi has some thinner wide knives, but you also want carbon steel? Kiwi knives are stainless steel.
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Not all Chinese cleavers from Chinatown or Chinese grocery stores are made the same though. I randomly got one years ago for like $20. The blade was so thick that its no good cutting anything. So I just saved it for one purpose- when I needed to whack through bones. I wasnât too happy with it. A couple of years after that I was at the CCK mothership store in Hong Kong and ended up getting a CCK cleaver for about USD $40. Much better knife.
Obviously not every one has the luxury to just show up at their store when they want a cleaver.
Iâm not much of a rocker, even with my Sabs. I like to push, draw, minceâŚalmost never rock. I like precision and even cuts. I like a fairly straight edge. A reason I tend to like my large chef knife so much is that it has a long, straight edge that moves into very little belly. Regardless of what I decide (which may well be to hold off), knives that come into my kitchen donât go to landfills.
I definitely think youâd like a Chinese cleaver then. I was saying that the one from the eBay link looks like a rocker which is not what Iâd want in a Chinese cleaver either. The landfill comment was my opinion regarding the previous comment made about getting a new knife when a cheap one dulls.
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