SHI BA ZI ZUO Kitchen Knife 8 Inches Versatile Butcher Cleaver Chopper Knife Slicing Meat Chopping Bones for Home Kitchen and Restaurant

This knife is good and *sharp* and it's smaller than I imagined, but big enough to lift a lot of chopped food at once on the broad blade. I was raised in a household that used vegetable cleavers all the time, but I got trained using European chef's knives. This is an interesting blend of both, with the very sharp point of a Chef's knife on the body of a light vegetable cleaver.This knife is much lighter than it looks, but the steel is quite good at holding an edge for a lot of use. It's also strong enough to take on squash while still sharp and maneuverable enough to debone pork shoulders and really great at cutting a whole chicken into its parts.

I've had this knife for a couple of months now and find myself using it for much of my vegetable prep. Very precise, easy to handle. A great value for $40 or so.My only complaint is that the instructions are only in Chinese. But take a picture with Google Translate, all is explained. (The instructions are mostly the overwhelmingly obvious cautions about being careful with sharp knives, not letting children play with them, etc.). It's even clear without translating that the sharpening angle is about 15°, which is the main thing I needed to know.

I ordered this Chinese cleaver because I wanted a one-piece cleaver. Lighter knives can have riveted handles, but I wasn't confident buying something this heavy that might separate from the handle. I was definitely not disappointed. This cleaver is heavy, so I have to handle it carefully. I find that I can use it to slice thinly while resting the wide blade against my knuckles, but I can also use it to cut through produce parts destined for the compost bin. I had a bunch of corn cobs recently from an overwhelming desire for fresh corn-on-the-cob, and I used the cleaver to chop the cobs for the compost bin. When I relaxed and just let the cleaver do its job, the cobs were demolished and ready for the bin in no time. The Chinese cleaver is a tool that you must practice with and learn how to use, but I am so glad to now have a reliable one in my kitchen. I'm taking classes from a Chinese chef, and he has encouraged me to get one and work with it. Now I am so glad that I bought this product. This one is heavy, but I feel it is safer that lighter cleavers that have riveted handles. Highly recommended.

I would give this knife 5 stars for chopping chickens and hard vegetables, however I would only give it a 3 for slicing. It is a good knife, it holds the edge very well and does a very good job chopping. However this is not a knife for slicing, because the blade is thick, the surface is very rough and it has a very steep edge angle. If you need a slicing knife, BOAMLONA Cleaver & Chef Hybrid Knife - 7" - Premium 9Cr18Mov HC Steel for less than $20 at Amazon is a great knife. I purchased both of these knives and the Boamlona is fantastic for slicing.

Shi Ba Zi Zuo Knifes And Cleavers Are Found Throughout Asia , Its A Real Find To Have Access To Them Through Amazon , There Are So Many Varieties Of “ Fake” Knifes On The Internet, It’s Nice To Be Able To Obtain A REAL CHINESE CLEAVER, And Several Models At That , These Metal Handled Ones Are Used By Day And Line Cooks And Stand Up To A Good Amount Of Abuse , As There Past On During Shifts , It’ll Add A Really Nice Touch To Any Kitchen Blade Pile!! Get A Couple !! You Won’t Hate It They Are A Great Price Point And Made Of Quality Materials A lot Of Fun To Use !! With A Little Care And Good Cutting Boards They’ll Last A Long Time BD!!

This knife is very sharp and good size! Not too small and not too large! And very good forCutting meat and vegetables!

Shrarp

I wanted to like this knife, I really did, but after six months, its not my first choice.Or second.For me, the blade is too short to use for cutting vegetables, and too thick and cumbersome for cutting meats. The feel is just overall clumsy. Yes, it was very sharp out of the box, and I was able to slice beefsteak tomatoes paper thin with easy, but I can do that with my other knives that are more comfortable in my hand.Maybe it'll fit your hand better, or your cutting style better then mine, I can't say.Objective Quality:The blade is easy to maintain, just wipe with a little oil after washing and you won't have a problem with rust. It is nicely sharpened from the factory and the blade is thick and sturdy.The handle was a disappointment though: it feels really cheap, like the wood was pressed into shape rather than cut? I don't know, that's probably a bad description, but it just doesn't feel like a very good knife handle... even at the $30 price range, it feels a little too cheap, like something from a dollar store.So, for an inexpensive introduction to Japanese knives, it was OK, and it taught me that I'm better off sticking with western style cutlery. Your mileage, of course, may vary.