My newish Dexter 5387 cleaver. It is a high carbon steel. blade length of 7", rosewood handle length of 6" and a weight of 1 lb 7 oz.

It did not come particularly well sharpened, so today I sharpened it on wet stones ranging from 800 / 1200 / 3000/ 7000.

It is interesting as I learn to use it. It certainly will not be my go to knife, as a cleaver seems to be for many Asian cooks ( I assume they use a lighter weight cleaver ). My main impetus for getting the knife was to make mince out of chicken thighs for Pad Kra Pao . I have also used it in a couple of other situations. My biggest problem turned out to be where to store it, but we worked that out.

lougord99 wrote:

My newish Dexter 5387 cleaver. It is a high carbon steel. blade length of 7", rosewood handle length of 6" and a weight of 1 lb 7 oz.

It did not come particularly well sharpened, so today I sharpened it on wet stones ranging from 800 / 1200 / 3000/ 7000.

It is interesting as I learn to use it. It certainly will not be my go to knife, as a cleaver seems to be for many Asian cooks ( I assume they use a lighter weight cleaver ). My main impetus for getting the knife was to make mince out of chicken thighs for Pad Kra Pao . I have also used it in a couple of other situations. My biggest problem turned out to be where to store it, but we worked that out.

Very nice. I have a similar Dexter and it's mainly a workhorse for hardcore jobs -- like, as you say -- mincing proteins for certain dishes, as well as chopping through cartilage, etc. I love using mine on smoked rib tips. And I think you're right about everyday use. At 1.7 pounds, this isn't the kind of cleaver that one would typically use as their daily driver. Those types of cleavers are typically lighter and thinner behind the edge, like this one, for example, which a lot of home cooks seem to love.

I'll be curious to know how that 7k sharpening stands up. With the kind of use you plan to put on it, I wonder if an edge that fine will matter much or hold up for very long. Either way, it's a very cool and useful piece to have in your arsenal.

Also curious to hear the purchase story but I'm guessing maybe it's not board-appropriate?

=R=

It just makes me happy to see the polish that 7000 gives to the steel. On my chisels, you literally can use them as a mirror.

lougord99 wrote:It just makes me happy to see the polish that 7000 gives to the steel. On my chisels, you literally can use them as a mirror.

Yep. There's just something so striking about those mirror finishes.

Also very cool that your first move was to sharpen it. You don't see that often enough.

=R=

Damn! I just knew I shouldn't get to reading this thread. But there I was, one page back, reading all the recommendations and of course clicking on the links to Chef's knives to go. Went to the sale page, spent some money.

: ( <sigh> You people do it to me *every* time.

Geo

I love it when tools are not only useful but beautiful. Thank you for sharing!

lougord99 wrote:My biggest problem turned out to be where to store it, but we worked that out.

Did you hang it by the hole?

Worth noting that the Dexter Russel cleaver is not a huge extravagance @ $30-$40 at restaurant supplies.

lougord99 wrote:
My newish Dexter 5387 cleaver. It is a high carbon steel. blade length of 7", rosewood handle length of 6" and a weight of 1 lb 7 oz.

It did not come particularly well sharpened, so today I sharpened it on wet stones ranging from 800 / 1200 / 3000/ 7000.

It is interesting as I learn to use it. It certainly will not be my go to knife, as a cleaver seems to be for many Asian cooks ( I assume they use a lighter weight cleaver ). My main impetus for getting the knife was to make mince out of chicken thighs for Pad Kra Pao . I have also used it in a couple of other situations. My biggest problem turned out to be where to store it, but we worked that out.

Wow…a real WMD!
I saw it in use in a Dallas hotel kitchen (no band saw). The butchers split lamb and veal saddles using a vertically placed steel (between the loins) as a guide. Took the chine bones off 107 ribs like butter.
Have fun!

tjr

tjr,
The top two vegetable cleavers are Dexter Russell, and both excellent for very precise, high volume knife work. Top is stainless and middle obviously carbon. Both are workhorses. I’m guessing that these are the ones in the $30-40 range.
Bottom is a completely useless Henkels I bought almost 40 years ago. Like a toy cleaver…no weight whatsoever. Couldn’t even chop a turkey carcass with it.

There is a considerable difference between a Traditional Western Cleaver and a Chinese Chef knife.
A western Cleaver is much thicker with a wide bevel for cleaving and chopping items such as bones.
Indeed Wusthof makes Cleavers in various sizes and what they term a’Chinese Chef’s Knife’.
The Wusthof Cleavers can take you arm off but the Chinese Chef’s Knife is much thinner and not made for chopping.
My large Takeda ‘Cleaver’ is actually about as thick as his knives and is for chopping soft veggies, chicken and other meats without bones. It is wicked sharp, large and I don’t let anyone else use it because it could cause severe injury.
Unfortunately, Takeda no longer sells direct.
I would Post some pics of my various cleavers but I don’t pay for a Hosting Service.
Lately a different form of ‘Chopper.Knife is starting to become popular worldwide. It’s home is both in Eastern Europe and China.
Semi curved rather than the traditional rectangle.
I have one form Germany and one from Taiwan.
A mainland Chinese maker will not sell due to restrictions in shipping edged weapons according to him.
But his blades are very impressive taking down whole Blue fin tuna on Youtube. https://youtu.be/f_uKArKDvv4
The Fire Kitchen guy uses one exclusively.
https://youtu.be/WUZDMj4HV5U
If anyone wants to order, I can supply where I obtained mine.
While on the subject of large knives/choppers, I ordered a Korean large blade I see used in Korea on youTube.
I found it very dull, requiring a lot of work to make it passable but it sure works well in YouTube videos.
I keep all these large knives in a couple of drawers in my Automotive Mechanics Tool Chest Set, kept in my garage.
They just don't fit well in Western Kitchen drawers, one reason for the hole in a traditional Western Cleaver.
-Richard

budrichard wrote:I would Post some pics of my various cleavers but I don’t pay for a Hosting Service.
-Richard

The pictures I post are on the free hosting service, https://imgur.com/ .

If you would like instructions on how to use it, PM me.

I keep all these large knives in a couple of drawers in my Automotive Mechanics Tool Chest Set, kept in my garage.
-Richard

Like the big boys! Nice
I’m limited to two double drawer Craftsman tool boxes and three F. Dick knife wraps.

Using Imgur, thanks for the recommendation,
First pic is of my Tool Storage.
Note Blue-Point is Canadian Snap-ON.
My wife bought me the set at a Charity Auction to which Snap ON always donated in Kenosha. That is not all that's in the garage.
Second pic from Top to bottom:
Wusthof Chinese, Note: says not for use on bones.
Next is the Takeda.
Next is my Taiwan Blue fin chopper. FN Big G-5 Large Butchering & Taiwan Tuna Knife, Hand Forged, Jende Industries.
Next is my Fk1 Fire Kitchen. It appears Fire Kitchen is having the knives made and sold under his website. Mine came from another source that previously made them for FK.
https://www.schmiedeglut.de/Fire-Kitchen-Messer
Next is a Wusthof “Bone-Splitter”. Front half is for slicing and if you have the courage, rear will split beef leg bones along the grain. Bone splinters be dammed but if you make mistake you could lose a body part.
Lastly both in cost and usefulness is my Korean chopper. But the Korean ladies on YouTube really get a lot of use out of this knife!

https://imgur.com/gallery/IIMjTnD

https://imgur.com/gallery/7jUtVP9

FWIW, you can embed those images in the forum itself. Lougord99 told me

When the image is as you want it and you are ready to post, start your post in LTH and have Imgur open in another tab. At the top of the post there is a line of white on black options. Click on 'IMG'.

Now go back to the Imgur tab and click on the image you want to post. On the lower right side is a list of 'sizes'. Click on 'large thumbnail'. On the right side under 'view and edit post' is 'direct link'. Click on 'copy' next to the direct link.

Now go back to the LTH tab and put the curser between the 2 IMG tags and type 'ctrl V' to copy the link. Now put your curser outside of the tags and write what you want to write.

You can also click on BBCode to get the IMG tags included...

The Rolls-Royce of sharpeners:

https://shop.tormek.com/en-us/products/tormek-t-1-kitchen-knife-sharpener-us-version-115v?utm_source=UncrateApp&utm_medium=App&utm_campaign=Uncrate

spinynorman99 wrote:The Rolls-Royce of sharpeners:

https://shop.tormek.com/en-us/products/tormek-t-1-kitchen-knife-sharpener-us-version-115v?utm_source=UncrateApp&utm_medium=App&utm_campaign=Uncrate

Oy.

=R=

My brother-in-law has a Tormek with water bath, he does wood work as a hobby and the Tormek is used for sharpening wood working tools. I used it once on some blades I brought along a looooong time ago and frankly for the price it did not make an impression on me.
The Tormek referenced above has no water cooling.
You can discuss the merits of the water cooling separately as well as the convex edge the Tormek provides.
I purchased a bridge type sharpener to go into my Franke Manor House Sink last year along with the two Naniwa stones shown from Chef Knives To Go. The stones are large and because Japanese stones and methods require water, the sink is the ideal place for them.
The owner was quite helpful and we discussed the types of knives I used (mostly Wusthof and Japanese Aogami Blue Steel).
Using the above bridge does require time and effort but I use no guides or other aides. I judge a knife sharp if the blade pulls/bites itself into the material rather than requiring some effort to depress the surface you are cutting before penetrating the surface. I mostly use the 800 grit reserving the 3000 for followup on Japanese knives.
The Japanese spend a lot of time and effort on their sharpening and I have yet to see any guides being used by the best sharpeners.
If you ever get to meet Shosui Takeda at a Knife Show. you will find him constantly sharpening his knives on a water stone and checking the edge.
The knife shown is an 8” Wide Cook’s from Wusthof and is my most used Western blade. It requires sharpening about every two weeks. I used to use a 10” Wide Cook’s but as I aged, I found I needed a knife requiring a littler less effort.
-Richard
[Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/50yVVjQ.jpg)
https://imgur.com/yq5Edyw
https://imgur.com/k8fGeNJ


I cannot get Imgur to imbed.

budrichard wrote:I cannot get Imgur to imbed.

Log in to your account on Imgur
Click on your handle at the upper right
Click on images
click on the image you want to imbed
On the right pane, under 'sizes' click on 'large thumbnail'
On the right pane, under 'direct link' , click on 'copy'
Go to your LTH post
Above the posting area click on 'IMG'
the curser is now between the 2 IMG bands. Type 'CTRL V'
Now put the curser outside that area and continue posting

lougord99 wrote:

budrichard wrote:I cannot get Imgur to imbed.

Log in to your account on Imgur
Click on your handle at the upper right
Click on images
click on the image you want to imbed
On the right pane, under 'sizes' click on 'large thumbnail'
On the right pane, under 'direct link' , click on 'copy'
Go to your LTH post
Above the posting area click on 'IMG'
the curser is now between the 2 IMG bands. Type 'CTRL V'
Now put the curser outside that area and continue posting

Thanks, Lou.

2 things also worth noting are that only images 800 pixels wide or less will display completely (there is no limit on height) and that any linked/embedded image will only display correctly if it ends with a .jpg extension.

Thanks,

=R=

My directions will conform to those limitations.

lougord99 wrote:My directions will conform to those limitations.

Outstanding. Thanks again.

=R=

Currently, where's the cheapest place to get knives sharpened that does a decent job? It's an old butcher block of National Cutlery knives, Made in Japan(at least 35 yrs old.) Prefer Northwest Side, Northside or North burbs. TIA.

mkess wrote:Currently, where's the cheapest place to get knives sharpened that does a decent job? It's an old butcher block of National Cutlery knives, Made in Japan(at least 35 yrs old.) Prefer Northwest Side, Northside or North burbs. TIA.

Big fan of Northside Cutlery in Lincoln Square.

All this prompted me to get out my Viking Stainless by Knobler 7" cleaver when I chopped veggies tonight. It's a pretty slight heft at 7 ounces, but fine for chopping produce or, the other thing I occasionally use it for, cutting small frozen meats. Bought this thing at an Asian cookware & home furnishings place in the early 80's.Likely was around $10 and considerably better made than the much cheaper round-handled non-hollow-ground Chinese cleavers also available.