Winco Blade Chinese Cleaver w/ wooden handle – blade 8”x3 ½” overall length 12 ½”

Where the palm meets the handle, if you extend your fingers outwards, the top edge of this knife is extremely sharp. Perhaps as a consequence of how it was machined, it’s almost a perfect 90 degree angle with a slight burr. This is pretty annoying but can be knocked down with a file or rasp.

But for the value, this might be the only knife you ever need, and it can be replaced if you mess it up somehow.

[NOTE: This identical cleaver is sold with several different descriptions and prices, by several sellers. I chose this one because despite a higher initial price, when you figure in my Amazon Prime shipping versus the shipping charges for the lower priced offerings, this one came out the cheapest. Other than that, they all seem to be the same identical Winco cleaver.]

Now the review –

As a Taiwanese member of our extended family said, there is one of these in every Asian kitchen. It doesn’t take a culinary genius to realize the parallels between the functionality of this tool and that of a western professional chef’s knife. It is also clear that the large rectangular blade will go the chef’s knife one better in the “scooping up” role.

It is important to point out that this tool has some significant differences from the tougher but less satisfactory kitchen knives that many of us are used to working with. Many kitchen knives are made from alloys which are less than ideal for knife-making, but which are selected to survive the abuse that the average home user will inflict. This is not one of those knives. It is made from high carbon steel. It is somewhat brittle. It will rust in the blink of an eye. It will also take (and keep) an absolutely wicked edge.

It is also worth mentioning that this is a “vegetable cleaver”, not a meat cleaver.

Do not use this on anything other than a wooden cutting board. Ever. Before you use it on a glass “board”, save yourself some trouble and just throw it in the trash. Do not use this to try and whack your way through frozen foods, bones, ice, firewood, or iron pipe. That wonderfully sharp but brittle edge will chip and be ruined if you ignore this advice.

Do wipe the blade as you use it. Rinse clean, then wipe dry, as soon as you are done. Ordinary steel rusts faster than I will be able to get you to believe, especially when damp. Rust occurring at a microscopic level can quickly degrade your edge, so this is not just an aesthetic concern.

I should mention that the blade did not come in the blister pack pictured above, but it was well protected. It was razor sharp, and yes, I was able to shave my arm with it. Examination with a light microscope at 100x revealed a blade edge that was sharp if a little irregular. Given the price, I felt it was acceptably good.

Having mentioned price, let me take a moment to compare this to the overly expensive German brand “me too” putative Chinese Cleavers. They are pretty. They are nicely made and well finished. They are pleasing to hold. And they are not Chinese Cleavers. The ones I have examined are made from the same sort of indestructible stainless steel used in so many western style knives. They believe that we are idiots, unable to care properly for our knives, and satisfied with something that looks trendy without actually functioning like the object being emulated. After all, the important thing is how it looks sitting in your kitchen, right ? Sadly, there are enough customers for this sort of thing that I don’t see these products being improved. Too bad, because there are some stainless steel alloys that would do a credible job of improving on the traditional product, but only a few knife makers are using them, because (horrors) they will stain, chip, and rust if not properly cared for.

I’m not a cheapskate, I cook with All-Clad Copper Core, Le Creuset, and Mauviel. But I also use Lodge, and Victorinox – both great bargains. I enjoy finding an inexpensive tool that will meet or exceed the performance of the high priced brand. I’m not going to tell you this is the ultimate Chinese Vegetable Cleaver. It is simply made, not fancy, and typical of what you are likely to find in many homes. I believe it is a great buy for someone wishing to give them a try, and that properly cared for, there is no reason that it could not serve you well in years to come. Two “leftover” details I’d like to mention, the blade is slightly rockered, not square, and care should be taken to keep moisture from getting between the wooden handle and the tang. Personally, I never immerse any knife, but simply wash the blade under cold running water, then dry it by hand before putting it away. Handles clean up nicely with a damp cloth.

Given the price, you can hardly go wrong – you can always keep it on your desk as a paperweight. But, if what you receive is anything like what I received, I believe you will be pleased.

Pros:
-Inexpensive
-sturdy
-holds a pretty good edge
-will last virtually forever
-good solid construction

Cons:
-bolster side of blade is ground to sharp 90 degree bevel and scrapes the hell out of your middle finger when gripping the knife. Will lead to blisters with extended use.
-knife’s edge had a small frown in the blade near the tip that required extensive sharpening to remove… Poor sharpening from factory… More attention to detail should have been taken to avoid major slips like this.
-blade is rather thick and therefor will not sharpen as fast or cut as well as a knife with a thinner blade.
-this style of bolster and handle can harbor bacteria if not cleaned thoroughly. Also, as knife ages and laquer wears off of the handle, you should apply mineral oil to the handle to keep the wood from warping and cracking.

Conclusion:
This knife is surely not without it’s faults, but for $11 it’s a hell of a value. My chief complain is the sharp 90 degree bevel on the bolster side of the blade… I understand that the spine of these style knives are left sharp to aid in descaling fish, however they should have taken the time to smooth the bolster side of the blade where the user’s fingers are going to be rubbing throughout use. I guess if you wanted to take the time you could try to smooth this with some sand paper.
The other thing to watch out for is to make sure the sharpened edge of the knife has a nice consistent belly or “crest” from heal to tip. If the blade has any section where it frowns, this is not going to allow the user to completely cut through food on the cutting board because this section of the blade will not contact the cutting surface. Then you will wind up with the perverbial pieces of celery that are all strung together by one thread of material! I know everyone has been there at one point or another! lol So just make sure your edge is straight and not frowned. Other than that, it’s a good knife considering the price. I’d give it a try.

I’m a foodie, and picky as hell when it comes to knives. This thing is incredible for this price. It is a different experience than using my standard 10 inch chef knife, but the versatility it offers in terms of scraping hacking slicing vegetables in tiny pieces, etc., is not to be beat. The knife isn’t getting used much these days. Buy it.

I was in a hurry, so I didn’t read carefully! It is a cleaver, midweight, but well made for the price. Not a thin bladed Chinese chef’s knife; Mea culpa!