14" L. X 4" Home Use Stainless Hand-tooled Chuan & Hoak (Spatula & Ladle) Set

I'm really not sure what to think here... See about 20 years ago, I was given a "hand hammered wok from the People's Republic of China"It is a great wok for the price and I've used the same one for all these years. For better or worse, my opinion on what a wok should be and how its tools should function comes from TV Chef Wally Nash (tempered by my own wok cooking experiences over these years).My original hoak and chuan are carbon steel. They rust if you don't oil them, but they also develop a very nice seasoning through repeated use. Sadly, my original hoak developed a crack and I needed a replacement which is why I purchased this set.Here are my thoughts after my first excursion with the new tools.1) Well-made. both pieces are clearly formed from flat stock stainless steel, but unlike my original, the handle/shaft seam is completely closed and transitions cleanly into the head of the tool - no rivets or spot welding! There are no gaps, pock-marks or other places for oils, dirt or rust to enter. The polish is very smooth no burs or other issues. Very nicely made! +5 for quality manufacture and finishing!2) Longer! The metal parts are the same length and my original 14" tools, but the wooden handles give me an extra 2" On a 14' wok, those are two inches I never knew that I needed. The wooden handles on my set are also very well seated. No 'falling out' problems that other have complained about. Even if they did... it's an easy fix. +5 for added safety!3) Compatibility? uh-oh... Chef Nash taught me that the Hoak and Chuan work together. One fits into the other... you should be able to fit the head of the Chuan into the Hoak - it's good for straining and picking up things. My old sets fits together very nicely. You can ladle up some food and liquid and use the chuan and hoak together to strain it. This set has can't do it. The Chuan is about 1/4" too small! The head of the ladle is 3-7/8" wide. The spatula is 4" It won't fit at all!! By comparison, the hoak on my old set is 4-7/16' wide, with the chuan being 3-7/8" wide. It fits like a glove. This set.. not so much. Either Wally Nash misled me, or or someone dropped the ball on the sizing of these tools. -1 for bad design4) Another uh-oh... I'm hoping that this improves as I use it more, but food *really* sticks to the chuan. It sticks badly. I'm thinking that it's because of the stainless steel, but maybe it just needs more time. Because it's stainless, it probably will never develop the protective seasoning that my original chuan enjoys. I'm hoping it gets better as I use it more, but I think this may be an issue for anything with a coating. It may not bother other folks, but I like my tools to develop personality and seasoning over time. -1 for sticking when it shouldn't...So overall... 4 stars for quality manufacture and longer handles. I would have given 5 stars if the tools fit together properly. As it is, I don't use the ladle much, but its going to be annoying when I need it to strain something. I may look for another pair that's better matched, but as far as quality manufacture, these are the nicest wok tools I've seen yet. Time will tell if they hold up.Note that some folks complain about the wooden handles. It's not an issue. whack them in tightly and forget about it. It's not a flaw, its a design feature.--EDIT--I should probably mention that as I have learned more about Asian cooking and ingredients, I've become familiar with the Asian grocery stores in the metro region and have realized that this set is exactly the set of tools you can buy any any well-stocked Asian grocery. The price is not appreciably less at local stores (if you were wondering) but the size, material, weight, and manufacture is identical as far as I can see. You can probably take some comfort knowing that these are what you'd find for sale at a grocery that caters to Asian customers.

these are so much better than the cheep short ones that came with my Wok when I bought it. Love my Wok and now I love my chuan &hoak set just as much. They are well made and fit in my hand nicely. Easy to use and light they make cooking in my Wok a pure pleasure. Would not cook with out them they even make using my big cast iron pan easier because I don't have to pick it up to serve out of it this gets all the food out easily and neatly. Love them don't know why I didn't get them years ago now I cook in my Wok all the time these were a game changer for me.

While the medal parts of these seems sturdy enough once you pick them up they feel cheap but this is only because the handles are not seated properly leaving a gap between the wood and medal making the handle feel loose and cheap not to mention someone could get cut or pinched. I should have figured the price of about $14 for both was to good to be true but it can be fixed in about 10 minutes if you have a file, drill and small philips head screw driver. If you remove the handle and file around the end a little bit making a taper it will fit down into the medal properly. Just give it a light tap to fit it tight (not to hard you could split the weld) and drill a new pilot hole for the screw. After doing this the handle is firm and gives the feel of a good sturdy kitchen utensil. I will add the scoop of the ladle is a little smaller then expected but it I can live with it.

Screws on handles were loose and I’m hoping they will stay in place. Expected better quality of the handles . Not complaining for the price

Feels like a quality product, the finish on the metal and wood are both good. The handles are slightly loose but not a deal breaker since it might have to do with being shipped to a low humidity area.What is a big deal: The spatula, despite feeling mostly smooth, scratched my brand new wok instantly. I had to sand down the edges of both the spatula and the ladel with medium fine sand paper and then finished them with some fine steel wool and they no longer scratch the wok. I highly recommend you do the same, and once done this is a great product.

If you use a wok, you need one of these spatulas. It makes stirring & dishing out so much easier!

These are authentic wok tools made very well. As with any Chaun and Hoak the handles are going to be loose from the way they connect to the stem. Easiest thing to do is squeeze some gorilla glue on wood handle end then seat it in the metal stem and tap it tight with a wood or rubber mallet and it's a done deal. Then, as I do with all my wooden utensils, rub the handles with mineral oil and let them sit over night which makes them water repellent.

While the metal work on both the chuan and hoak are quite nice, the wooden handles on both are very wobbly and loose. I tightened the screws that attach the handles, but that didn't make a difference. Feels awkward using them during cooking. I would not buy these again, and I would not recommend this particular brand to anyone as a result. It's a shame because these are a great size for working in my home kitchen or out on the balcony, but the looseness of the handles feels dangerous.