Dexter-RussellDexter Russell S5197 Traditional 7" Chinese Chefs Knife

This is a great knife. Out of bag sharpness could be better but I am used to sharpen all my knives anyway so that does not bother me. Quality of the blade is good. I did not make a mistake when I said out of ''bag'' sharpness as the knife came completely unprotected in plastic bag bouncing around in a box with other items. I do not expect a custom handmade wooden case but more protection would be great. Thank you I love the knife anyway and this is constructive criticism :-)

It is perfect for me. Very sharp and keep it quite long before you need to sharpen it. However it comes with a poor package, just wrapped by plastic, no box.

Everyone needs one of these. Period.The illiterate people who gave it a low rating can't read the sticker on the knife that says not to use it as a cleaver. Or the lettering on the product image that says, "NOT FOR CLEAVING." Too bad for them. Incidentally, it doesn't look like a cleaver, it looks like a chef's knife without the pointy end, which is exactly what it is.I used this knife everyday for three years in a restaurant THINLY SLICING everything from cabbage to carrots. It is absolutely the best knife for that. If you need a cleaver, get a cleaver. (you can actually get a better knife, but you will spend $150 plus.) This knife, and one with a point on it (like a white handled paring knife) are really all you need. But I have lots of other knives too.Anyway, I loved my knife so much, I gave it to my brother, so I'm buying a new one. He is confined to a wheelchair, and does all his slicing and dicing on a small cutting board on his lap, You see how short the blade is? It works great in or on small spaces, like laps or professional kitchens. The blade gets sharp and stays sharp, like razor sharp.I ONLY use this knife for cutting vegetables though. I never use it for cutting meat. The blade is not a great shape for cutting meat, but the main reason is, if you look closely at the way the handle is attached, you can see that it would be nearly impossible to clean and sanitize. If you need to cut a lot of meat, you should get also an 8 or 10 inch chef's knife (or both) Make sure the handle can be easily cleaned.If you need a cleaver, get a cleaver.

I have been using this knife for years. I always keep an extra to give to people I like. This knife will do almost everything you need to do easily. It takes and keeps an edge very well. With this cleaver, a paring knife and a bread knife you really don't need anything else. You especially don't need to spend a lot of money on fancy-name knives.Edit: I just received a new knife to replace one I gave away. The new one is significantly lighter then the older version and the blade is much thinner. The old knife weighs 5.7 oz and the new 5.1 oz, so close to 10% less. Considering that I paid less than $20 for the first one I bought and the new knife was almost $50, this is not the bargain it was. I'll likely shop elsewhere for any new vegetable cleavers. Sad.

This is the knife that is the primary tool for prep work at my buddy’s very busy Chinese restaurant. It’s light, sharp and we’ll balanced. Makes a big difference when you’re prepping vegetables and meat for hours on end. Light stropping on a stone or a rod will keep you cutting safely all day. This is not a cleaver and is not the correct tool for cutting through chicken or pork bones. Use the flat side to smash garlic and ginger and just the right weight to crack blue crab claws without destroying them. Use the blunt side to crush lemon grass stems and tenderize meat.