Shun Classic Chinese Chef’s Knife

For many Chinese chef's, this type is not just an essential knife, but rather the single most essential knife in the kitchen.

Some will quibble and say that this is a Chef's knife and technically not a cleaver, but what's in a name? If you can use it to hack through poultry and not be afraid of the occasional bone, who's to say it's not a cleaver?

And if you're looking for a cleaver, or a Chinese Chef's knife, you need look no further than this one. It's part of the Shun Classic line, which we recently named our best $500 kitchen knives.

And why is that? It's all about the blade. The cutting edges are made of super-hard, super-sharp VG-10 steel, wrapped in sixteen layers of stainless steel for protection. That gives it a beautiful Damascus style pattern, which means you'll want to display it on a knife rack or somewhere visible.

The balance is excellent, the handles are comfortable and durable pakkawood, and Shun provides lifetime resharpening.

So what's the downside? Well, it is a bit pricey. If it's out of your price range, stay tuned for a review of a lower-end cleaver in the near future.

Find this Shun Chinese Cleaver:

• Click here to find this Knife at Amazon.com