Posted By:
Ryan E10 people found this review helpful
This knife is the twin sister of the Chopper King Aus-10 cleaver. They are functionally identical, with the only difference being that this model features a carbon steel core. Because this knife has stainless cladding, you get the best of both worlds—the performance and sharpenability of carbon steel with the ease of maintenance of stainless. Yes, you do have to wipe the blade down after using it to prevent rust formation, but it's much easier to care for than knives with reactive cladding, such as the CCK small slicer (1303). In my experience, the Chopper King White #2 cleaver is also much less likely to impart any off flavors to food products, which sometimes happens with other carbon steel knives before they have developed a patina. On mine, I used a little yellow mustard to force a patina, and now I basically treat it like any other knife in my collection, no special care required.
If you haven't owned a knife with White #2 steel (also called Shirogami #2), you owe it to yourself to try one out. They are an absolute dream to sharpen. Like other commenters have said, they almost "want" to get sharp on their own. If you value simplicity, this knife is a good candidate for a one-stone sharpening routine using something like the Naniwa Aotoshi Green Brick, also available here on the site. This Chopper King cleaver comes with a nice out-of-the-box edge. Mine had no problem passing the paper slicing test when I received it.
Overall, I am thrilled with this knife. I view it as an across-the-board upgrade from my CCK 1303. If you started with a CCK and are looking to change things up a bit, this Chopper King would be a great model to consider. This is also a great option for folks looking to try a Chinese cleaver for the first time. They are amazingly versatile kitchen tools.Was this rating helpful to you?
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