Dexter S5198 8" x 3-1/4" Chinese Chefs Knife with Wooden Handle

This knife was a splurge for me. I picked it up because of "Daddy Lau" on YouTube. It's a whole new style relative to that which I'm accustomed, but it's a pretty great knife. Don't be fooled by its appearance - it's not a chopping cleaver. This is a slicing knife, but with cleaver-like proportions. It's certainly stout enough for breaking chicken joints, etc, but I wouldn't try to chop through a large beef bone with it...It's a Dexter knife. Dexter is huge, perhaps one of the largest US knife makers. They seem relatively unknown to home chefs, but very well known in the cooking industry (in part because they are much less expensive than fancy brands). That said, they do not trail in quality. This knife will take an edge and hold an edge. It's very much like German steel - softer and tougher than Japanese knives, but falling just short of Japanese knives in terms of potential sharpness. Don't get me wrong, you can get this razor sharp, just not quite as sharp. But you weren't shopping for a shaver, were you? The blade is first rate. The handle leaves a bit to be desired. It's not bad, but it doesn't exactly scream "superlative quality" either. In any case, I think it's acceptable, and my knives are for use, not for show, so I'm not going to lower my rating even if the handle seems a little "mass produced".My only gripe about this knife, and I'm certainly not going to knock it for it, is that its odd (by western standards) geometry makes it hard to find a place to put it. It's too tall for my knife drawer. I'd probably use it more if I had one of those magnetic strips over my range.In any case, this is a great knife, for a very reasonable price. It has no brand cache, but for those who just want to prep dinner that doesn't matter.

It's sharp, it's heavy, and it's a bench scraper, too! I use this every day in a professional kitchen, and I can say it puts up with that pretty well. Is it a pain to learn to use? Yes. Is it extremely blade heavy? Yes. But for under $50, I use it more than pretty much any other knife daily for veggies and meat, even medium precision work (halving cherry tomatoes is a breeze!). Even hard AND soft cheeses are reduceable to shreds (make sure that your dishwasher doesn't hide the box grater and microplanes, kids). I don't work at a place getting stuff from a bag, I'm constantly prepping and firing dishes. This thing holds up. The only other knives I really need are my kiritsuke (I use a Myabi Black series, but any 8-10 inch/200-260 mm thinnish chefs/filet for finer somewhat bigger work that needs less drag (butchery, filleting fish, delicate herbs, etc.) and a petty/paring knife for extreme precision. Get this, maintain it properly, and you're good for about 85% of what most households will need to do.

I used Dexter knives at my Chinese restaurant for many years. Coming back to culinary work I picked one up right away, this knife has been a must have for all my prep work. The thickness can be intimidating at first but as you learn to work with the blade it can cut paper thin with high efficiency. I keep my handle oiled, its comfortable in the hand and stays stable. Overall these are my favorite knives, while there's "Better" on the market you're paying a whole lot more for only 1/10 of an improvement. With proper maintenance these knives take the cake for me.

Although it is billed as a cleaver, I would not use it that way.It is a beautifully weighted versatile knife with a comfortable handle.This is a wonderful implement for rapidly chopping, pressing garlic quickly, etc.It is very easy to care for. We keep the handle out of the water & wash it with warm, soapy water. It is then left either to air dry or wipe dry with a soft cloth.We've used this knife for 35 years & it has held up well. The handle NEVER became loose. The original one was bought in Chinatown in NYC for about $5.00 (1981). I've seen this same knife in stores for $58, so this price here is quite good.We thought we had left the knife somewhere, & decided to check with Amazon if they had it. Great news, it was there! After 28 years, we didn't expect it to be $5. Got it to Alaska for additional S&H-about $51 all together. Still less than the price in the store, no gas, no poking around looking for it.Well, the original knife turned up after all, so now we have two & are happy for that-it is that good a knife! Actually-gave the new knife away as a present. It is a beloved, useful accompaniment-now, A NECESSITY in that household, too.The knife was shipped all the way to Alaska in great condition. It was well packaged. NO problems.You'll certainly be glad to own this knife. Yes, if you have access quickly to a Chinese grocery, you may find it. But absent that, this is a great alternative!This is just simply a great versatile knife-good for bluntly chopping meats (thru bones, too), finely chopping herbs, etc.NO complaints. Would buy again. (If the one from the 80's ever falls apart).

This is now my hands-down, favorite kitchen, cutting device / scooper of chopped foods. The finish makes it more less resistant than other cleavers I’ve used. But I would still wipe it down after cleaning, it came razor, sharp, very well balanced, and for those of you who familiar with using vegetable cleaver’s, the perfect size and shape to scoop your veg off the cutting board