Dexter-RussellCleaver, 7-Inch, Traditional Series,Silver

I bought this clever for chopping up my good ol' Carolina BBQ. I decided on this one after my neighbor let me borrow his. Wow! I was impressed and had to have one. This clever is heavy, nicely balanced, and sturdy. It has a full tang and thick wood handles that are held in place with brass rivets. It feels nice in the hand. The blade is carbon steel so make sure when you wash it, to dry it off before putting it away. Carbon steel is easily sharpened and holds an edge. Plus over time, you'll get that deep dark patina. Rust? No worries, just clean with some steel wool.BTW, we use a very thin vinegar based sauce on BBQ down in North Carolina. I prefer the Lexington style sauce. Here's the recipe if you're interested: 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp ground red pepper, 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tbs sugar. Combine all ingredients with a 1/2 cup of water and bring to boil. Simmer until sugar is dissolved. Cool and serve on cooked meat. For better flavor make a day ahead and refrigerate. Yeehaw!!

Awesome cleaver for a very affordable price.The original factory machine work is a little coarse.The factory edge is a coarse grind and had a large burr.I used my Wicked Edge sharpening system to put on a niceedge. Now it really performs. The carbon steel used in thecleaver is tempered to be very hard and tough. Took quiteawhile to grind the desired edge. Once you finally get a goodedge on it, this is one brutally tough cleaver. Smashes rightthrough large beef, pork, and turkey bones with ease. Doesn'tphase the sharpening job. The heavy coarse carbon steel doesn'ttake a real fine edge for fine carving chores, but still slices very well.Since it is carbon steel, you need to keep it washed and dry to prevent rust.If you want one tough cleaver that is designed to cut through mostanything, this is the one to buy.

This is definetly a sharp and hefty cleaver. Easy to cut through cuts of beef and chicken. Haven't tried it on bone yet. The only thing is you must keep the blade clean and dry to avoid any sort of staining/marking on it. Looks like it could rust a bit if not taken care of. Otherwise, great for it's purpose. Would certainly consider purchasing other item from Dexter-Russesll, best of all, made in USA !

I don't have a ton of experience with a cleaver, but purchased this one pretty much specifically to cut up whole chickens when I make broth. I cut the chickens up as I normally would, using a chefs or boning knife and poultry shears before using this guy to chop it down into the smaller pieces that I'm looking for. It certainly works very well for that.It' has "USA" stamped on the handle and appears to be of very good quality. The blade may be stainless but it definitely will stain, and it may be an uphill battle to keep that from happening. I always wash and dry my cutlery very promptly after use, but that's not enough for this thing. The stains don't bother me and I don't intend to go out of my way to prevent them.So far, I'm completely satisfied with this purchase.

Good balance , good weight but , Not sharp enough .

The knife arrived without a finished edge. The bevel towards the edge just ends in an approx 1-2mm wide flat.I understand that a cleaver need not be shaving sharp. I get that both cheap and high end knives often are delivered blunt to allow the chef to put their own choice of edge on it.But this knife arrived without even the option of an edge unless one wants to spend 30minutes on an ultra low grit whetstone with it.I went through a good number of millimeters on my 700 cerax and an hour of my time, and i am still not raising a burr -- the apex still hasn't formed.Once I get an actual edge formed, i am sure this will be a decent knife, and a great value for money IF i didn't have to spend time and money to get it into functional form. Steel feels good on the stones, handle is nicely made (though, too big for my small hands to be completely comfortable) and overall looks super sturdy

Don't get me wrong - this cleaver is very well made, sturdy wood riveted handle & heavy duty. It arrived extremely sharp and still is. The big problem? It rusts and tarnishes very easily. You cannot let this cleaver stay wet at all or it will rust. It must be washed and dried very well immediately after use or it will become stained, tarnished and/or rusty. These markings are hard to impossible to remove. I bought a plastic blade guard which turned out to be a bad idea because even after drying, if there is even the smallest amount of moisture present, the cleaver will rust. If you attempt to package your meat before washing and drying the cleaver - tarnished. If you try to break down a larger animal with it and put it down for a little while when you move to your knife - stained.I've tried oiling it habitually, but it doesn't seem to help.Great tool for cutting and the sharpest, most well constructed cleaver I've used for the task, but it is has been VERY hard keeping the steel clean and free of rust and tarnish.

This cleaver has the weight and stiffness of blade I need for chopping several pounds of chicken feet, backs, necks, and legs when making chicken bone broth. Just made a wonderful batch! It's also worked well on pork shank and ham hocks. (Mmm, black eyed peas!) If you have good aim, it will also nicely dismember a whole fowl or rabbit. It's not super sharp, but that's by design. The first time you chop bones, you'll lose extreme sharpness. What's needed for the job is primarily a large rigid blade and enough weight to create a lot of pressure when your arm comes down decisively. Also the full tang, and large enough ergonomic handle. My hands are medium for female and the handle is good for me. When I remembered what Daddy says -- "let the tool do the work"-- I did not get sore hands, wrists, or forearms even though I cut up several pounds in a session. Oh, wash with soap and dry completely *immediately*. Immediately.