Traditional Chinese Kitchen Vegetable Cleaver Knife 7 Inch By TLA

This a nice traditional Chinese Vegetable Cleaver. Arrived very sharp. The steel appears more like a stainless steel than a carbon one at this point. Very comfortable to hold and use, feels relatively light due to the balanced design. The handle is protected by lacquer, but it is not slippery. I find that the contoured handle is more secure than other handle designs. I am happy with this purchase.Update:I like this knife so much I bought another one for a relative.It keeps a good edge for a long time, provided I used it only for chopping and slicing vegetables, including carrots and squash. This is a vegetable slicer with a nice thin edge and it does that job admirably.The seller claims that it is dishwasher safe, but I don't think it is. I never tried, but the handle is open, so water and heat/drying would damages the wood. I always hand wash it and wipe it dry promptly. I keep it in a drawer using an edge guard to protect the edge.So far the edge did not pick up any patina or rust, so I think this is a stainless or semi-stainless steel. If the cleaver is not cleaned promptly and it sits 10-30 minutes, then a slight discoloration develops on the shiny surface, but it can be easily scrubbed off with a nylon scrubber (to avoid scratches) and warm water + detergents. The reactivity in my opinion suggests that this is a decent quality and well heat treated steel. Stainless steels at that price point are going to be a little bit reactive, if they are of a better quality. The totally shiny, non-reactive cheap stainless steel won't hold much edge. To get very stain resistant steel which also holds an excellent edge at the same time (e.g. M390) one has to pay much more, and there are no mass-produced cleavers available of those steels anyway.In the end I still rate this knife as a 5 star one and still highly recommend it.

Excellent quality chopper. VERY sharp, well balanced and heavy blade.

I like it so far

Excellent quality. Well worth the price.

Super sharp and easy to use. It is a cleaver do not all that maneuverable

Sturdy, well-balanced and versatile

Okay. Didn't realize it had cancer causing qualities until I received it. It is not as well balanced as I would have hoped but as my previous knife was cracked, I've kept it.

You get what you pay for sometimes and in this case I am very happy with my purchase. Handle is tight and blade is sharp. Don't leave this sitting in water or with food caked on. Wash by hand (no dishwasher) and dry right after use and it will give you years of cutting pleasure.