SHI BA ZI ZUO 9-inch Kitchen Knife Professional Chef Knife Stainless Steel Vegetable Knife Safe Non-stick Coating Blade with Anti-slip Wooden Handle

I have not identified a single bad thing about this caidao. Excellent cleaver considering its quality, sharpness, ease of use, resistance and price. Obviously this cleaver is relatively cheap but the quality is way over what I was expecting. I still haven’t bought a CCK, which is largely considered the standard for Chinese cleavers, so I can’t compare the two, but I cannot imagine how so much incredibly amazing the CCK would have to be to cost 3 times more than this one. I love my caidao and I use it all the time.

I became interested in learning how to cook authentic Chinese cuisine. I soon learned that my very expensive German made knives were not a part of Chinese culinary practices. In addition to adding about 20 new food items to my kitchen, I also added a traditional Chinese cleaver. This functions as a traditional chef's knife in a European kitchen, and not as you would use a cleaver in the Western tradition, which would be used primary for processing bone-in meat. The rule of thumb in the kitchen is to use as big of a knife as your skills allow. The larger the knife, the faster and easier it is to do the work. As I lacked an understanding of traditional Chinese cutlery, I contacted Shi Ba Zi to ask about their cleavers. I received an immediate response and an excellent recommendation for this 9" clever. This is a beautiful, well-balanced knife that is very sharp. Due to its size and weight, you can perform functions with the cleaver that you cannot with a chef's knife. For example, you can effortlessly slice a ripe tomato with this cleaver, which is something that you would not be able to do with a chef's knife. This cleaver is also very good for julienne cuts, as well as chopping. I was delighted to learn that you could do these things easily with a Chinese cleaver. The Shi Ba Zi cleaver is not just sharp, it is also very well balanced, with a full tang and good, solid handle. I would offer one word of caution. This is a very large knife. If you cannot adroitly handle a good 10" or 12" chef's knife, you may want to consider starting with a smaller cleaver. Shi Ba Zi makes a very nice 7.5" cleaver which I also purchased, thinking that I may need it for finer cuts or smaller things. I was wrong. The big cleaver will do it all. If you are not familiar with high end German cutlery, I can tell you that you can't buy a small paring knife for what this knife costs. It is a bargain and I would highly recommend this particular knife and this particular company. It is a great knife for the money. If you enjoy fine cutlery, you will definitely appreciate the quality and functionality of this knife. I am very pleased to have it, as anyone who enjoys cooking would, too.

The good: It's a workhorse and a joy to chop with! It was very sharp out of the box, and the price is right.The less good: The wooden handle looked dry/needed conditioning, but this was easily fixed with some butcher's block oil.The not so good: Over the past 10 months it t has developed some slight rust marks on the back side of the blade. It should be easy to remove, but I take good care of this knife and always dry it after use, so I was surprised to see it rust starting to appear.

Good weight, very sharp out of the box. The knife holds an edge well and is exceptional for vegetables and meats. My new go to blade for almost everything. I can see why they are so popular. The handle could be improved but I can live with it given the blade quality.

The knife is very light, making it easy to handle and maneuver. Despite its lightweight design, it is incredibly sharp, allowing for precise and effortless cutting. Whether I'm chopping vegetables or slicing meat, this knife performs exceptionally well.The stainless steel blade has a non-stick finish, which is a fantastic feature. Food doesn't stick to the blade, making clean-up a breeze. Additionally, the anti-slip wooden handle is just the right size, providing a comfortable and secure grip. I never have to worry about it slipping, even when my hands are wet.Overall, I am very happy with the SHI BA ZI ZUO Kitchen Knife. It is sharp, easy to work with, and the handle is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. I highly recommend this knife to anyone looking for a cleaver.