Best Chinese Cleaver in 2023

When it comes to achieving maximum efficiency in the kitchen, with you being able to prepare your meals as quickly, comfortably, and easily as possible, there’s a wide range of utensils to choose from.

This is especially true when it comes to knives, because there are countless different types of knives on the market, each with their own benefits and unique designs.

One of the best knives to use is a Chinese cleaver.

You’ll have encountered cleavers before, but a Chinese cleaver differs from the usual ones in a variety of ways.

They’ve got the large and rectangular blade that you’d expect, but they then have a squared-off blade rather than a pointed tip.

This is useful because the blunt edge of the blade can be used to pound and tenderize meat.

Additionally, Chinese cleavers are also notably heavier than regular cleavers.

However, the Chinese cleaver is such a popular knife that there are understandably loads of different brands offering them, each with their own designs.

As a result, it can be difficult to narrow down all the options and find the Chinese cleaver that’s going to be best for you.

What can you do?

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

In our useful guide to the best Chinese cleavers, we’ve done all the work for you and gathered together the best options on the market.

With each one, we’ve got a breakdown of what makes it such a good choice, with important specifications listed as well.

Read on!

Best Chinese Cleaver Reviews

Winco 8 Inch Heavy Duty Chinese Cleaver

First on our list is this heavy duty Chinese cleaver made by Winco, who have been manufacturing high quality cooking products for over 30n years.

Their Chinese cleaver is easy to use and offers a sharp blade, and it comes at a very affordable price.

You can buy one from Amazon here.

Why Should You Buy It?

For a start, the Winco heavy duty Chinese cleaver has a wooden handle that’s comfortable to hold, and offers you good support while you’re cutting.

It’s always important to have comfort when using a Chinese cleaver, or any knife for that matter, because an uncomfortable knife can affect your ability to get clean, neat cuts.

On top of that, this Chinese cleaver has a blade that measures 8 inches in length and 3.5 inches in width.

These are very solid specifications, offering you enough length to cut through a wide range of different foods, vegetables, and so on without coming up short.

It’s a very sharp blade, too, which makes cutting through even denser materials much, much easier.

The cleaver also has full tang, which is extremely useful because it helps to make the balance and leverage of the knife a lot better.

A better balanced knife is much simpler to hold and far easier to cut with, as well being more precise.

Additionally, the blade is made of stainless steel that’s highly resistant to corrosion.

This means that your blade is going to stay in better condition for longer (as a side note, it’s also safe to be put in the dishwasher), and you won’t find yourself needing to buy a new one any time soon.

With that being said, the Winco heavy duty Chinese cleaver is so affordable that it would hardly break the bank having to buy a new one!

Other Chinese cleavers on the market typically cost double or more than this, making it one of the best value picks there is – without sacrificing the quality.

TUO 7 Inch Chinese Cleaver

Next on our list is another affordable option, typically only slightly more expensive than the Winco Chinese cleaver.

Once again, though, there’s no quality spared for the cheaper price tag, and this is a knife perfectly designed to give you sharp, simple cuts.

You can buy one from Amazon here.

Why Should You Buy It?

A great amount of care and research has gone into designing this Chinese cleaver from Winco, and it really shows whenever you use it.

For a start, the blade is made of stainless steel, which already helps to make the knife a lot more durable and long-lasting.

However, the stainless steel has undergone heat-treatment and tempering that helps to make it even more durable, as well as flexible and hard.

In addition to that, the blade has been sharpened using a special Honbazuke method in order to make it extremely sharp – and therefore incredibly efficient at cutting.

Better still, the knife is full tang, meaning that it has a great level of balance to it that will make it easier and more effective to cut with.

Speaking of easiness, the Tuo Chinese cleaver has been specially ergonomically designed for ease of use.

This is true of both the blade and the handle.

For the blade, it has a specific shape that allows for as little resistance as possible when cutting.

And the handle? It’s made of Pakkawood and shaped to be properly comfortable when holding it.

The sharpness of the blade should make it easy to cut through a wide range of meats and vegetables, while the depth of the blade also lets you then transfer the food into a bowl or pan.

The quality cutting quality that the Tuo Chinese cleaver offers is something that you’d expect from a far more expensive knife, yet it somehow remains at a low, affordable price tag – making it one of the very best Chinese cleaver picks on the market.

Shi Ba Zi Zuo 6.7 Inch Chinese Cleaver

Our next selection is slightly more expensive than the last, but offers high quality across the board to justify it.

It’s a great choice for easily cutting, chopping, slicing, and mincing your food, and it’s durable too.

You can buy one from Amazon here.

Why Should You Buy It?

Like the other Chinese cleavers we’ve looked at, this has a blade that’s made of stainless steel.

This is always a good pick for the blade’s materia because it’s very resistant to both humidity and water, keeping the blade durable and letting it keep for longer.

However, Shi Ba Zi Zuo go one step further by using stainless steel that’s made by themselves, ensuring that they know how it’s been made and that it’s going to be the necessary quality.

On top of this, the blade’s edge is designed to be less than 30 degrees.

This is specifically done, so that the blade will be as sharp as it possibly can be, allowing it to work much faster too.

With such a sharp blade, it’s understandable that users might worry about their safety when using it.

Thankfully, the knife has a streamline finger guard added to it, in order to prevent you from being able to reach your finger to the edge of the blade.

Additionally, the knife has full tang, making it much more balanced and stable when using it.

This allows for easier, more precise cutting.

Yarenh 7 Inch Chinese Cleaver

All of the Chinese cleavers that we’ve looked at so far have had fairly affordable prices, some cheaper than others, but our next entry is one of the more expensive Chinese cleavers you’re going to come across.

It’s an option that not everybody will be able to afford, but it’s made out of extremely high quality materials and offers supreme cutting abilities as a result.

You can buy one from Amazon here.

Why Should You Buy It?

This very expensive Chinese cleaver is not going to be affordable to everyone, but it’s got plenty of fantastic qualities to justify the price.

The fact that these knives are crafted across 45 days and have specially engraved steel will tell you just how much effort and care goes into making these expensive cleavers!

For a start, the blade is specially sharpened so that it’s between 13 and 15 degrees.

This ensures that it’s incredibly sharp, which will allow you to make precise and fast cuts into meat and vegetables, all without much effort at all.

The blade itself is made out of Damascus steel, which is one of the very highest quality blade materials you’re going to find.

It’s got a great level of hardness to it, which helps to make it durable and more resistant to wear, allowing your knife to last for longer.

At this price, that’s essential! Additionally, the type of steel helps the blade to be much sharper too.

As for the Chinese cleaver’s handle, it’s made from similarly high quality dalbergia wood.

This type of wood is resistant to deforming and fading, allowing it to last longer, and the wood has been shaped ergonomically so that it’s extremely comfortable to hold.

Of course, it isn’t just comfort that’s prioritized, because the shape also offers great grip and agility, which is essential for efficient, safe cutting.

This Chinese cleaver from Yarenh is also full tang, offering great balance and leverage.

This makes cutting even easier and more precise, as well as it giving the knife maximum robustness.

The quality speaks for itself with this Chinese cleaver, and it’s clearly one of the very best available.

However, the price tag isn’t going to work for everybody, which is why we’ve covered so many more-affordable options.

Select Master 8.5 Inch Chinese Cleaver

Next on our list is this great 8.5 inch Chinese cleaver from Select Master.

This comes at an affordable price and offers high quality construction and materials, allowing for a sturdy and sharp knife that makes simple work of meat and vegetables.

You can buy one from Amazon here.

Why Should You Buy It?

The blade of this Chinese cleaver is impressively long, measuring 8.46 inches, and it’s got a solid width of 3.7 inches.

Ordinarily, these kinds of specifications would cause the cleaver to be too heavy, affecting your use of it, but the thinness of the blade (2mm) helps to make it light and usable.

Thankfully, though, the thinness doesn’t affect the strength, because it’s capable of cutting your meat and vegetables with ease.

It must be stressed, though, that you shouldn’t use the blade to cut hard bone or other hard materials.

The blade has an edge between 15 and 18 degrees, which helps to make it extra sharp.

This helps it slice through food with ease, allowing you to dice, peel, chop, and more.

The cleaver also has a symmetrical handle, which gives the user a comfortable grip when using it.

This is always important, because an uncomfortable grip will cause quicker fatigue, as well as throwing you off and affecting the quality of your cutting.

Better yet, the handle has circles of threads engraved into it, which help to stop slippage.

This is essential from a health and safety point, because you need to have a firm, non-slipping grip on such a sharp knife to avoid injuries.

Like most others, the blade is made from stainless steel in order to make it more durable.

It also undergoes loads of wet sharpening during manufacturing, as well as special 40 degree diamond angle sharpening that helps the blade to keep its sharpness and sharpness even when you’ve used it a lot.

Shun 7 Inch Chinese-Style Cleaver

We’re finishing our list with another expensive option, with one of the most expensive Chinese cleavers that you’re going to find.

With that being said, it’s a fantastic choice for those that can afford it, thanks to its extreme quality and performance.

You can buy one from Amazon here.

Why Should You Buy It?

With such a high price tag, you can expect an extreme amount of quality and care when it comes to this Chinese-style cleaver.

Interestingly, one of the most unique things about this cleaver is that it’s Chinese-style, yet made with the techniques of Japanese craft – more specifically, the concept of “Shun”.

Shun cutlery is known for its premium quality, especially on the inside.

This means that the inner-construction and design of this Chinese-style cleaver is some of the best you’ll find.

Firstly, the blade is made out of stainless Damascus steel, one of the very best materials.

This gives the blade an impressive amount of strength, as well as making it super sharp and resistant to corrosion.

Though the blade is solid, it’s thin and lightweight, allowing you to make strong cuts with very little effort.

This reduces fatigue when using it, allowing you to slice for longer, and the nimbleness allows you to be more precise and quick.

Additionally, the knife has a Pakkawood handle that’s comfortable to hold, as well as durable and clean (it doesn’t harbor bacteria like other handle materials might).

Buyers’ Guide

Throughout our list of the best Chinese cleavers, you’ll have noticed a handful of features appearing over and over.

These are the sorts of specifications you’ll want to look out for when making your buying decision and picking out the knife that’s best for you.

Below, we’ve covered the key factors for you to look out for, along with explanations of why they’re important.

The Blade Material

All of the Chinese cleavers that we’ve looked at in our list have their blades made out of stainless steel, whether it’s regular stainless steel or Damascus stainless steel.

Both of these are great choices for your knife, but Damascus is the higher quality of the two and typically costs quite a bit more.

Stainless steel ensures that the blade isn’t going to get rusty, so make sure that your Chinese cleaver isn’t made from a poorer material.

Blade Length

The length of the blade will affect how you slice, cut, and dice your food, and a longer blade will allow you to prepare more food in less time.

With that being said, a blade that’s too long can be difficult to properly maneuver, as well as being too heavy.

As a result, pick a blade length for your Chinese cleaver that you’re comfortable with.

Full Tang

You should ensure that your Chinese cleaver is full tang, because the improved balance and leverage that comes of it is essential.

These make it easier and safer to cut things, whereas a poorly balanced knife would likely be dangerous and unwieldy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Chinese cleavers are great for preparing vegetables and boneless meat – find the best Chinese cleavers on the market with our handy list!