Cleaver

A cleaver is not a big chef knife. It is a different tool with a different job: weight does the work, not edge geometry. The blade is heavy and flat so it falls through what you are cutting, and the broad face is genuinely useful for scooping a board of chopped garlic into a pan.Two kinds. A heavy bone cleaver has a thick spine and a stout edge meant to go through joints and small bones. A Chinese vegetable cleaver, which looks similar, is thin and light and is for slicing vegetables at speed. Using the thin one on bone will chip it. Check the spine thickness before you buy.Ours. Hand-forged 1095 and 15n20 Damascus at 58 to 60 HRC with full tang construction and buffalo horn, rose wood or micarta handles. Blades run 6 to 8 inches.Can I cut bone with these? The heavy models yes, with a clean downward strike. Never twist the blade in a joint; that is what breaks edges.How do I care for it? Hand wash and dry immediately. Damascus is reactive steel and a cleaver has a lot of surface area to rust. A wipe of mineral oil after use is enough.What angle should I sharpen to? Coarser than a chef knife, around 22 to 25 degrees. A thin fragile edge is the wrong edge for a chopping tool.