In the realm of culinary essentials, a meat cleaver stands out as a versatile and indispensable tool. From butchering meats to preparing a variety of fruits and vegetables, this clever instrument proves its worth in both professional and home kitchens. Whether you’re looking to craft the perfect cut for a T-bone or rib-eye steak, dissect a whole chicken, or tackle larger items like duck or lobster, the sharpness and heft of a well-honed cleaver make quick work of even the toughest tasks.
The 10 Best Cleavers
When it comes to kitchen cleavers, there are numerous options available on the market. To help you make an informed decision, we’ve compiled a list of some top-rated models from well-known brands like TUO, Utopia Kitchen, Mueller, and Imarku. Among these, our top pick is the DALSTRONG Gladiator Series Cleaver Knife, which stands out for its exceptional quality and performance.
Other notable options include Lux Decor’s kitchen cleaver, Dexter-Russell’s S5288 cleaver, KitchenAid’s KKFTR6CLOB cleaver, Global Meat’s cleaver, and KOFERY’s cleaver.
Our Top Pick for the Best Cleaver
When it comes to finding the best cleaver for your culinary needs, our top recommendation is the Dalstrong Gladiator Series Cleaver Knife. This exceptional tool boasts a rich 200-year history of producing outstanding knives, with this particular model manufactured in Germany. Forged from a long-lasting legacy of excellence, the Dalstrong cleaver has been designed to make food preparation faster and more effortless, perfect for chopping through meat, vegetables, and fruit with ease.
Its versatility will transform your cooking experience, allowing you to be more creative, precise, and effective in the kitchen. To explore this top pick further, check out the current price on Amazon.
How to Choose the Best Cleaver
The meat cleaver is an incredibly versatile butchery knife that can help you complete a multitude of tasks in the kitchen. Its range of uses includes cutting, chopping, and dicing large pieces of meat into smaller portions, stripping meat from bone, mincing raw meat, separating whole chickens into manageable parts, and even hacking through tough bones like those found in beef or lamb ribs.
You can also use this knife to cut up fish for sushi, chop large vegetables or fruit, and crack open coconuts with ease.
Beyond its primary functions, the spine of the blade can be used to tenderize meat, crush garlic, and scrape any leftover food off your cutting board and into the trash.
Design
Meat cleavers boast a unique design, characterized by a short, heavy square or rectangular blade that stands out from other butcher knives. The blade is attached to a robust handle, providing a sturdy foundation for effective cutting. With two distinct types – Western and Chinese/Japanese cleavers – the versatility of meat cleavers becomes apparent.
A Western cleaver features a square or rectangular blade, while its Eastern counterpart has a more angular design, setting them apart from one another.
Western Cleaver
A western-style cleaver, exemplified by the KOFERY Cleaver, boasts a broader blade design and a thicker spine, rendering it an ideal tool for demanding butchery tasks. Its robust construction allows it to tackle challenging applications such as slicing through thick beef or lamb, portioning a whole chicken, or cracking open a coconut with ease.
Chinese and Japanese Cleavers
Chinese cleavers, such as the TUO Cleaver and Global Meat Cleaver, exhibit distinct differences compared to their Western counterparts. Their blades are narrower and spines thinner, reflecting a design centered around precision cutting of softer ingredients like vegetables and fish. While these smaller-sized cleavers excel at breaking down small portions of meat and removing it from bones, they may be prone to developing chips on the blade when attempting to cut through hard bone.
This characteristic highlights the importance of choosing the right tool for the task at hand.
Blade Length
Cleavers come in a variety of blade lengths, ranging from 6 to 9 inches. The sweet spot lies between 7 and 8 inches, where the versatility shines through. This length allows for effortless cutting and chopping of thick meat, bones, vegetables, and more, making it easy to wield. Smaller cleavers under 7 inches are perfect for working with small pieces of food, but might lack the heft needed for a secure grip.
On the other hand, larger blades at 9 inches are designed for tackling bigger chunks of meat, although they may be too heavy and unwieldy for those with smaller hands to handle comfortably.
Blade Construction
When it comes to selecting a suitable steel for your meat cleaver, high carbon steel is often the top choice due to its exceptional strength and ability to maintain a razor-sharp edge over time. However, this type of steel can be prone to rusting if not properly maintained. On the other hand, 100% stainless steel offers excellent resistance to both rust and stains, allowing it to retain its sharpness for an extended period.
Although it is still possible for stainless steel to develop rust if not thoroughly dried after each use, this material remains a popular option. Forged blades are particularly well-suited for tackling thick meat, cartilage, and bone, but they can result in a heavier cleaver that may be more difficult to lift. To keep your cleaver performing at its best, it’s essential to learn how to properly sharpen the blade.
Ergonomic Handle
Handles for a cleaver can be crafted from wood, stainless steel, or plastic. Plastic is a popular choice due to its comfort and versatility, allowing for use both indoors and outdoors; however, it may crack at high temperatures. Wooden handles, made from materials like Pakka wood or rosewood, boast a stylish appearance but require lamination or polishing to prevent bacterial growth. The Dalstrong and Dexter-Russell cleavers are excellent examples of polished wooden handles.
Stainless steel handles offer a sleek look but must have a textured surface, such as the Global Meat Cleaver, to provide sufficient grip; they can either feature a welded construction or a full tang. Triple-riveted handles promote durability, while a full tang design, like that of the Utopia Kitchen Cleaver, ensures exceptional strength, rigidity, and balance. Ultimately, regardless of material choice, an ergonomic handle with a secure grip is essential for confident cleaver handling.
10 Best Cleavers – Reviews
TUO Cleaver
The TUO Cleaver is an exceptional tool that excels at chopping and dicing various types of meat and vegetables. Its high-quality blade, crafted from German high-carbon heat-treated stainless steel with a Rockwell hardness of 56+, boasts superior strength, rust-resistance, and stain-resistance. The ultra-sharp edge effortlessly cuts through thick meat, retains its sharpness remarkably well, and is easy to resharpen.
The full tang design provides excellent balance, allowing for precise control as you chop meat and clean food from your cutting board after use. The polished spine also enables a firm pinch grip. Whether you’re a right- or left-handed cook, the ergonomic curved black Pakkawood handle offers exceptional comfort during use. Triple rivets add durability while giving the cleaver a stylish appearance. To maintain the TUO Cleaver’s excellent condition, simply hand wash and dry it after each use.
The meat cleaver arrives in an attractive gift box, backed by a 100% money-back guarantee. While some may find that it’s not ideal for cutting through bones, its many advantages make it an excellent choice for professional chefs and home cooks alike. Pros include its very reasonable price, beautiful craftsmanship, superior high-carbon German stainless steel, and ease of use for right- and left-handed cooks. Cons are limited to the need for hand washing and its inability to cut through bones.
Utopia Kitchen Cleaver
The Utopia Kitchen Cleaver boasts a versatile design, making it an excellent addition to any commercial kitchen. Its exceptional cutting performance stems from its full-tang design and ultra-sharp, corrosion-resistant 100% stainless steel blade measuring 7 inches in length. This sharpness is maintained over time due to the blade’s excellent edge retention.
The cleaver excels when tackling thick pieces of meat, vegetables, and fruits like melon, pineapples, and squash, thanks to its textured surface providing good traction during cutting, chopping, and mincing tasks. The handle, crafted from a combination of stainless steel and ABS black plastic, offers an ergonomic design that ensures a secure grip. While the knife is dishwasher safe, it’s recommended to hand wash it to preserve the exceptional quality of its blade.
The cleaver’s durable construction and long-lasting sharpness make it an excellent choice for heavy-duty cutting, chopping, and mincing tasks. Pros: Excellent price, great value for money, superior cutting performance, sleek and stylish design, full-tang design for durability, made of 100% stainless steel, corrosion-resistant, ultra-sharp edge, ideal for heavy-duty cutting, chopping, and mincing tasks, can be used for vegetables and fruit, excellent balance, ergonomic easy-gripping handle.
Cons: Handle is slippery and prone to cracking, not suitable for chopping through thick bones, blade is a bit thin, no replacement warranty available. Check the price on Amazon.
Mueller Cleaver
The Mueller Cleaver, engineered and designed in Germany, boasts a timeless blend of form and function. This versatile powerhouse is crafted with high-quality stainless steel, showcasing exceptional edge retention, toughness, and resistance to corrosion. Its sharp 7-inch blade excels at chopping, mincing, dicing, slicing, and gliding through even the thickest pieces of meat, effortlessly separating it from the bone.
The strong spine ensures precise and quick cutting, while the ergonomic non-slip handle fits comfortably in your hand, keeping it safely away from the cutting surface. The seamless design provides added durability and a clever hanging hole allows for convenient storage above your food preparation area. While dishwasher-safe, gentle hand washing is recommended to maintain its stunning appearance.
Overall, this premium cleaver offers exceptional value, boasting a combination of strength, precision, and style that’s hard to match.
Imarku Cleaver
The Imarku Cleaver is an exceptional tool that excels in versatility, making it an excellent choice for both professional and home kitchens. This multifunctional cleaver can handle a wide range of food preparation tasks with ease, including chopping, slicing, dicing, and mincing thick chunks of meat, as well as slicing small bones and chopping vegetables. The 7-inch, 2.
7mm-thick high-carbon stainless steel blade boasts an attractive mirror finish and ultra-high Rockwell hardness (58-60), allowing for quick and effortless chopping even of large pieces of meat and bone. Despite its thinly ground design, the blade maintains excellent edge retention and long-lasting sharpness. The ergonomic Pakkawood handle is not only stylish but also provides a smooth, comfortable grip and features antibacterial properties.
For easy storage, the handle has a hole that can be attached to a rope or hook. While this cleaver is designed for general-purpose use, it’s essential to note that it should not be used over hot flames or for chopping frozen food, as this may compromise its sharpness. Simply hand wash the blade with mild soap and water to maintain its quality. One of the standout features of the Imarku Cleaver is its lifetime warranty, providing added peace of mind for users.
Its pros include high-quality construction, suitability for both professional and home kitchens, strong and sharp cutting performance, excellent edge retention, long-lasting sharpness, and ergonomic design. However, it’s worth noting that this cleaver may not be ideal for heavy-duty meat processing tasks or cleaning in a dishwasher. Nevertheless, its benefits far outweigh its drawbacks.
DALSTRONG Gladiator Series Cleaver
The DALSTRONG Gladiator Series Cleaver is a powerhouse of precision and performance, boasting an award-winning design, exceptional craftsmanship, and cutting-edge technology. With its 7-inch blade, this cleaver can tackle even the most demanding heavy-duty cooking tasks, such as breaking down larger cuts of boneless meats, cutting through rib bones, and chopping large vegetables and fruits.
The full-tang cleaver features a high-carbon German steel blade that has been tempered and hand-polished to a stunning satin finish. Its extra tall blade provides excellent knuckle clearance for easy food preparation and the sharp edge is carefully tapered for improved hardness, flexibility, and minimal slicing resistance.
Working with this cleaver is a joy, thanks to its well-balanced design and luxury ergonomic laminated Spanish black Pakkawood triple-riveted handle, which offers a superior grip while chopping, dicing, and slicing food. The mirror-polished finger protective bolster adds an extra touch of elegance, along with the engraved Dalstrong center rivet and stainless steel end cap.
Although it may require some care to maintain its appearance, this cleaver is easy to sharpen and clean, making it a valuable addition to any kitchen arsenal. In fact, Dalstrong includes a BPA-free PerfectFit sheath to keep the cleaver safe and secure when not in use. And with Dalstrong’s famous 100% money-back guarantee, you can purchase with confidence, knowing that your investment is protected.
The pros of this cleaver far outweigh the cons – exceptional quality, excellent value for money, award-winning design, and a razor-sharp blade that can cut through even bone. However, some users may find it on the pricey side and note that the blade edge can dent easily if not handled with care.
Lux Decor Kitchen Cleaver
The Lux Decor Kitchen Cleaver is an exceptional everyday chopping and slicing tool that’s perfect for meat or vegetable enthusiasts. Its 7-inch premium high-carbon stainless steel blade boasts impressive sharpness, delivering professional-grade cutting performance while maintaining its edge retention over time. This versatile cleaver excels in various tasks, from chopping up large pieces of meat to julienning carrots, slicing shallots, and even making sushi.
The lightweight design provides great maneuverability, with the extra-sharp tip capable of cracking open a coconut or removing ginger skin, and the flat spine ideal for tenderizing meat or crushing garlic. The cleaver’s solid one-piece full-tang design ensures the blade won’t break off from the handle, providing added safety during food preparation. The ergonomic stainless steel handle features a non-slip black ABS plastic grip, making it comfortable to use, even for extended periods.
For convenient storage, the hole at the end of the blade allows for easy hanging in your kitchen. While the cleaver is dishwasher safe, Lux Decor Kitchen recommends hand washing to guarantee its longevity. Overall, this super stylish and professional-grade cleaver offers excellent value, with pros including high quality, affordability, and impressive performance.
Dexter-Russell S5288 Cleaver
The Dexter-Russell S5288 Cleaver is a powerhouse of a knife that’s built to last. Its 8-inch high-carbon steel blade is razor-sharp and can withstand repeated blows into thick meat and dense cartilage, making it perfect for butchering various types of meat including beef, lamb, pork, fish, and poultry. The cleaver’s strong spine also allows for crushing foods like garlic and ginger with ease.
The handle is made from beautiful polished rosewood that feels comfortable in your hand and provides a secure grip, thanks to three large brass rivets that add extra strength and durability. While the high-carbon steel blade does require some maintenance to prevent rust and staining, the end result is well worth the effort. As an added bonus, the Dexter-Russell Cleaver comes with a limited lifetime warranty, giving you peace of mind in case anything goes wrong.
Some may find the cleaver’s size to be a drawback, particularly for those with smaller hands, but overall, its excellent quality, extra sharpness, and high functionality make it an excellent addition to any kitchen. The individually ground and hand-honed blade edge geometry ensure a long-lasting performance that will withstand even the toughest tasks.
KitchenAid KKFTR6CLOB Cleaver
The KitchenAid KKFTR6CLOB Cleaver is a compact powerhouse that excels at chopping small pieces of meat, including beef, lamb, and chicken. Its 6-inch blade is crafted from high-grade German high-carbon stainless steel, offering excellent performance and long-lasting edge retention. The full tang design ensures the cleaver feels well-balanced in hand, while the onyx black plastic handle, bolstered for comfort and control, features polished triple steel rivets that add a touch of sophistication.
This easy-to-clean cutlery piece can be safely placed in the dishwasher, although hand washing is recommended to maintain its appearance. The KitchenAid Cleaver comes with a limited lifetime warranty. Its pros include great quality, high-grade materials, exceptional edge retention, and ergonomically engineered design. However, it may not be ideal for larger or thicker pieces of meat, as the blade can become dull quickly if used extensively.
Additionally, proper maintenance is necessary to prevent steel staining or rusting.
Global Meat Cleaver
The Global Meat Cleaver is an exceptional choice for dedicated meat-eaters who demand precision and performance. This Japanese-made tool excels at butchering various meats, including poultry. The high-quality G-12 cleaver boasts a lightweight design and razor-sharp blade that retains its edge exceptionally well, making it the preferred cutting tool of professional chefs and home cooks alike.
The secret to its impressive sharpness lies in the CROMOVA 18 stainless steel construction with a Rockwell hardness of C56-58. This unique alloy combines molybdenum, vanadium, and chromium for unparalleled strength and durability while remaining soft enough for easy sharpening on a whetstone. The cleaver’s traditional square design features a straight edge angled at 15°, allowing for precise control without fatigue.
The bolsterless design provides full access to the handle, which is weighted with a hollow center for perfect balance. A textured surface and black synthetic grips ensure a secure grip, even during intense chopping sessions. To maintain the cleaver’s exceptional condition, it requires hand washing and drying.
The Global Meat Cleaver boasts several standout features: superb Japanese craftsmanship, professional design, great value for money, fantastic quality, and an impressive list of benefits that make it an invaluable addition to any kitchen.
KOFERY Cleaver
The KOFERY Cleaver is an exceptional knife designed specifically for tackling tough tasks like cutting through bones. Its impressive performance makes it perfect for chopping, slicing, and shredding thick meat, as well as crushing garlic cloves with ease. The cleaver’s 4.5-inch stainless steel blade features a v-shaped bevel that reduces cutting resistance, allowing you to maintain its razor-sharp edge over time.
This durability is further enhanced by the full tang design and triple silver rivets, ensuring long-term durability. The handle, crafted from solid ergonomic wood, provides a comfortable grip, while the full tang design allows for effortless hanging. To keep your cleaver in top condition, simply hand wash it and dry it after use. And with KOFERY’s risk-free full refund guarantee, you can purchase with confidence.
Key advantages of the KOFERY Cleaver include its high-quality construction, heavy-duty performance, ability to cut through bones effortlessly, and versatility for preparing vegetables and fruit. The only potential drawbacks are its premium price point and smaller handle that may not suit larger cooks. Nevertheless, the cleaver’s numerous benefits make it an excellent investment for any kitchen.
Our Top Pick for the Best Cleaver
For unparalleled performance and durability in the kitchen, our top recommendation for a cleaver is the Dalstrong Gladiator Series Cleaver Knife. Boasting a rich 200-year heritage of crafting exceptional blades, this German-made masterpiece is built to withstand the test of time, providing a lifetime of effortless food preparation.
With its versatility in effortlessly chopping through meat, vegetables, and fruit, the Dalstrong cleaver empowers home cooks and professional chefs alike to excel in their culinary endeavors, fostering creativity, precision, and efficiency.
