DexterS5198 8" x 3-1/4" Chinese Chefs Knife with Wooden Handle

This knife was a splurge for me. I picked it up because of "Daddy Lau" on YouTube. It's a whole new style relative to that which I'm accustomed, but it's a pretty great knife. Don't be fooled by its appearance - it's not a chopping cleaver. This is a slicing knife, but with cleaver-like proportions. It's certainly stout enough for breaking chicken joints, etc, but I wouldn't try to chop through a large beef bone with it...It's a Dexter knife. Dexter is huge, perhaps one of the largest US knife makers. They seem relatively unknown to home chefs, but very well known in the cooking industry (in part because they are much less expensive than fancy brands). That said, they do not trail in quality. This knife will take an edge and hold an edge. It's very much like German steel - softer and tougher than Japanese knives, but falling just short of Japanese knives in terms of potential sharpness. Don't get me wrong, you can get this razor sharp, just not quite as sharp. But you weren't shopping for a shaver, were you? The blade is first rate. The handle leaves a bit to be desired. It's not bad, but it doesn't exactly scream "superlative quality" either. In any case, I think it's acceptable, and my knives are for use, not for show, so I'm not going to lower my rating even if the handle seems a little "mass produced".My only gripe about this knife, and I'm certainly not going to knock it for it, is that its odd (by western standards) geometry makes it hard to find a place to put it. It's too tall for my knife drawer. I'd probably use it more if I had one of those magnetic strips over my range.In any case, this is a great knife, for a very reasonable price. It has no brand cache, but for those who just want to prep dinner that doesn't matter.

I used Dexter knives at my Chinese restaurant for many years. Coming back to culinary work I picked one up right away, this knife has been a must have for all my prep work. The thickness can be intimidating at first but as you learn to work with the blade it can cut paper thin with high efficiency. I keep my handle oiled, its comfortable in the hand and stays stable. Overall these are my favorite knives, while there's "Better" on the market you're paying a whole lot more for only 1/10 of an improvement. With proper maintenance these knives take the cake for me.

It's sharp, it's heavy, and it's a bench scraper, too! I use this every day in a professional kitchen, and I can say it puts up with that pretty well. Is it a pain to learn to use? Yes. Is it extremely blade heavy? Yes. But for under $50, I use it more than pretty much any other knife daily for veggies and meat, even medium precision work (halving cherry tomatoes is a breeze!). Even hard AND soft cheeses are reduceable to shreds (make sure that your dishwasher doesn't hide the box grater and microplanes, kids). I don't work at a place getting stuff from a bag, I'm constantly prepping and firing dishes. This thing holds up. The only other knives I really need are my kiritsuke (I use a Myabi Black series, but any 8-10 inch/200-260 mm thinnish chefs/filet for finer somewhat bigger work that needs less drag (butchery, filleting fish, delicate herbs, etc.) and a petty/paring knife for extreme precision. Get this, maintain it properly, and you're good for about 85% of what most households will need to do.

This is now my hands-down, favorite kitchen, cutting device / scooper of chopped foods. The finish makes it more less resistant than other cleavers I’ve used. But I would still wipe it down after cleaning, it came razor, sharp, very well balanced, and for those of you who familiar with using vegetable cleaver’s, the perfect size and shape to scoop your veg off the cutting board

This particular knife was a present for my cousin who is just starting to get interested in cooking. I have many knives in my kitchen, most of them presents, and most of them junk. I use only two knives: this one and a 4 1/2" Wusthoff paring knife. Aside from specialty knives like ones to cut bread or open oysters, those are the only two knives you will ever need.This knife looks like a meat cleaver. It is not, and never use it like one. It is a Chinese chef's knife and is a precision instrument. You do not wrap your hand around the handle - your thumb and forefinger should extend beyond the handle and end up on either side of the blade to guide it through its stroke. Draw the knife gently through whatever you are cutting. You will find it wonderful for cutting vegetables for salads, and after you have sliced or chopped your onions or peppers, simply tilt the knife until it is nearly parallel to your chopping board and slide the chopped food onto the blade to transfer it to a bowl or pot.Always rinse and dry your knife immediately after use and store it in the box in which it comes or in a proper knife block. This knife hold an edge better than any other knife in your kitchen. Eventually, however, you will need to dress the edge of the knife. When it refuses to cut a tomato as a razor would, use a good quality diamond-hone electric sharpener. You should need only the "hone" part of the device - you don't need to take off any metal.Never use the knife on anything other than a wooden or polyethylene chopping board - never on a hard or brittle surface.If you follow these directions, your knife will last almost forever and give you years of satisfying service. Mine is over 20 years old.

Purchased to gift to a relative. It arrives in a clear, but heavy plastic sleeve.Looks like a great knife to have in the kitchen.Dexter S5198 8" x 3-1/4" Chinese Chefs Knife with Wooden Handle