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Best Meat Cleaver Reviews 2024 – Top 5 Picks

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A meat cleaver is essential in every kitchen even if you are not a chef and just a home cook.

It is definitely the best knife to have for cutting meat.

If you try to cut your chicken with a chef’s knife, then you are only going to ruin your tool.

This type of knife is heavy with big rectangular blade and made up of either stainless steel or carbon steel.

It is heavy because it allows the knife to get the momentum while swinging and let the blade do half of the work.

The back the knife can either be straight or with a feeble curve. The best meat clever is the one that has the right heaviness for ease of use.

Aside from cutting through bones, cartilage and tough sinew, the meat cleaver can also be used to crushed herbs or spices like peppercorns and garlic.

5 Best Butcher Knife Reviews 2024

1 – SKY LIGHT Chinese Butcher Knife 7″ Cleaver

If you are new to buying a meat cleaver that can cut tough bones then this knife might be it.

The blade is made of German carbon stainless steel at 58 on the Rockwell hardness scale.

This makes the blade durable and resistant to rust and stain.

The blade is also sharp enough to cut the hardest bones without chipping or bending.

Another great feature of this knife is its ergonomic design.

It has a protective bolster with three rivets to reinforce the handle.

You can have a good grip on the knife without much wrist tension during cutting.

With this meat cleaver, you can cut and slice without the feeling of fatigue or finger numbness after holding it for a more extended period.

Another feature that sets it apart from the rest is the protective finger guard, which protects your finger from sliding to the blade when using.

This makes using the meat cleaver more comfortable and safer.

Sharpness is also an active suit of this knife. It has an ultra-sharp edge with an angle of 17 degrees that make cutting seamless and clean.

The blade will be at its sharpest when you buy the product and will not quickly get dull. It can cut perfectly through pieces of meat.

This knife also has the perfect balance as it comes in between the massive butcher’s knife and the thin Chinese knife.

Therefore, it can offer the versatility you are looking for in terms of what it can do. It can cut meat and poultry and at the same time can chop your vegetables.

The description of the product mentions that it is dishwasher safe but washing the knife gently by hand is recommended for a more extended lifespan.

You should also keep the knife dry by hand drying. It does not have a hole on edge for hanging; a knife block will come in handy.

PROS

  • Durable as it is made from high-quality stainless steel.
  • It has a sharp blade.
  • Offers versatility.
  • Ergonomically designed for safe and comfortable use.

CONS

  • The cleaver is heavier than most cleavers

2 – Utopia Kitchen 7 Inch Stainless Steel Chopper – Cleaver

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This meat cleaver is the lowest priced on the market today but has some useful features;

It can pass as an expensive knife.

If you are on the lookout for a meat cleaver that fits your budget and can still cut through the tough bones and thick meat, this knife is the best choice.

This knife has a stainless steel sharp blade that can cut with precision and ease.

It is durable and can last longer even after long period of use.

The knife’s edge has a more extended retention, meaning it remains sharp longer than the most.

The knife, however, is thin, so it lacks the versatility that we require.

However, what it lacks in versatility, they made it up with the ergonomic design of the handle.

The weight is well balanced which makes it suitable to use even for petite women.

With the stainless steel and plastic handle combination, it provides a good grip. It is also easy to maneuver, as it is comfortable to use.

You must be careful with the handle, on the other hand, as it can get slippery when wet.

To avoid accidents, make sure that the cleaver and its handle, as well as your hands, are always dry when using it.

The blade has some heaviness to it, which is suitable for cutting meat and bones.

This is one of the advantages of Utopia among its competition in the same price range: it can handle the job.

This knife is also dishwasher safe, but hand washing is highly recommended to maintain the quality.

Another important point to note is the knife is a not sharp enough upon purchase and requires sharpening to optimize its performance.

PROS

  • The blade is sharp and offers precision.
  • A well-balanced weight.
  • It is easy to handle even for a small cook or chef
  • Can handle all cutting meat and vegetables

CONS

  • It has reduced handle quality.
  • Comes poorly packaged.

3 – Utopia Kitchen 7″ Cleaver – Multipurpose Use for Home Kitchen

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This is the all-around knife that every kitchen or restaurant kitchen should have.

It has a sharp blade that can cut through meat and vegetables at ease and with precision.

This blade is of stainless steel that can resist stain and corrosion.

It also has a very sharp edge that can provide more excellent cutting performance and will last longer.

The bulky appearance of this meat clever must not fool you are it is comfortable to use.

Its handle is designed ergonomically to make sure that it is easy to maneuver and use.

This knife offers superior grip, and the three rivets reinforce the handle into a one-piece knife.

The handle also provides a natural grip that reduces stress on your wrist. You can use this for a longer period without soreness.

It also offers versatility as it can handle different cutting needs and the demands of a commercial kitchen.

For a meat cleaver, this passes the newspaper-cutting test, as it is very sharp. Even the ones that come straight from the factories.

It is also easy to clean by hand washing, but it is also dishwasher safe. It needs a knife block for storage, as it does not have any hole to hang it.

PROS

  • The blade is stainless steel, rust-free and tarnish-free.
  • Have a good grip that provides ease of use.
  • It has a perfect weight, easy to use but provides some weight.
  • It is very sharp.

CONS

  • There is a slight thickness towards the edge of the knife.

4 – Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Signature 7-Inch Vegetable Cleaver

51QAY4XMiBL. SL540

It offers an efficient and sleek design for a vegetable cleaver.

However, you can also use this in cutting paper-thin meat, fish, and poultry. It is also lightweight at below six ounces.

It does offer the heft that you are looking for when chopping meat with bones or poultry.

This knife is not as versatile as what you want it to be and more appropriate in cutting vegetables and fruits.

However, it offers features that might suit your requirements.

It has a high quality finished that Zwilling blades are made from.

They are specially formulated steel that is ice-hardened through a process that is trademarked by the company.

This provides the exact toughness and hardness that we need in a meat cleaver.

The knife also comes with the symmetrical knife-edge made from professional sharpening giving it the sharpness you need at the time of purchase and longer.

This also contributes to the precise cutting ability and stability that it provides.

Another useful feature of this cleaver is its polymer handle that is easy to grip and secured to the one-piece knife with three rivets.

This makes the knife easy to use. For the safety of the user, it has a curved hilt.

PROS

  • It can offer versatility in cutting soft meat and vegetables.
  • It has a very sharp edge, right out of the package.
  • It is lightweight and easy to use for cooking preparations.
  • It has a comfortable handle.

CONS

  • The user must use extreme caution when cleaning the knife.

5 – DALSTRONG German HC Steel – 7″ Cleaver

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This meat cleaver is made by a known name in the world of the most excellent chefs that is synonymous with high quality and design.

Not only it is beautifully designed, but it is also known for their performance, and this meat cleaver does not disappoint.

To top the lists of it, strong quality is its versatility.

This meat cleaver can be used for any cooking preparation you require.

Its blade is very sharp and made of high-grade steel of German carbon.

With the rigorous activities that the knife has to go through, it is made with the latest technology and artisanship.

Moreover, if it is made from German steel, you can expect high performance.

The handle offers a firm grip because it is composed of pakka wood from Spain in black hinged to the single blade with 3 tangs.

This provides comfortability as it reduces the tension on the wrist when in use. The user should not worry about the problems associated with prolonged use.

The blade is in satin finished and 7 inches long with the sharpness and resistance to heat and wear.

This is attached to the handle with the rivets to offer rigidity and stability during use. It is also easy to maneuver.

PROS

  • Made from German steel, expect high performance.
  • It is triple riveted for durability.
  • The handle has an ergonomic design for comfort.
  • Perfect balance with a sharp edge.

CONS

  • The sharp edge is thinner and dents easily

What to Look for in a Meat Cleaver

Their many variants of meat cleaver in the market today and it is confusing when all of them has the words “the best” attached to them.

If you are not an expert or trying to replace your old and battered meat cleaver, the task is daunting.

However, if you know your priorities in choosing the right one, you are on your way to picking truly the best.

Versatility

As what we mentioned in the earlier part of this article, there are many uses for a meat cleaver aside from cutting and slicing.

Make sure the blade can handle other functions like dicing or mincing vegetables. It will save you from buying other kinds of the knife if your meat cleaver is a multi-tasker.

Handle

This should be on top of your list when looking for a meat cleaver. A suitable handle can provide comfort when using the knife.

It should not make your hands feel any discomfort or cause redness after use. It should also be non-slip and ergonomically design.

A beautifully designed meat clever should have a handle that supports the wrist and does not add weight to an excellent cutting motion.

Also, for everybody’s safety, make sure that the knife is not slippery.

Size

Just like any other knifes like sushi knifenakiri knife or even santoku knife, the size does matter when it comes to your meat cleaver.

Generally, if you have plenty of slicing and dicing to do better choose the one with the thinner blades and a broader and thicker blade if you have to do more meat chopping.

Also, remember that if you go for larger blades, you will need more strength.

Balance

For the cleaver to do what it can do, you should have the perfect balance between the load of the knife and the handle.

It should not be too light, as it will be useless or too heavy for it will be too difficult to use.

Conclusion

Meat cleavers are often misunderstood. A novice chef might notice that it has a blunt edge and will not be suitable for chopping. However, an expert chef knows that it is what every home and commercial kitchen needs.

It can cut through tough meat, fruits, and vegetables, the broad side can crush spices like garlic, and you can use it to separate the meat from the bone. It is a multitasked kitchen tool.

There are many meat cleavers available and choosing the best is hard. All of the cleavers above has its pros and cons. However, the meat cleaver that is highly recommended will be the SKYLIGHT 7″ High Carbon Stainless Steel Meat Cleaver.

It is reasonably priced with the features that you might need in a cleaver – durability, and versatility. It can multitask saving you from buying many types of knives for your kitchen. It is also ergonomically designed and easy to use.

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