F208-1

Awesome Chinese chefs knife! Have had it for 5+ years and bought more for others. Amazing stainless steel that is extremely easy to sharpen yet high hardness holds the edge for a long time. The sharpening effort to edge durability is the best among my knives. It's easy to get it hair popping sharp, but best part is it also stays in the effective sharpness far longer than others that drastically taper off. Compared to my $400 (back then) Takeda Chinese cleaver, I use this way more often and like it better. It has proper weight and balance for a Chinese knife that helps in cutting, unlike the Takeda which is just a gyuto/western-knife balance in a rectangular shape. The handle is also properly shaped vs the cool-but-in-your-way Japanese octagon handle. The blue-paper (not stainless) and AEB-L knives I own do perform well, but they're a pain to sharpen vs this, and they don't really hold the 90%+ sharpness edge any longer. Get this Shibazi 9-inch or 8-inch professional version if you're looking for a Chinese chefs knife. This is better steel than all the usual models.

I absolutely love this knife. I mostly cook Asian food, and saw a lot of professional Asian chefs using this type of knife. I wasn't sure if I would like it, so I bought a cheap generic Chinese vegetable cleaver from the supermarket for about $10... used it for 2 years and fell in love. It's the optimal knife for Asian food and basically any cuisine. It makes prep go by quickly and is even enjoyable. The biggest function though is its use as a bench scraper. Made my kitchen skills so much more efficient. I mostly chop vegetables and meat (no bones) and the Chinese style cleaver makes short work of it. While that cheap knife served me well and is still great today, I found that it didnt retain a sharp edge very well. Also the handle was cheap. So I did some research and came across this brand - still affordable but used in both Chinese professional and home kitchens everywhere. So I bought it and it came in a nice box. Extremely sharp. I've been using it for about a month now and it's still super sharp. I've only had to hone it once so far. We'll see how long it can go without needing to be sharpened by my whetstone. Well worth the money. I love it. The handle feels good quality and sturdy.

I've long wanted a Chinese cleaver, ever since watching Martin Yan on the famous "Yan Can Cook!" TV show that appeared all across American public television when I was a kid. His knife skills are insane! And he almost always used a cleaver. In the back of my mind, I always knew that there would be a day when I would own a cleaver too. I'm a knife nerd, and own almost fifty different kitchen knives off all types and kinds, made in various countries: Spain, Portugal, USA, Germany, Japan, France, Switzerland and even one made in Brazil. But one knife making country was missing from my collection: CHINA. So when I decided it was time to buy a genuine Chinese cleaver, I wanted one made in China. Since there are tons of Chinese made knifes on Amazon, that seemed like the place to start my search. But I did NOT want a Chinese knife from an American based importer, so Mercer, Dalstrong, Zelite, Kessaku and Nexus were disqualified immediately, along with all similar types of brands. Not that any of the for-mentioned brands make bad knives, it's just that I wanted a Chinese cleaver, made by a Chinese company, that were proudly selling Chinese made knives. So pulling up all the listings for "chinese cleaver" on Amazon.com, I finally found a company that met my criteria: SHI BA ZI ZOU, a Chinese company happily selling their Chinese made knifes to American customers via Amazon.com I have a knife block with a 3.5" (89mm) slot for a cleaver, so that was my limiting factor in choosing a blade--no wider than that. Looking at the various offerings from SHI BA ZI ZOU, I found two cleavers right away that really appealed to me: the 9" F208-1, and the 8" F208-2, but only the 8" would fit in my knife block, so that's what I ended up buying. I've never anxiously awaited the arrival of a knife so much as this one, and it didn't disappoint. It's a very traditional cleaver, with a "beehive" wooden handle, full tang, and a very plain, BIG, rectangular blade of made of heavy gauge Chinese stainless steel. It's a cinch to use with the traditional pinch grip, and is quite the workhorse. The knife came in a very nice brown cardboard box, very suitable for gift giving, and actually much nicer than any box that my $$$ Japanese or German knives have come in. All the lettering and packaging is in Chinese characters. Right out of the box, the blade was SUPER SHARP. The craftsmanship was also extremely nice for the pricepoint. SHI BA ZI ZOU uses a san mai type blade construction, with hard 80Cr13 high-carbon steel on in the middle, sandwiched by softer 10Cr17 steel. You can actually see a Yaxell Mon-like "wavy line" where the two steels come together near the blade edge. The SHI BA ZI ZOU Chinese characters are deeply etched into the blade, and there is also a very nicely done bit of laser marking with the company's web site emblazoned right on the blade. The handle is rosewood, and the strange beehive shape is extremely comfortable to hold, and surprisingly non-slip. As soon as I started using this beast, I was in love! The knife is HEAVY, weighing in at heft 335g, which is a lot more than my favorite Japanese knife, a Shun Classic 7" Santoku that is a mere 205g. But I really like the extra heft, and it makes prep work almost too easy. The spine is just 2mm thick, but the blade is super stiff and hard, no flex at all. It can handle, with ease, any fruit or vegetable you can throw at it, as well as any protein. But it's not a meat cleaver, and it is NOT to be used to hack through thick bones, though it can go through chicken bones with great ease. But the most amazing thing about using a Chinese cleaver rather than a typical chef's knife or guyoto, is that they are surprisingly safe. The giant blade is hard to miss, and there's plenty of room to press your knuckles against the blade in the typical claw grip fashion. Lots of blade to pinch as well, and it's shocking what kind of control you can get with this thing. If you're skilled enough, no need for a mandolin anymore. The blade has an 12°-15° degree double bevel, with a very nice taper--looks like something Global would make! It just cuts with the greatest of ease and is an absolute joy to use. Though this knife will prep food for any cuisine, I find myself making more Asian dishes to find excuses to use the knife more often. This knife is a true workhorse, it's not the type of knife you are going to post photos of on Instagram, you just take it out of the box, and start putting it to work immediately. So far I've been maintaining it with just a F. Dick sharpening steel and a leather strop; haven't needed to put it on a stone yet. Might be a while... Since getting this knife, all my other knifes just sit in their block, ignored and unused. Other than my favorite pairing knife, my boning knife, my slicer and bread knife, I could probably give all my other far more expensive knives away and never miss them. Yep, this chopper is that good. I'm seriously considering buying a second one. FINAL WORD: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Buy one, you won't regret it. Absolute BEST BUY in the entire knife universe.

Knife is sharp. I tested it by cutting paper, as sharp as my German knives if not more. And the price is well worth it. I did notice a wavy line on the blade close to the edge. It's probably the result of Shi Ba Zi's forging process. Maybe the inner layer steel was made by a process similar to Damascus steel? If you look along the spine, it is not completely straight. I looked at my German chef's knife, it is perfectly straight. It is a full tang in the sense that the tang does go through the wood handle. The end of tang, however, is only about the same as a thick nail. And it was fixed by bending the end of tang by 90 degrees and hammered into the wood handle. I suspect over time, the handle will become loose. The balance is toward the middle of the knife. So it is designed for holding it with your thumb and index finger on each side of the blade. To me, the advantage of Chinese chef's knife (I think calling this knife a cleaver is misleading.) is for fast up-and-down chopping, as opposed to back-and-forth slicing. This knife will do that. For comparison, I have a Chicago Cutlery chef's knife, which is also made in China, but much better workmanship. This Shi Ba Zi, however, is so much sharper thank my Chicago Cutlery. Overall, top value, third class workmanship. I expect that it is a very functional tool, but probably not something that you would try to impress your guests with. Forgot to mention, the stickers are a real pain. Does anyone know a good way to remove the glue without scratching the knife?

Arrived extremely sharp! I've only honed it with a ceramic rod for almost a year. I'll need to perform its first sharpening soon, though. I've been hoping to make a transition from western-style soft-steel chef knives to a cleaver such as this for some time. Most cleavers, however, are way to blunt and dull, and are meant more for chopping and obtuse work... at least western-style cleavers. Ergo, my search started for an Asian-style cleaver (thinner blade, harder steel). When my search brought up this one, the price was right, and I thought that I could try it out and if I liked using an Asian cleaver for the majority of my prep work and fine cutting tasks, I could always upgrade. Happy to say that I feel no need to upgrade. This is a very fine piece, and will suit me well for many, many years. I've transitioned over to using a cleaver blade for the majority of my prep work now, and I don't regret it at all. I don't rock-cut anymore, as this blade has trained me to chop cut, and I get better and better at it the more I use it. I'm loving the ability to continue to cut and cut without the food sliding up and falling over the top of the blade to the other side. The only thing I'd caution on this blade, as well as other Asian-style knives, is that they are typically higher content in carbon steel. Hand wash them, and immediately dry. Don't soak in water. Don't use a dish washing machine. I haven't had to oil the blade, but doing so every now and again can be helpful. I would suggest oiling the wooden handle from time to time with the appropriate wood treatment. Very fine instrument. Highly recommend.

I became interested in learning how to cook authentic Chinese cuisine. I soon learned that my very expensive German made knives were not a part of Chinese culinary practices. In addition to adding about 20 new food items to my kitchen, I also added a traditional Chinese cleaver. This functions as a traditional chef's knife in a European kitchen, and not as you would use a cleaver in the Western tradition, which would be used primary for processing bone-in meat. The rule of thumb in the kitchen is to use as big of a knife as your skills allow. The larger the knife, the faster and easier it is to do the work. As I lacked an understanding of traditional Chinese cutlery, I contacted Shi Ba Zi to ask about their cleavers. I received an immediate response and an excellent recommendation for this 9" clever. This is a beautiful, well-balanced knife that is very sharp. Due to its size and weight, you can perform functions with the cleaver that you cannot with a chef's knife. For example, you can effortlessly slice a ripe tomato with this cleaver, which is something that you would not be able to do with a chef's knife. This cleaver is also very good for julienne cuts, as well as chopping. I was delighted to learn that you could do these things easily with a Chinese cleaver. The Shi Ba Zi cleaver is not just sharp, it is also very well balanced, with a full tang and good, solid handle. I would offer one word of caution. This is a very large knife. If you cannot adroitly handle a good 10" or 12" chef's knife, you may want to consider starting with a smaller cleaver. Shi Ba Zi makes a very nice 7.5" cleaver which I also purchased, thinking that I may need it for finer cuts or smaller things. I was wrong. The big cleaver will do it all. If you are not familiar with high end German cutlery, I can tell you that you can't buy a small paring knife for what this knife costs. It is a bargain and I would highly recommend this particular knife and this particular company. It is a great knife for the money. If you enjoy fine cutlery, you will definitely appreciate the quality and functionality of this knife. I am very pleased to have it, as anyone who enjoys cooking would, too.

This is my favorite purchase in years, and my most used and most cherished tool in my kitchen. The craftsmanship is a work of art! After getting this knife, I haven't touched my Western chef's knife once. It's hefty, so you do not need to press down much or at all to chop; just let gravity do the work! It has a flat edge, so it cuts cleanly down a halved onion without having annoying scraps at the bottom you need to recut because the curvature of a Western chef's knife. The broad, rectangular blade makes it perfect for smashing fresh garlic out of its peel and for scooping up minced veggies and meat from the cutting board. The precision also makes it easy and safe to get incredibly thin slices of cucumber or tomato. The edge came straight out of its packaging being able to slice paper like butter, and I haven't had to sharpen it once in the half year I've had mine. Lastly, it's just so fun and satisfying to use! I feel like a chef when I'm chopping up the thinnest scallion slivers for garnish or cutting up perfect cubes of carrot for mirepoix.

First of all, I tend to give more criticism than compliments because I want the things I own to be perfect for the job, no necessarily need to be expensive. I own a Shun vegetable cleaver and found some drawbacks that really annoy me. First of all Shun is too brittle for everyday use due to the steel hardness it has. Also the polished surface makes vegetable like potatoes very hard to be separated from the knife. Thirdly, the aggressive curve on Shun is designed so that you need to rock it back and forth to cut vegetable but in Chinese style knife technique, vertical strokes is the dominant style since it has superior speed and control, but it requires the knife has a very flat edge so an array of vegetable can be cut evenly and cleanly. With all that experience I had from my $200 Shun, I decided that I should give this knife try. Guess what? The drawbacks that Shun has are completely absent on this Shi Ba Zi Zuo knife. Before I bought this knife I was concerned about the sharpness of this knife comparing to Shun given that most people tend to believe that Shun and other top brands have the sharpest knifes. It turned out that I’m totally wrong. This knife is very sharp right out of the box and it can slice printing paper that I hold in the air into thin and delicate stripes. I feel the sharpness of this knife is very comparable to my Shun out of the box. Another thing I want to share with you guys is that, HRC hardness can elevate the price of a knife quickly, but it is not what you really need. I was convinced that the harder steel will retain sharpness longer. But my Shun had a nick in the blade within a week of normal and careful use. The harder the steel the more brittle it is. You are buying a knife to cut vegetable not carving your name on the glass. The steel on this knife is perfect for daily use and the most importantly it’s much much easier to sharpen. I don’t need to worry about breaking the edge any more and I feel comfortable smashing garlic like a pro Chinese chef without worrying if I can accidentally break the edge. Several strokes on the whetstone it’s sharp like new again. The size of this knife is on the larger side comparing to western and Japanese made Chinese vegetable cleavers. But this is what professional chefs prefer and it starts to grow on me. It’s so easy to process a lot of vegetable in a efficient and precise manner and it can transfer a lot of processed vegetable to the plate in a single move. The balance is great. The handle is solid and feels nice. Can’t ask for more. The brand is also well known in China and it has a good reputation to produce quality knives. You won’t regret buying this knife. Oh, most of the review complains about the sticker. Use alcohol prep pads or paper towel with cleaning grade alcohol to wipe it off with some pressure. All the residue will be completely gone. The GooGone liquid does not work. You are welcome.

Relación calidad precio excelente, para usarlo hay que hacerlo con mucho cuidado , viene con un filo perfecto

SHI BA ZI ZUO polecam bardzo dobrej jakości nóż.

Excellent quality, and very useful

I've recently converted to Chinese cleavers, replacing many of my traditional (including very expensive) Western and Japanese chef’s knives. At first glance, they may seem cumbersome and intimidating, but with proper technique (YouTube is your friend!), they become incredibly versatile, efficient, and perfect for delicate, fine slicing tasks. This affordable cleaver is an excellent entry point for anyone curious about this style of knife. Simply put, I’m thrilled with it and highly recommend it to avid cooks. It arrived well-sharpened, needing only a few strokes on a leather strop to achieve a razor-sharp edge. Given its hardness, I expect it to hold an edge well—though, like any knife, it should always be kept very sharp. I own both the 8-inch and 9-inch versions but recommend the 9-inch. Its taller profile and front-heavy balance are key to the appeal of a cleaver. The handle is comfortable, offering a solid grip, and as with all cleavers, let the knife’s weight do the work (keep your wrist loose!). This brand is well-regarded, based on my research. Food prep, especially vegetables, is a delight—it’s like a Nakiri on steroids. Another bonus: its tall blade makes scooping and transferring ingredients effortless. If you love cooking, this knife is absolutely worth trying.

Nice handle. Feels firm in the grip. Cuts very well.