Top 10 Japanese Cleavers Selling Like Crazy in 2022

If you are planning to cut down an entire chicken, & to make the slices of big or vegetable, fruits, you should first invest in some best knives which are capable enough. Though the Best Japanese knives are still here, you can never get anything even better than a Japanese Cleaver.

Japanese knives come with a razor-sharp blade that delivers a smooth cutting experience which further makes you feel dedicated & confident while doing some cutting stuff. The Best Japanese Cleaver knives hold a very durable & versatile spine that makes maneuverability easier, just on your fingertips.

Usually, the Japanese cleaver knives present a broad list of some heavy, & light tasks that you can never expect from a Japanese Santoku or a Japanese Chef knife. Especially, if you are responsible for butchery-related tasks in your kitchen.

However, these Best Cleavers are not just limited to Butchery. You can even use them to precisely slice down the vegetables, fruits, & herbs as their long blade with a thick & wide spine provides a whole lot of stability while cutting.

Now, finding the Best Japanese Cleavers is not an easy task, as it consists of a whole lot of checklists for a cleaver to qualify that. But, you should worry not as we have already made it easier for you.

Top 3 Japanese Cleavers

Before diving into the actual list of the Best Cleaver knife, you should first take a skimmed look at the types of Cleavers. So, you can understand your needs just right now, & later you can directly check that out from here.

Types of Best Japanese Cleaver Knives

Technically, you are not limited to any specific task whatever Japanese cleaver you got. All of these cleavers come with a razor-sharp blade, a thick yet wide spine, a rust-resistant blade, a versatile handle, along with a stable weight overall.

The only difference that you will notice is in its practicality. One best cleaver knife will perform better on meat cutting, while the other one will be ideal for vegetables, fruits, & herbs slicing.

In terms of cutting, you will have two major types of Cleavers out there in the market.

• Japanese Meat Cleaver
• Japanese Vegetable Cleaver

1. Japanese Meat Cleaver

The Japanese Meat Cleaver usually comes in a hard, durable, & carbon blade as its carbon content adds a lot of power & resilience to its blade. This makes you take powerful strokes on your chicken, duck, & Pork Ribs, to effectively cut it down.

Usually, these knives come out through traditional knife-making skills, as they are pretty sharp, & come with a durable edge that keeps maintaining its edge for a long time. Its first half part of the blade is very useful to collect power for a rib.

2. Japanese Vegetable Cleaver

The vegetable cleavers come with a slightly fine, & slim blade thickness, which makes you take deep & precise cuts inside a vegetable. Unlike the meat cleavers, you aren’t necessarily needed to apply a jerk force, or a hit impact to cut it down.

These cleavers can serve you like a chopper, due to its lightweight blade, & a slim spine. As you don’t need too much force & power from its blade, this is why you can use whatever point that you want to slice down your veggies, & herbs.

The Best Japanese Cleavers At A Quick Glance

IMAGE	PRODUCT	SHOP
Overall Best	Shun Classic 7 Inch Cleaver VG-MAX Clad, DM0712 Benefits: VG-MAX steel cutting core, Classical PakkaWood handle, Sharp yet double bevel blade, The Versatile & stable cleaver, Non-stick & ultra fine cutting	Shop Here
Best for Vegetables	KYOKU Daimyo Series – VG10 – with Sheath & Case (7″ Veg Cleaver) Benefits: Well-Balanced Blade knife, The Comfortable handle, Finished sharpness level, A Durable steel blade core, Double bevel steel blade	Shop Here
Best for Meat	DALSTRONG – 8″ Chef’s Knife “The Crixus” – Shogun Series – Meat Knife Benefits: 62+ Rockwell hardness, The Razor-Sharp blade, With a Versatile handle, The Double-bevel blade, A decent edge retention	Shop Here
The Sharpest	DALSTRONG Cleaver Knife – 7″- Shogun Series X – Japanese AUS-10V Benefits: Extensively sharp blade, A Hard, & durable knife, A Truly Non-Stick blade, Smooth cutting experience, Pretty easy to sharp blade	Shop Here
Comfortable	ZHEN Japanese VG-10 3-Layer forged Chopping Chef Knife 8-inch Benefits: A Full-tang & soft handle, 62HRC Rockwell hardness, Layered Carbon steel core, An Enough edge retention, Sharp yet effective cutting	Shop Here
Lightweight	ZHEN Japanese VG-10 8-Inch Chef Butcher Knife/Cleaver Benefits: Perfectly balanced knife, Versatile & stable blade, Water-Resistant handle, Sharp blade out of the box, Both For veggies, & meats	Shop Here
Most Durable	DALSTRONG Cleaver Knife – 7″ – Shadow Black Series Benefits: The Perfect Sharpness, A Comfortable handle, Precise, & fast cuttings, Durable & flexible core, For a reasonable price	Shop Here

Our Best Picks for the Best Japanese Cleaver knives 

As you have already taken a look at its types, we have divided this list of cleavers into two main parts, i.e, Meat, & Vegetable Cleavers, so you can feel a difference in both of these. Still, if a knife is listed in the Vegetable section, it isn’t necessarily meant for avoiding meat, & you can pick that out for meat also, if you truly want.

Best Japanese Meat Cleavers

1. DALSTRONG – 8″ Chef’s Knife “The Crixus” – Shogun Series – Meat Knife

So, Dalstrong has won the fight for starting the list of Japanese cleavers. This cleaver is known as Crixus in the field, which came from Shogun series knives out there.

Build Quality & Material:

Crixus is not a lightweight knife, as Dalstrong has made its blade slightly offset weighted. Now, this is not so heavy if you are thinking like that. However, it is still enough and provides a really good pitch for chopping sort of stuff.

Dalstrong is using its custom-made steel, which is known as AUS-10 Super steel by adding a bit of non-ferrous elements into its structure. It features completely layered core construction.

On the Rockwell scale, the hardness of it is listed at 62 HRC, which classifies this thing as a hard, durable yet slightly stiff knife. Still, the blade ensures the deliverance through its sharpness, durability, stability, and ultimate strength.

This knife is not a flexible blade, which makes it very practical when it comes to chopping & slaughtering down the ribs, & backbone of the chicken. However, to prevent it from chipping or breaking, Dalstrong has heat-treated it to provide some hardness, & a tiny little flexibility to protect it from chipping if it falls.

Cutting & Performance:

Dalstrong is not just focusing on making it durable & good-looking, they are also putting their best to make this tool practical. This knife holds a pre-sharpen blade, that is extensively sharp to even tear down into a soft bone.

To meet the effective sharpness criteria for meat, & butchery sort of stuff, Dalstrong has made the blade double bevel, which holds an angle of up to 12° per side. You can deal with porks, ribs, steaks, chicken, ducks, & beef butchery as well.

Just to give it a modern look without disturbing the effective cutting experience, this knife owns a smart Scandinavian style that makes a very decent first impression. To make it non-stick, the blade has some shallow tsunami-rose layers.

Moreover, this tool provides a very maneuverable cutting experience with its comfortable, & full-tang wooden blade. It doesn’t only make it lightweight, it also adds versatility along with stability into it.

2. DALSTRONG Cleaver Knife – 7″- Shogun Series X – Japanese AUS-10V

Dalstrong with its Shogun Series X cleaver knife that came out there in the market for the year 2017. This Japanese Chef Cleaver knife has a lightweight body, that makes it ideal for both beginners, casuals, & professional chefs as well.

Build Quality & Material:

Dalstrong has launched this knife in multiple variants. The main difference between them is their blade sizes, weight, & the price of course. Here, we are specifically talking about its 7-inches long knife.

Dalstrong features the standard Japanese AUS-10 steel in its entire Shogun series knives, & this one also belongs to that specific steel. You will get the same Rockwell Hardness of 62HRC, as you had in the Crixus.

The difference comes in manufacturing technique, & that as well is not too much difference when measuring. This knife is again a layered steel blade, but Dalstrong has used Vacuum cooling along with the Nitrogen process in its core.

This has made the blade extensively durable, as Dalstrong has to do the hammered pattern on its spine, & core to make it non-stick out of the box. So, slightly more robustness is given as compared to the first one.

Cutting & Performance:

Dalstrong has kept the knife well-balanced, versatile & completely sharp due to its balanced blade. This cleaver holds a pretty sharp blade that makes a perfect complement along its thick yet durable spine to hunt down a chicken easily.

Its blade provides a relatively sharp, yet decent edge that holds its edge for a long time, even if you extensively use it for deep, dense & power glide cuts inside an animal’s chest. The blade is slightly tapered, which enhances the smooth cutting.

Shogun’s cleaver has a double bevel blade, which owns a 10-12° blade angle on both sides. This angle is just not for providing the exceptional sharpness, it also makes the resharpening through whetstones, & with machine sharpeners easier.

Not just this, the knife also comes with a smooth, comfortable, & full-tang handle, which provides enough support to keep using it for some hours with a very little hand strain. The hammered pattern is very cool to make it completely non-stick.

3. DALSTRONG Cleaver Butcher – Gladiator Series – “The Ravager” – 9″

Dalstrong continuously for the third time, completing its hat trick for the Best Japanese Meat cleavers section on the list of the best Japanese cleavers. This good cleaver came out in 2019, which is currently ranking as the 16th best meat cleaver out there in the market.

Build Quality & Material:

Before officially diving into it, let us tell you, this knife is not a lightweight thing, & it doesn’t come with any other variant. So, if you are looking for a lightweight Japanese cleaver, it’s better to skip this out, & take a look at ZHEN Japanese Chef Cleaver next to it, or the first two ones that we have already discussed.

This time, Dalstrong is breaking the tradition of using Japanese VG-10 steel in its manufacturing. Now, the flagship German high carbon steel is going to warm-welcome you with this thing.

The German steel has formed its strong, robust, & durable blade by checking through its expert heat treatment. To make the core even better, the knife has gone through the ice-hardening process right before the heat chamber to test its water. Now, you can get a sharp blade with an extended edge on its core.

Though it is not as hard as The Crixus, and Shogun X from the Shogun series knives, it is not as expensive as they were. If you are looking for a knife for a reasonable price, it is your first-ever choice on the list.

Cutting & Performance:

This multi-purpose, medium-duty, & versatile knife is meant for perfect deliverance when it comes to ducks, chickens, Ham, & Tuna fish. Its knife will provide you a decent cutting with its magical sharpness out of the box.

Its quarterly contoured blade, in the end, makes the gliding, & rough-cutting pretty sharp, and effective by bringing complete control on its front-end. This knife has a double bevel blade, with a 14° angle, that emerges an incredible sharpness.

Undoubtedly, the knife is going to maneuver your cutting skills by enhancing speed with precision. However, the only thing we found with its blade belongs to its edge part, which is more than enough pointed out, & dangerous as well.

Its emerging point in the end can accidentally hurt your fingers when using it. Not just that, it could even cause chipping if it falls, due to its very extreme & sharp blade, that will never give you the second chance.

So, you should only get this one, if you know good & assembled housekeeping. Though Dalstrong offers a leather sheath, it won’t protect it from chipping, but from rusting. The best place is to get a wooden block for such knives.

4. ZHEN Japanese VG-10 8-Inch Chef Butcher Knife/Cleaver

Lasting the section of the Best Japanese Meat Cleavers, we have got you with the Zhen’s knife for the only time in its section. This knife came out in 2011, making it one of the most senior knives on the list.

Build Quality & Material:

Zhen offers this knife in a fleet of three different blades, & all of these knives are some of the lightest ones here. However, the 8-inches version is the most versatile, & durable blade without any doubt.

Zhen features a customized version of VG-10 steel core, that has an extra addition of Non-Ferrous Materials that prevents its rusting, bending, & plays its part to keep its blade with its default sharpness.

The cleaver owns a Rockwell hardness of up to 60HRC, making the knife pretty durable & resilient against jerks or any sort of sudden impact loads on it. Its blade is not just sharp, but it is also durable, & easy to maintain with a perfect edge in it.

Cutting & Performance:

If you are looking for a sharp cleaver that you can use to cut veggies, herbs, fruits, steaks, beef, & any sort of meat (except for boning things), this knife is going to be an ideal choice for you then.

The cleaver comes sharp out of the box, which is more than enough for dealing with those tasks. You can glide this blade in any sort of meat, & it will eventually cut that down, with no effort to you at all.

It has a completely rectangular blade, with a slightly thick spine on top of it, providing you a palm rest in case of striking the knife inside a soft bone. However, it is not recommended for hard bones at all, to be honest.

The knife keeps its edge, sharpness, & stability for a long time, which you would be enjoying while using it for cuttings. You won’t be feeling any hard part either in cutting nor in the sharpness.

Last but not the least, this knife comes with an arrogant comfort, that you can just keep using it for a long time. The Pakkawood handle is also water-resistant that also provides a good life with its riveted yet full-tang construction.

Best Japanese Vegetable Cleavers

Alright, let’s dive into the next session, in which we will be talking a skimmed look at the best Japanese Vegetable Cleaver knives. All of these knives come for a reasonable price, & most knives are hybrid for both casual & professional chefs.

5. DALSTRONG Cleaver Knife – 7″ – Shadow Black Series

First thing first, Dalstrong is a good enough brand, that it has taken the first spot on this section again. Due to its value to money, versatile & sharp blades, chefs all around the United States pay a huge respect to it, including our editorial team.

Dalstrong has successfully launched this tremendous cleaver in 2019, & it completely out-ranks all of the knives both in terms of pricing, appearance, as well as in its build quality. Plus, it also gives a tough time to its various rivals on the list.

Build Quality & Material:

Shadow Black series all come in a unique quality code, that helps them make a durable blade for a very reasonable price. Just look at its deep black, modern, & the most premium look. We can bet that you will fall in love with this thing even on its first impression.

This knife features a high carbon, yet super steel that is known as 7CR17MOV-X by Dalstrong. The steel composes its entire core, which has gone through extensive vacuum heat treatment to add more stability to its microstructure.

To increase its robustness, even more, this blade is encoded within Titanium Nitride. It can resist both corrosion, stains, & it is also helpful in making the knife antibacterial pretty much if not completely.

Cutting & Performance:

This knife features an astonishing blade, that is packed with an immense sharpness, & provides you with extensive support against corrosion. With this knife, you can hunt any sort of vegetable, or herb & most importantly the bigger ones. On top of that, you also can use it with Italian Parmigiano.

The blade is using a 15° angle bevel on both sides, as this knife only comes with a double bevel blade. This has made the knife effectively deal mostly with vegetables, & herbs.

There is no etching, or treated pattern on its blade, as there is no need for it at all. Due to its Nitrite encoding, the materials or ingredients will never stick on its surface, making this an ultra-fine & fast knife if you know good cutting techniques.

Overall, Dalstrong has again made your day by bringing a marvelous piece of craft, & engineering. With this knife, you will also feel its comfortable handle, which features a G-10, & a perfectly crafted black color handle.

6. KYOKU Daimyo Series – VG10 – with Sheath & Case (7″ Veg Cleaver)

Kyoku for the very first time on the list of the best Japanese Cleavers. This knife is a launch of 2018, & it is ranking as the 28th best Chef knife out there. The knife just weighs around less than 02 pounds, making it some medium-weight blade.

Build Quality & Material:

There are a whole lot of variants, but this one of 7-inches long blades features a Japanese VG10 core, that classifies this knife, one of the most durable vegetable cleaver. Its thousands of positive feedbacks act as evidence of its quality.

Kyuko has added a bit more cobalt, & vanadium in its core, just to make it rust-resistant, & durable, & easy to sharpen all at the same time. This knife is well manufactured via heat treatment, & ice-hardening processes.

Its cutting core holds a Rockwell hardness score of up to 58HRC, making it one of the most durable cores for vegetable cleavers out there. Moreover, its 7-inches blade plays its part in making the knife more than a versatile & stable thing.

Cutting & Performance:

At the moment, this blade no doubt comes pre-sharpen, which provides you enough support while dealing with big vegetables & fruits like Pumpkins, & watermelons. Its sharp, & slim blade easily makes it place inside it.

This knife with its completely straight blade, can also be made with meat, but it should be completely boneless. As this knife doesn’t work with bone, & it could even start chipping in single & powerful strokes.

The last thing, it has a durable, moisture-resistant, & comfortable G-10 handle, that you can hold in your palms for a long time without losing any stability, or tiring. Moreover, due to its carbon content, this knife is also reasonably easy to sharpen.

7. Kamikoto Chuka Bocho Cleaver

Komikota has debuted the list with its Boncho, which is a launch in 2018. This knife is not so popular yet, as it is not a lightweight that weighs around 03 pounds out of the box. However, it is still so promising in the performance & quality department.

Build Quality & Material:

This cleaver features an alloy steel, that mainly consists of vanadium, chromium, steel, molybdenum, cobalt, & high carbon steel. All these elements in its blade have helped a lot in a durable micro-structure formation to get an exceptional life.

The knife is rust-resistant, only if you know how to safely wash these Japanese knives by avoiding dishwashers, and wet keeping. Its build material helps in making the knife relatively easy to sharpen, both manually & through machines.

Chuka Bocho of Kamikoto features a Nakiri sort of edge, that is not truly rectangular due to its tilted blade profile from its end part. Though its blade has a decent edge that could keep its edge. However, you should protect it from falling.

Cutting & Performance:

Look at this simple, sleek, modern, & effective Japanese cleaver, that provides you a sharp blade to deal with veggies, and herbs with precision, & stability. This blade holds a straight profile that maneuvers the gliding & chopping pretty much.

Its entire blade is versatile without any doubt, & its blade part is slightly bent inside to provide some removing clearance as well. On its spine, the material gets dense as it never hurts your palm while manual single strokes on its surface.

Along with that, the cleaver owns a dual bevel blade as it was already expected. The handle is also simplest, not so fragile, & assists in holding the knife for some hours. However, it is slippery if you are a sweating hand chef.

8. KYOKU Samurai Series – 7″ Cleaver Knife Knife – with Sheath & Case

Kyoku for the last time with its cleaver, which belongs to its Samurai series. If you, being a beginner, or casual chef are looking for a fully-loaded cleaver for a reasonable price, it is another good choice for you then.

This cleaver came out in 2018, that comprises a lightweight body of just 1.7 pounds out of the box. It is an exclusive cleaver, that doesn’t come with any sort of variations in its colors, blade length, or anything else.

Build Quality & Material:

Kyoku has been using ordinary high carbon steel that is useful in machine tools, along with culinary things. This steel is completely encoded in non-ferrous materials like cobalt, and vanadium making it a rust-resistant thing.

The blade is carefully formed with heat treatment, & ice-hardening techniques on low temperatures, so it wouldn’t cause any breaking, chipping, or cracks in it. Not only is it durable, but the blade is also rust-resistant with slight flexibility in its core.

Moreover, it also holds a decent edge retention for the price at most, which could be even better, however, it is still perfectly passable. The blade is slightly less-finished, so it would keep assisting in easy material removal while cutting.

Cutting & Performance:

This well-balanced knife comes with a versatile, and stable blade that makes the gliding motion while chopping freaking easy. It has a pre-sharpen blade, that keeps its sharpness for a long time, without any problems while cutting.

Its completely rectangular profile, with extended edges on every corner, makes the maneuverability pretty effective. However, it doesn’t necessarily provide a fast-cutting experience. Still, you can get effective, yet precise cuts with this blade.

Besides this, the cleaver comes with a Pakkawood handle that is not completely waterproof though. But, it makes some protection against it, so you can keep using it with some wet hands. Overall, the cleaver is pretty impressive for the price. It perfectly delivers what it promises.

Best Hybrid Japanese Cleavers

All of the above knives were maneuvering their segment of meat, & vegetable perfectly. If you are a professional, & busy chef, you would be dealing with the veggies, & meat at the same time. And, for this purpose you need a hybrid cleaver, so you can keep using that effect on any sort of material.

So, this segment will feature two best hybrid Japanese cleavers, that you can just keep using both with meat, bones, vegetables, herbs, & fruits for sure.

9. ZHEN Japanese VG-10 3-Layer forged Chopping Chef Knife 8-inch

Zhen’s chopping cleaver came out in 2011, which is currently ranking as the 38th best Meat cleaver out there in the market. This cleaver comes in three different blade sizes, while the 8-inches variant is more versatile due to its longest blade.

Build Quality & Material:

This knife features a hybrid construction that you haven’t seen yet on this list. The knife features both stainless steel named as VG-10 that comprises its cutting core part, while the spine of its blade is a result of high carbon Japanese steel.

Both of these steels work perfectly in their parts, & carbon steel is responsible for making its spine core some of the durable ones. It is an inexpensive knife, & this knife still comes with a layered steel core, that owns 03 microlayers.

Cutting & Performance:

Not just the blade is durable, it also comes with an immense sharpness that is waiting to hunt down a chicken, duck, & any sort of vegetable effectively. Its heat-treated blade easily tears down the chest of any animal to break its bones.

The thick spine provides good palm support, to collect some power in the air, & instantly release it while hitting on a very big chunk of an animal. This knife is useful both for butchers, chefs, & casual ones.

It has a soft TPR handle, that offers a non-slip, & pretty easy gripping force with no palm strain. The handle is full-tang, yet non-riveted as it has a completely circular cap on it. Also, the bolster is perfectly ground with no sharp edges.

10. Shun Classic 7 Inch Cleaver VG-MAX Clad, DM0712

Alright, let’s finish the list of Best Japanese Cleavers on Shun’s classic cleaver that has a model of DM0712. This is one of the most premium Japanese cleaver on the list, that delivers an effective cutting in professional hands, & it is also a good gift choice for your beloved ones.

This cleaver came out in 2003, making it the senior-most cleaver on this entire list, with a lightweight structure of just 385grams.

See also: The Best Shun Knives

Build Quality & Material:

Shun features this cleaver with a VG-MAX steel core, which is one of the most durable, premium, & a professional grand culinary steel out there. This blade with VG-Max, is not a typical one, as Shun has also integrated some more things in it.

The blade features an innovative steel version, that now consists of things like Cobalt, tungsten, chromium, carbon, & a bit more chunk of vanadium. All these things make it durable, razor-sharp, and rust-resistant at the same time.

Cutting & Performance:

Being a Shun’s Knife, this blade comes extensively sharp, & versatile out of the box, that doesn’t leave you on the way to cutting bones, ribs, and meats. With this blade, you can deal with any sort of material on your fingertips.

It holds a double bevel blade, which skyrockets your cutting experience due to its sharpness, & easy glide force. This provides you with decent support against chopping, slicing, along with mincing as well.

The blade is non-stick, as it features a shallow, yet effective Damascus pattern that doesn’t let the material stick on its blade. Its ultra-finished blade makes single strokes easier for you.

This also has one of the best edge retention, & why wouldn’t it be available as it belongs to Shun’s elite class cleavers. Moreover, its Pakkawood, yet D-shaped handle is water & break-resistant, making it easy to clean & lightweight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Summing Up the Best Japanese Cleavers

The best cleaver knives are an ideal companion for a chef, who wants to cut through a bone inside the pork chops, cut down an entire piece of chicken or a duck. Or, if you want the best cleaver for slicing big vegetables, & herbs.

Best Japanese cleavers are made through traditional techniques that make their spine pretty durable, & the blade pretty sharp out of the box. With its rectangular blade, you can deal with cutting bones, & boneless meats, & you can also chop & mince several vegetables like ginger, garlic, and pumpkins as well.

You can tear down any ingredient with it, However, finding the best Japanese cleaver is a tricky thing itself. If you are looking to get your first-ever, or the first best Japanese cleaver, this list will serve you in your decision-making. After going through this list, we are assuming that you will be able to choose the best knife.