Customer Reviews

Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin High Carbon Stainless-Steel Meat Cleaver

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First off, it's a little bit confusing figuring out which of Henckel's lines this cleaver belongs in. Amazon's site doesn't say it's a Pro S blade, but when I put the product # into the Henckel site it actually came up with 2 different descriptions for the same blade - one said Pro S, the other did not. When the product arrived I confirmed that it DOES say "Pro S" on the blade itself, so I think I am justified in comparing it to the rest of the Pro S line in my review.

When I decided to get a good meat cleaver, I was debating between this and the 5-star. Generally speaking, comparable knives within the Pro S and 5-star lines are essentially identical in terms of quality, with the only real difference being the handle, which comes down to personal preference. Prices are generally quite similar as well, which is why I couldn't figure out why this blade was significantly cheaper than the 5-star cleaver. Because of the price difference, and because all my other knives at home are Pro S (and I like to have the handles match), I went with this one.

When it arrived, I discovered that while this is a nice all around cleaver, it is NOT comparable to any other knife in the Pro S line because the blade is NOT forged steel, but steel sheet.

Despite this, I'll admit it is a pretty nice cleaver, it has a nice weight to it and it works well. But it simply doesn't belong in the Pro S line, and it's a lower quality product than the (justifiably more expensive) forged steel 5-Star meat cleaver. If I could do it again, I'd order the 5-Star. If you're on a budget, this is still a very nice cleaver for the price.

If this blade wasn't mislabeled as a Pro S knife I would give it 4-stars, but because it says Pro S I think it should have Pro S quality and it simply does not.

Our J. A. Henckels cleaver is perfection with balance and heft that provide the leverage to cut quickly and cleanly. It makes short, easy work of cutting up chickens and preparing soup bones.

Now that we've become more adept and I've overcome my timidity at using it I can even do an almost professional job of chopping vegetables!

The user friendly handle, ergonomic, if you will, is made of high impact polypropylene. Thus, it is not only long lasting but dishwasher safe, breakproof and the crisp black color is as intense as ever after many washings.

A cleaver is an indispensable tool for every kitchen, and we're glad we chose Henckels. It's made us believers in the quality of cutlery manufactured by this company.

An excellent, heavy knife that cuts a whole chicken into parts in no time! The one you display now appears to have a shorter tang and different 3-hole pattern on the handle however.

I received this cleaver as graduation present when I finished Culinary School and I have been thankful ever since. This is a really nice looking cleaver. The handle is excellent. It looks great feels just right in my hand. It has a good weight to it so that I am able to cut through bones and large pieces of meat with no trouble at all. And with a name like Henckels you cannot go wrong.

First of all this meat cleaver is a Pro-S style. In fact Pro-S is stamped on the blade. Second this is an excellent piece of cutlery. I have recently upgraded to J A Henckels 18pc Twin Gourmet set and added this as well as a 7" Santoku. This cleaver actually fits nicely with the set even though the handle is slightly different with most of the other knives. I love the balance and the weight of this blade. It does what it is expected to do. If you are looking for a good cleaver to add to a set, or just need a good cleaver, then spend the money and purchase this one. I doubt you would be disappointed. One note, there is no bolster on this cleaver so there should be no complaints about trying to run this blade through a knife sharpener, especially J A Henckels excellent knife sharpener.

Cuts so well my mom (who cooks a lot of asian cuisine and is accustomed to crappier, duller versions of cleavers) had a minor cut on her hand she didn't even realize until after she was done cooking. Wow, a knife that cuts so well it's borderline dangerous--love it!

This well-balanced tool came razor-sharp- it has cut everything presented to it so far. And it is attractive, in a knify sort of way. I am a little concerned that I may not be able to restore it to proper sharpness when required - I sure hope I don't have to buy a sharp one every time it gets dull!
The only small negative is the handle shape. I am getting arthritis, and the handle is quite squared-off - so that the corners hit my hand in a less than comfy way. This is minor, especially since a cleaver is for heavy cutting, and is not wielded for long periods of time.
I am quite happy that I decided to spend the money for this cool tool.
Sandy

I have many knifes in my kitchen but none better than the Henckel's I have. They are well made as is this Meat Cleaver. Not all cleavers can cut through bone but this one can.

This is the first time I write a review, as I'm so disappointed with it and I feel obligated to let other people know. I did a lot search on a meat cleaver before I bought this one. The review on this item in Amazon made me make the decision to buy it (the lowest rate is 3 stars, no 2 or 1 stars at all). But this cleaver isn't a good meat cleaver at all: it's too light as a meat cleaver, and it isn't sharp at all. I have to use a lot strenghth to cut a medium size of roast duck/chicken (less than 3 lbs) - it's even a very tough job for a strongh young man as I asked my friend to try it too. It made me wonder if I need to sharpen it before I use it, but no one mentioned in their reviews that it needs to be sharpened before use. I bought many items from Amazon but haven't returned anything even though I'm not very satisfied with a few of them. But I'll return this one - good thing is that Chefs Catalog still takes it after 2 month I purchased it.

This was a Christmas present for my fiancée. He was super excited to get it, hasn't used it yet as far as I know. He is loyal to the Henckels brand and I'm sure will tell me if anything is wrong with it, and I will update this review. He was impressed with the weight.