Chopper Knife King Shirogami #2 Cleaver. A hidden gem.

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Chopper Knife King Shirogami #2 Cleaver. A hidden gem.

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

Title: A hidden gem of the knife world
Reviewer: Ryan E
Rating: 5
Product Code: Chopper Knife King Shirogami #2 Cleaver: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/knkish2cl.html


I am thrilled with this knife. Like many people, my first experience with Chinese chef's knives was the CCK small slicer (1303). Over time, I found myself reaching for my western chef's knives less and less in favor of the CCK. Something about a Chinese cleaver just feels "right" in your hand. It's not just a knife, but a multi-purpose kitchen tool: garlic smasher, meat tenderizer, ingredient picker-upper, you name it.

For me, the Chopper King Shirogami #2 cleaver improves on all of the things I love about the CCK. The handle is nicer, the fit-and-finish is better, the steel is higher quality--and most importantly, the stainless cladding means that I don't need to baby it or worry about rust formation. In comparison to the 1303, the Chopper King is slightly taller and heavier, which makes it feel more sturdy and competent in the hand. Although it's a bigger knife, the edge geometry is thin and still offers laser-like performance.


Until recently, if you wanted to get your hands on one of these knives, you effectively needed to import it from Taiwan yourself--often using freight forwarding services to work around Taiwanese shipping restrictions. This meant extra time, money, and hassle. I'm thrilled that Mark and his team are now making these knives available to a broader audience. The price that CKTG is able to offer these at is truly fantastic. This is currently one of the best deals on the site, in my opinion.

If you're looking for a fully stainless cleaver, check out the Chopper King Aus-10 cleaver. It is functionally identical to the Shirogami #2 model, but with a high-quality Japanese stainless steel core. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/taknkiau.html
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Re: Chopper Knife King Shirogami #2 Cleaver. A hidden gem.

Post by ColonelJLloyd »

I got off of the fence and decided to try a thin cleaver a couple months ago. While I don't use stainless knives much these days I bought a CCK 1812 and I've really enjoyed it (aside from the garish laser etching). My style has long involved a good deal of product scooping so I favor a tall blade. While I don't favor a pronounced belly, I ordered the King Shirogami #2 cleaver the first day it showed up on the site as it just seems like a can't lose offering with the quality steel and good looking fit and finish. I'm excited to use it and will report back with a review after some use.
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Re: Chopper Knife King Shirogami #2 Cleaver. A hidden gem.

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

Please let us know how you like it Colonel!
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Re: Chopper Knife King Shirogami #2 Cleaver. A hidden gem.

Post by Kalaeb »

I saw these, they look pretty good. Interested to hear more impressions. Just pulled out my CCK 1103 last night and I still love that knife, despite it being one of the cheaper in the collection.
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Re: Chopper Knife King Shirogami #2 Cleaver. A hidden gem.

Post by d_rap »

My 1303 is on loan to a friend, so something perhaps even thinner, in W2, stainless clad with a nicer handle and some belly (and I'm sure it's still going to push and chop very nicely)? At this price point?

I just placed my order.
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Re: Chopper Knife King Shirogami #2 Cleaver. A hidden gem.

Post by ColonelJLloyd »

ChefKnivesToGo wrote: Sun Mar 20, 2022 8:36 am Please let us know how you like it Colonel!
Very cool knife. I used it for a single prep session, but my BIL's birthday is Saturday and he doesn't own a cleaver so I am mailing it to him today. I don't think I will keep one of these on my magnet just because I don't want to have more than two around and I am excited to try the new CKTG 1303 with wa handle.

As for the Chopper King Shiro #2, it was very sharp out of the box. I did not sharpen it. In the negative column; I'm not a fan of the sandblasted faux grind (aesthetic gripe), the steel rod that exits the handle and is hammered down to keep the handle tight isn't finished and this has the potential to scratch you or snag on clothing (one just needs to be mindful). A blob of the type of epoxy like that used by Takeda to cover this tab would work well if a user were inclined.

In the positive column; The short grind moved through product well and I experienced no wedging on carrots or broccoli stem. I experienced no accordion cuts in my short use despite the belly, but I suspect I was subconsciously adding slight movement to my cuts. Scooping product was super smooth and efficient; no surprise here. The fit and finish of the handle and blade (aside from the prior note) is really good. The handle size and finish feels great in my hand and seems perfect for the blade size. I can't think of other knives in this price point that are finished as well. The size and weight are what they are so whether they are preferred is up to the user. My example weighed 372g compared to the 270g of my CCK 1812. The blade is a touch thicker than the 1812 as well. I should've pulled the calipers out but forgot. This cleaver is an incredible value and the size and weight will be advantages with certain prep tasks. I could see this cleaver being a go-to in a kitchen that sees high volume veg prep.

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Re: Chopper Knife King Shirogami #2 Cleaver. A hidden gem.

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

Excellent, thanks for sharing!
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Re: Chopper Knife King Shirogami #2 Cleaver. A hidden gem.

Post by d_rap »

Excellent pictures and great review Colonel. This cleaver deserves some serious attention. I've had mine for just under a week and used it a fair amount, and will add some numbers and impressions below.

Overall, this CK W2 cuts certainly as well as a CCK 1303. In hard product like tall carrots it's maybe the 1303 by a nose, but the heft and the power at the base of this new offering gives it an edge in softer product.

I get measurements very close to Mark's. Note that coming out of the handle the spine measures 5-plus mm thick, but this measurement simply reflects a flare of cladding that provides grip, comfort and power (very clear in ColonelJLloyd's pics). For almost the entire length of the knife, the spine measures 1.7-1.75mm. All the other basic numbers are the same as on the product page, including weight (mine is 20 g lighter than ColonelJLloyd's).

It is never easy to measure thinness behind the edge, but this cleaver is on the order of .25mm or 10 thousandths behind the edge. That's a very thin edge on a knife of this size and weight. More on the edge in a sec.

I think I know what Colonel means about the faux grind (the brushed/blasted aesthetic is OK by me) but the incremental removal of metal does begin where the brushed finish begins, albeit just a very light taper at first. But the overall effect is, in my use, of a medium to tall height grind, and at the center of the knife the stock removal starts 41mm (1 5/8") up from the edge, so taller than plenty of vegetable cleavers. There's no wedging in big potatoes, and just the slightest bit in sweet potatoes. One could argue that the blasted finish aids in release, but hard to be sure.

By W2 standards, my knife needed a short trip to the stones OOTB, and I went with 500 SG, 1K Chosera and 3K SG, then a strop with 1 micron diamond spray. Couple minutes per stone, and it was very sharp.

Maybe Mark knows, but the W2 seems like it's closer to 60 hrc than 63-plus. I say this because the edge, even though W2 and very thin for such a big knife, is durable and feels quite tough. Does not get as "sticky" feeling as W2 can. I think in this case that's a good thing because you've got a rocking profile and a 108mm tall blade that weighs 353 grams to contend with. Ten thousandths behind the edge and a very hard treated W2 I think you're looking at a chippy edge. I'm not seeing that here at all.

On the u-shaped profile...Pluses and minuses. Like the Colonel says, a bit of a slide or push and it cuts right through product if you're pushing, but I will say you have to finish the slide to complete the back of the cut (say if you're thinly slicing onion half moons). But for someone like me who pushes, pulls, chops and rocks, depending, this is a very versatile profile. It really shines at quickly rock chopping coins of carrots or slices of celery, that kind of thing. But that kind of matchsticking in the Colonel's bottom pic can be easily accomplished with push cuts as well. Of course, this cleaver would be fairly easy to reprofile and flatten out a bit if you wanted at some point.

F&F, bang for the buck, comfort in hand, versatility...Really impressive. I'll still join the next race for a Kono FM cleaver, but seriously, the best $55 I've spent in a long time.
David
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