Dalstrong Chef Cleaver Hybrid Knife - 12 inch Extra-Large - The Crixus - Gladiator Series Elite - HC

I don’t like giving out five stars, but I really, really like this knife. It is my fourth Dalstrong kitchen knife and it does not disappoint. Presentation is “special occasion” worthy since it comes in its own sleeved case and fitted box. My kids love the metal badge that comes with it that I am sure I would adorn if I were a professional, uniformed, chef. The custom molded scabbard is stout and not a simple piece of plastic. The initial appearance of the knife is impressive and intimidating to those who do not know knives. To someone who appreciates metal, the sight of the knife makes you salivate since the overall shape of this Crixus is truly unique. It’s a mix between pirate and huntsman style cutlery, just amped-up a bit. Perfect knife for someone who likes to prepare foods with a little extra flare and fan-fare. The actual use and feel of the knife in hand is surprising. The knife is large and longer than your average chef knife, but the blade feels light in your hand. This is an added benefit for the long hours of food prep and not wanting a blade that is heavy to wield. I have other Dalstrong knives that are much thicker and heavy to use after prolonged use. This knife is easy to handle and maneuver to get into and cut joint/ligament areas without having to reposition your meaty portion. The handle feels good in hand even when wet with water and even offers a good grip with fatty oils/blood. The wood handle offers an advantage over the synthetics by appearing smooth but still offering a slight texture. The cut profile of the blade is extremely narrow for the size of the blade. This adds to the ease of slicing through thick cuts of roasts and loins. This blade will chop through chicken bones, but I would not recommend it for whacking through pork bone beyond 1/2” and definitely no on beef bones and sugar cane. The blade edge is crazy sharp. I have sharpened many knives at home and professionally at work. This is the first knife, out of the box that I have been not only able to effortlessly slice through a sheet of paper, but I’ve been able to gently chop delicate slivers of paper off just by a light flick of the wrist while holding the knife. The sharpness is exhilarating! Knife is not for dishwasher. If you are putting your sharp kitchen knives in the dishwasher, then you need not purchase this knife. You need to just grab one of those colorful knives in those plastic multi-packs hanging in the Walmart aisle. Blade cleans up well with hot water and soap. Dry it immediately since the high carbon blade gets spots and/or tarnishes overnight. My girlfriend had washed one of my Dalstrong knives (just perfectly as she was supposed to, but got distracted and let it air dry causing water spots from our hard water). Spots come out easily with a polish cloth and/or a light scuff with a blue scour pad. All high carbon, high quality knives will suffer the same fate from prolonged immersion in water. I whole-heartedly recommend this knife to professionals and those who want an economically affordable, high quality knife. Read more

I like this knife very much, steel and edge retention are better than expected at this price. Easy to sharpen. Very sharp as delivered, and can be Sharpened beyond factory sharpness. I have used for typical kitchen tasks will cut through bone and joins on poultry with ease. This is a Big Knife not the best for fine chopping and if you have smaller hands, it may be a bit unwieldy. Read more

I bought this knife in early January. Shipping was fast. I'm a line cook by profession over a decade now. I've always sworn by henckels chefs knives. Had a henckels 6 inch cleaver prior to the this, and I wanted something that I could rocking cut and over the shoulder chop with in the same knife if necessary. 2 months of 12 hours a day cutting ribs, finely slicing brisket and turkey, quartering cooked chicken and finely slicing dicing onions and sausages, and I'll sya for certain that this knife hits above its weight class. It's spectacular for the cost. The edge out of the box was good. Not amazing, but for a brand new knife I'd put it above other professional level knives I've gotten in the past. 2 months of 12 hours a day cutting 6 days a week, and I haven't had to sharpen it once, it's needed a few passes on the honing steel but beyond that the edge retainment has been better than I would expect from most knives. Packaging was cool. It came with a pin, put it on my knife bag, and the sheath the knife came with fit in my bag as well. The knife is very pretty, sadly mine came with a few scratches that ran the length of the blade out of the box, but otherwise it was a fine finish. Handle is excellent, and it needs to be because this knife is heavy. Its well balanced, it goes where you need it, but thinly slicing meat can be a trial with the weight unless you're on the stronger side of things yourself. I will likely be purchasing a dalstrong knife as my next chefs knife to see if they're all tguis quality or if this is the outlier. Read more

Love the knife. this is the perfect hybrid between Chef and Cleaver. Well balanced. The plastic blade protector is practical. While I like heavier utensils that feel like you hold something in your hands, some people may find it a bit heavy if they cook and cut for long periods at a time Read more

Oh, man, I love this knife! I've actually had it for about a year, but the review just popped up. Anyway, it was quite sharp when it arrived, and with a little maintenance, is still as sharp as ever. That take care of the practical portion of the review. My husband giftes this to me for Christmas and when I unwrapped it, I was very impressed with the packaging. It came in sturdy box that slides into a sleeve, (also sturdy) that makes it super easy to travel with. As for the knife itself, the weight is beautifully balanced and the blade itself just fills my heart with joy. Anyway, I am now in love with Dalstrong knives. Buy one, you won't be disappointed. Read more

I bought this knife because I wanted something a little heavier but still all-purpose and functional. It does a good job trimming meat for the smoker but the weight being forward makes it a little awkward to do things like finely chopping scallions, where a traditional chefs knife is designed for. The knife is nice and sharp out of the, beautiful as usual, packaging. It is weighted slightly forward as you would expect from a cleaver-esque knife. The part I really like about this knife is from a presentation standpoint. The height of the blade looks great on a table when cutting and serving meats. While it can't functionally beat my carving knife for large roasts, on smaller cuts I can still get nice thin cuts and it's great at serving them with the knife. All in all this is a solid pick-up at $35 if you are looking for something a little heavier or are naturally forward on your knife. I think this will likely be my camp knife, as it does a passable job in multiple areas. Read more