Henry Rifle Forums

last week we ate lunch in a BBQ restaurant in Conroe, TX .... as one who started working in family restaurants back when I was in high school and used to run a catering business, whenever I go into a restaurant I try to look it over .... the layout of their kitchen and serving areas was excellent .... clean and efficient .... one of the things I noticed was a young man hand chopping BBQ .... as one who has chopped untold pounds of it, I was impressed by how effortlessly he went through it .... before we left, I made it a point to speak with the owner and complimented him on his operation .... during our talk I asked him what the fellow was using to chop the meat and he answered. "A Japanese Cleaver-knife" .... that set me to thinking and after a good bit of reading I ordered an Imarku Cleaver Knife from Amazon .... they offer some that are cheaper and some that are much more expensive .... I found its 4.7 out of 5 star rating based on 2,703 global ratings to be most impressive .... they bill it as being professional quality and after using it, I have no doubt that is correct .... it weighs right at a pound and is made from "High Carbon Stainless Steel" .... after watching a couple of UTube videos on how to cut with it, I used it for the first time and color me as being impressed .... the weight does take a bit of getting used to but its that weight and its "scary" sharp edge allow it cut cleanly and with ease .... I can only wish we had of had such chopper/knives back when I was catering pig pick'ns

That's a beauty, it looks like a tool that would or could replace a drawer full of knives. What is recommended for maintaining the edge?
I have a heck of a time trying to sharpen a knife with a stone or steel.

about half way down this Amazon link ===> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GN ... UTF8&psc=1 they have a section titled "How to Sharpen a Knife Properly" .... a card came with the knife offering a free gift for buying the knife .... that gift turned out to be this knife sharpener ===> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0831 ... =pd_gw_unk .... it should be at home when we get back from Texas .... if used as a slicer on a wood or plastic cutting board, I believe it will stay sharp for a good while .... it is very solidly built and for home use, I suspect it will perform well with minimal maintenance .... as to sharpening regular kitchen knives, I've used a Bavarian Edge Kitchen Knife Sharpener ===> https://www.amazon.com/Edge-Kitchen-Kni ... 234&sr=8-2 .... out of being somewhat set in my ways, I don't use it on my good knives but used properly it does put on a good edge with minimal time and effort .... it even sharpens serrated edges

Just FYI Jim. I did some research before buying Carol two expensive Japanese knives for Christmas. What I read was that those plastic cutting boards are the hardest on blades.
We have a couple, but do not use them anymore.

what have you found works best

We use a traditional wood butcher block type, much like the ones Broken 'Ol Marine made, ( if you followed that thread ).
We also use a bamboo one for smaller work.
Don't remember the science behind the data on one type vs the other. Guess it doesn't matter as much if you don't mind sharpening more often. Then again, with each sharpening, you are losing some of the blade. On that same note, at our age, the knife will probably last longer than us anyway.

understood .... I'd be delighted to last long enough to sharpen the cleaver to where the blade was so narrow that I had to replace it .. .. years ago wooden cutting boards were frowned on for being difficult to disinfect so we haven't used one in a long time .... it will be interesting to see how the cleaver holds up .... info appreciated

I have read that wood cutting boards have a natural enzyme in them and that if maintained will not need to be disinfected. To maintain is to wipe with hot soapy water to clean, rinse, towel dry, let air. There are waxes and oils made for wood cutting board maintenance, I use Clark's, it works well on my boards.

ol'pole wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 28, 2021 12:09 pm

I have read that wood cutting boards have a natural enzyme in them and that if maintained will not need to be disinfected. To maintain is to wipe with hot soapy water to clean, rinse, towel dry, let air. There are waxes and oils made for wood cutting board maintenance, I use Clark's, it works well on my boards.

The type of oil is imprtant as well. Some will become rancid, and others will not.

ol'pole wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 28, 2021 12:09 pm

I have read that wood cutting boards have a natural enzyme in them and that if maintained will not need to be disinfected.

I wasn't aware of that ... info appreciated .... after thinking about it, I believe I'll just stick with the plastic cutting board and sharpen the cleaver when needed