Review of Chinese knives.

Stock Pot · May 27, 2019

I took a chance on some Japanese style kitchen knives made in China made from 7CR17 steel. Shipped direct from China via China Post (20 days). Yallabumba is the seller. Don't know who made them.

Well, they are not bad at all, and I am pretty demanding and have been sharpening my own knives for decades. I can tell you that these are responding to my butcher's steel in a way that I don't think they will need sharpening for a long time. Nicely designed, balanced and well made. My expectation is that when they do finally need sharpening they will respond quickly and take a keen edge. They just have that feel.

They are comparable to my Japanese Shun knives made from VG-10 steel. Those are also excellent if you know what you are doing. Of course, it is not just the steel. The heat treatment is also important. Critical.

Rascal · May 27, 2019

I won't buy anything Chinese if possible. Steel with wrong papers was sent here not long ago, some buildings have had to be pulled down. Coincidence.....I don't think so.!
Good luck with your knives.

Russ

kenmiller · May 28, 2019

I have never used it.

CraigC · May 28, 2019

Rascal said:
I won't buy anything Chinese if possible. Steel with wrong papers was sent here not long ago, some buildings have had to be pulled down. Coincidence.....I don't think so.!
Good luck with your knives.

Russ

Same here! Chinese "Junk" no longer applies to just a type of boat!

pepperhead212 · May 28, 2019

OTOH, just think about what Made in Japan used to mean, when we'd see it on a product.

gadzooks · May 29, 2019

If you're happy with your new knives, that's what matters most. Time will tell if they hold an edge as well as their Japanese brothers...made with good Swedish tool steel...

taxlady · Apr 23, 2021

Back in the early 1990s, My ex bought a Chinese cleaver for $10 in Chinatown. It was my go to knife, until we separated and he wanted to keep it. No, it didn't hold an edge, but it sharpened easily and well. Yes, it could rust and discolour if not washed and dried immediately, but I really enjoyed using it.

james90 · May 8, 2021

I have never used these knives but I use Japanese knives.

fmw · May 20, 2023

The Chinese are making some very nice knives recently - but less so in the kitchen category, however. 7Cr17MoV is a medium grade stainless made primarily for corrosion resistance rather than performance. I agree that they should be similar in performance to the higher end Shun knives that also use a medium grade but Japanese stainless steel. These steels usually heat treat to around RC55-57. When you get to the higher grades of Japanese knives with very hard blades you will discover what they are really all about. The blades can be thinner without damaging the edges and they cut like crazy.

boom · 2024-10-30T13:30:33-0400

my 90% knife is my CCK 1305 cleaver. it gets freakishly sharp and stays that way for a long time. don't ask me what steel it is because i haven't even considered looking that one up. i'm not concerned about it.

i can mow thru my ingredients quickly and efficiently and move it to/fro without having to find some bench scraper. it is VERY chinese made and killing it. if it was domesticly sourced, it would have costed me $$$. instead of $.

CharlieD · 2024-10-30T13:41:41-0400

I have a couple of Chinese made knives. Because I do sharpen my own knives, I am able to keep them sharp. But otherwise I am not impressed. But to be completely honest I am not impressed with Shun knives either. I have 4 of them, one I do not like the handle, another one I do not like the blade, and the other two are so hard to sharpen, I gave up using them.

Sir_Loin_of_Beef · 2024-10-30T15:11:04-0400

When you said Chinese knives, this what immediately came to mind.

dragnlaw · 2024-10-30T15:14:36-0400

I fell down a rabbit hole looking at knives, went from CCK cleavers and other knives to Amazon and pocket knives. Luckily my phone rang and I had to climb out of the hole.

pictonguy · 2024-10-30T17:00:11-0400

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:
When you said Chinese knives, this what immediately came to mind.
View attachment 71289

I own that particular Chinese style cleaver made by Dexter which is actually an old company made in Massachusetts and made from carbon steel, I like it a lot.

boom · 2024-10-30T18:04:44-0400

here's mine. it might be #1303. I forget.

taxlady · 2024-10-30T18:35:49-0400

I had one of those Chinese cleavers. I really liked it, but ex-DH insisted that it was his, so he got it.

Review of Chinese knives.

Stock Pot

Senior Cook

Rascal

Head Chef

kenmiller

Senior Cook

CraigC

Master Chef

pepperhead212

Master Chef

gadzooks

Sous Chef

taxlady

Chef Extraordinaire

james90

Assistant Cook

fmw

Senior Cook

boom

Assistant Cook

CharlieD

Chef Extraordinaire

Sir_Loin_of_Beef

Chef Extraordinaire

dragnlaw

Site Team

pictonguy

Sous Chef

boom

Assistant Cook

taxlady

Chef Extraordinaire

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