Cleavers

Heavy meat cleavers chop through bone and joints, while lighter vegetable cleavers handle high-volume produce prep. Cleavers trade finesse for power, which is why butchers and prep cooks both use them. Pick by bone or veg.

Choose a heavy meat cleaver for bone and a thinner Chinese-style blade for chopping vegetables. Using a veg cleaver on bone will chip it, so match your Cleavers to the job. Most butchers want the heavy version.

The thick, heavy blade and weight behind it split bone that would damage a chef's knife edge. That power is why Cleavers earn a place in any Knives & Knife Sets lineup for butchery.

Weight is a trade-off. Heavier blades do more of the work on bone, but too much tires the hand over a shift, so balance the heft of your Cleavers against how long you'll swing them.

A lighter vegetable cleaver, yes. Its thinner blade chops produce fast and the broad face scoops it up. Keep heavy Cleavers for bone, since their weight is overkill for veg. Match the blade to the task.

Yes, for bone work. The shock of chopping bone demands a full tang and solid handle, as on Omcan's cleavers, so they hold up. Lighter veg cleavers can run lighter builds for daily chopping.

For chopping, often, especially the Chinese vegetable style. But it won't do fine slicing or detail like a chef's or Paring Knives blade. Use Cleavers alongside, not instead of, your main knives.