Chinese Cleavers
Chinese Chef's Knives. Direct from Japan.
Ideal for home or professional use.

Super-sharp and hard-metal stainless and virgin carbon steel knives, crafted in the legendary Samurai sword-making city of Seki, Japan.

I love these knives. They're not for everyone, and they require practice and control, but once you've mastered it, you can work wonders with one of these. Please note that these are NOT meat cleavers. They're the Chinese equivalent of a French Chef's knife or Japanese Santoku. The blade metal is thin like a chef's knife or santoku, and the edge is just as sharp. If you've ever seen a cooking TV show with Martin Yan ("Wok With Yan") or Chen Kenichi on Iron Chef, you'll know what amazing things you can do with a knife like this. They're especially incredible for dealing with large quantities of vegetables. The edge of the blade is quite straight on most of these, making them great for chopping, but there is just enough curve to make the useful as a standard chef's knife too. Again, similar in philosophy to a santoku in this respect, only larger with lots of blade surface area for doing things that you simply couldn't with a smaller blade. Very cool -- and real conversation starters!!
Note: none of these knives should ever be put in a dishwasher, or left in water or wet. Wash and dry carefully after use, and note special care required of carbon (non-stainless) models.