Dexter-Russell Traditional 8-inch Chinese Chef's Knife, Carbon Steel

The 5178 is Dexter-Russell’s carbon steel Chinese chef’s knife, with a full 8 x 3.25 inches of blade. It is the most visited Chinese cleaver on our site, and cooks search for it by its model number. Bon Appétit, Wirecutter and Randy Lau of Made With Lau are among those who recommend it.

Dexter’s list of jobs for it runs from crushing and mincing to slicing. The broad blade smashes garlic and ginger and carries food from the board to the wok. It is a mainstay in Asian and Caribbean cooking, where it handles every cutting job, even peeling ginger and potatoes. Bone calls for a heavy meat cleaver, so keep this one to vegetables and boneless meat. A carbon edge gets very sharp and is easy to restore, and it will rust and discolor if left wet, so it rewards cooks who dry it after use. Dexter’s Traditional knives have a long following in the Northeast, close to the Southbridge, Massachusetts factory where Dexter has made knives since 1818.

Carbon or Stain-Free?

For a stain-free blade in the same size, see the Traditional 8915 or the Duo-Edge S5198GE.