8" Cleaver

Finally a cleaver that doesn't bounce off butternut squash—the solid weight and sharp edge cut through like butter. Feels like it could handle a chicken carcass without breaking a sweat.

Chops through a full rack of ribs in about three swings with zero chatter, and the handle stays grippy even when my hands get slick. The blade's heft makes it feel unstoppable, though it took me a couple tries to get used to the balance.

The weight of this thing does most of the work for you — I barely had to push to get through a rack of ribs. Cleaved through chicken bones like they weren't there, though it's heavy enough that my wrist knew it by the end.