Chinese Chef's Knife - 菜刀

Our first and essential Chef's knife, in the classic Chinese '菜刀' (vegetable knife) shape. This is the most common knife shape found in domestic kitchens in Hong Kong and southern China, and despite being called a 'vegetable knife' it is comfortable with almost all kitchen tasks except bone-cleaving: chopping, slicing, mincing, garlic-smashing, filleting and bench-scraping. 

Designed in Hong Kong and made in Yangjiang China, the capital of Chinese blade production since the Tang dynasty, the knife combines classic Hong Kong design and expert Chinese craftsmanship, updated for the modern global kitchen. 

The blade is made from a high-carbon stainless steel that holds a sharper edge for longer than the softer stainless steels typically used in Chinese knives. The handle, slightly shorter than typical to encourage a pinch grip on the blade, is a certified Chinese rosewood carved with a wave pattern to aid in grip, heavily influenced by Chinese design history. 

This is the knife we chose to represent Chinese-style knives to the world: a really great all-rounder that is intuitive to use and easy to care for.

SIZE: 20.4cm blade length, 9.3cm handle, for a total length of 29.7cm. 

STEEL: 10Cr15MoV, a high carbon stainless steel made in China. Approximate to Japanese VG-10 in terms of hardness, coming in around 60 on the Rockwell Hardness scale. Western knives are often softer, around 55HRC, whereas Japanese knives are generally around as hard or a little harder, using non-stainless steels of around 60-62HRC. We found that this was the best of both worlds when it comes to protection against tarnishing and holding a fine edge.

BLADE ANGLE: the knife is double bevel, sharpened to 18-20 degrees each side. This is a little wider than is standard, which we found extended the life and protected against chipping of the edge. The high carbon content in our steel makes the edge sharper but also a little more brittle and more liable to chip, so the wider edge angle protects against this. 

HANDLE: carved Chinese rosewood, secured with a stainless steel bolster to the blade. 

WEIGHT: 329g, 395g boxed. 

Wash the knife gently with warm, soapy water. We recommend washing the blade soon after use - while it is stainless steel, leaving acidic food on the blade for long periods will discolour even stainless steel, and leaving it submerged in water is not recommended. If you do see spots of colouration, these are easily removed with gentle scrubbing. Do not put the knife in the dishwasher, nor any knife, ever. 

If air-drying the blade, leave it with the handle up and the blade down. This allows water to drain away from the wooden handle, which is made of natural rosewood. The handle will absorb natural oils, richening and darkening in colour as you use it.

Regular stropping of the blade is recommended, though not essential. The knife is made out of a high carbon stainless steel, which is able to take a finer edge and hold it for longer than other stainless steels. Stropping the blade will extend the life of each edge between sharpenings. 

Sharpening is recommended once every six months. Our knife edge is sharpened to 20 degrees, which is wider than normal for Chinese vegetable knives. We found this extended the life of the edge significantly, without compromising on sharpness. However, eventually the blade will have to be resharpened, and we recommend the happy medium of twice a year. 

This knife is not a cleaver. It may look a bit like a western butcher’s cleaver, but the geometry of the blade is quite different, and is not intended for cleaving through bones. If you try to, the blade may chip, and require re-edging. Chopping, slicing, mincing, smashing, filleting and bench-scraping are all recommended. 

WHERE DO YOU SHIP FROM? Currently, our knives are shipped from our fulfillment centre close to our workshop in Guangdong province, China. We have plans to move our inventory to the UK in Spring 2025.

WHERE CAN YOU SHIP TO? Not as many places as we would like. For the moment, orders are restricted to the UK, Hong Kong, USA, EU, China, Australia, (some of) Canada. 

That said, if you live in a country outside of those mentioned here and you are prepared to deal with potential customs charges, please email us to express interest and we may be able to find a solution. 

HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE FOR SHIPPING? UK, Hong Kong and China: free. EU and USA: £10 per order. Australia and Canada: £20 per order. 

All orders are duty-paid. This means you will not have to pay any custom charges to receive your item. 

HOW LONG DOES SHIPPING TAKE? We aim to post your item within 48 hours of receiving your order. 

HK and China: 2-5 days

UK and EU: 7-14 days 

USA: 10-20 days (We are currently experiencing delays on orders to the US.)

Canada and Australia: 14-21 days 

DO YOU OFFER RETURNS OR REFUNDS? As a small business in our early stages, we unfortunately cannot offer returns or refunds unless the knife arrives damaged. Each and every knife undergoes quality control checks twice, once after they’re made and once as they are packed. However, if there is a problem with your knife, please email us with any pictures of the damaged area of the knife and any damage to the packaging too, and we will do everything we can to make it right.