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Cleaver 208mm Denty Short Neck Black Out

Cleaver 208mm Denty Short Neck Black Out

By Kamon Knives


No longer available

Benjamin Kamon

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Chop, slice, scoop this is about as good as a cleaver gets. Precision forged and ground in Benjamin Kamon’s Vienna, Austria studio. This Chinese Cleaver features a lovely distal taper and exceptional convex ground bevels. With a blade length of 208mm and 85mm of blade height this cleaver is a precision work of art designed to be a kitchen all-rounder capable of chopping and slicing with ease. With Benjamin’s new short-neck design the blade feels exceptionally well balanced and ergonomic, becoming an extension of your body as you enjoy your time in the kitchen.

Acid etched for a dark blacked out aesthetic, the precision heat treated 1.2519 Germany tool steel features naturally forming swirls and lines, which traverse the primary bevel. This naturally forming pattern known as alloy banding is a striking and beautiful visual. Above the primary bevel the Kamon knives classic “Denty” hammered texture covers the blade up to the spine and completes the look in stunning form. A pitch-black Ebony Rokkaku Hanmaru, handle extends out of the short-neck blade. The handle is accented with rusticated texture on the sides and bead blasted bronze torpedo endcaps.

Benjamin’s knives feature the finest fit and finish and his design aesthetic is one of the most decerning to be found. This is an incredible heirloom piece from this Austrian artisan blacksmith.

The knife comes with a hand crafted saya for safe storage and transport.

Product Specification
  • Blade Type:
  • Edge Length: 208mm
  • Spine Heel: 5.8mm
  • Spine Mid: 2.06mm
  • Spine Tip (20mm before): 1.47mm
  • Blade Height: 85mm
  • Weight: 378g
  • Cutting Edge Steel:
  • Steel class: Carbon
  • HRC: 65
  • Blade Construction:
  • Blade Finish: Acid Etched (Forced Patina)TexturedSatin Polish
  • Grind:
  • Handle Construction:
  • Handle Materials: Ebony, Bronze
  • Handedness: Ambidextrous
  • Saya / Storage Included: Yes

Blade type

Cleaver

A broad, heavy, rectangular blade — and a term that covers two very different tools. The heavy Western butcher's cleaver is built with a thick spine and robust edge to chop through bone and joints; the lighter Chinese vegetable cleaver (càidāo) has a tall, thin blade that is a surprisingly nimble all-purpose knife, with a wide face useful for scooping. Knowing which one is meant matters.

A true butcher's cleaver trades all finesse for the mass and durability needed to split bone, and it has little place in delicate work. The Chinese vegetable version is far more versatile than its size suggests but is not built for bone at all, despite the shared silhouette. The shape promises power; the specific knife determines whether that power comes with any subtlety.

View full knife type guide →

Cutting edge steel

1.2519

Low-alloy tungsten-chromium tool steel

Typical HRC
62–65
Corrosion class
Carbon
Production
Conventional
Origin
Germany (DIN 110WCrV5)

1.2519 is the classic German oil-hardening Cr-W-V tool steel — close kin to AISI O7 and a sister to 1.2419, with a touch more vanadium for finer carbides. The tungsten and chromium combine to produce hard, finely dispersed carbides that allow a thin geometry to hold an edge longer than the simple carbons, while the vanadium keeps grain size tidy through the heat treat.

In a kitchen knife, it lands comfortably between 62 and 64 HRC and behaves like a slightly more wear-resistant W2 — that is, it sharpens with little fuss on most stones, takes a fine edge, and rewards a deliberate heat treatment more than it punishes a casual one. It will patina, sometimes attractively, sometimes alarmingly to a first-time carbon owner; either way, a wipe-and-dry habit is enough to keep it civil.

You will find 1.2519 in the work of European bladesmiths who want a step up in edge retention from white-paper carbons without losing the easy stone feel. Among the makers Modern Cooking carries, Benjamin Kamon, Martin Huber, Tobias Heldqvist, Jonas Johnsson, and MCx work in 1.2519. It is one of the more honest "European answers to Aogami" — not the same metallurgy, but a similar relationship between feel at the stone and edge longevity.

View full steel guide →

Blade construction

Mono Steel

A knife forged from a single piece of steel — no laminations, no clad layers. The simplest and most direct construction. The entire blade is the cutting steel, with no softer outer jacket to protect or contrast it. Most contemporary Western kitchen knives in carbon and stainless steel are mono-steel constructions, as are honyaki and most European bladesmith work.

The trade-off is straightforward: mono-steel knives are easier to forge, sharpen, and reason about, but the entire blade carries the cutting steel's properties — including its reactivity if it's a clean carbon. There is no soft jacket to protect a more brittle core from impact, so the heat treatment and geometry have to do all the work.

View full construction guide →

Grind

Convex

A grind whose bevel bulges outward in a gentle curve from spine to edge, rather than running flat. That extra steel directly behind the edge makes a convex grind notably strong and resistant to chipping, while the curved geometry helps food release and lets the blade glide through dense ingredients with less wedging than a flat grind.

The strength comes at the cost of ultimate thinness and ease of maintenance. A convex edge has more metal behind it, so it is not quite as effortlessly keen as a thinly flat-ground edge, and it is harder to sharpen freehand — holding the curve takes a stropping technique or a deliberate hand rather than a single fixed angle. The reward is an exceptionally tough, smooth-cutting edge.

View full grind guide →

Handle construction

Takedown

A takedown is a hidden-tang construction built to come apart. The tang passes through the handle and is drawn up by a threaded fitting — a nut at the butt, or a pommel that screws down — so the handle can be dismantled and re-fitted rather than being permanently bonded in place. Everything else follows the hidden-tang pattern: a concealed tang inside a one-piece handle, with no steel showing along the grip.

The point of the design is serviceability. Because the handle is mechanical rather than glued, it can be taken off for thorough cleaning and drying, swapped for a different material or profile, or replaced entirely if it is ever damaged — all without destroying the original fittings. It is the construction to choose for a knife meant to be maintained and kept for the long term, and for owners who like the option of changing a handle later.

View full construction guide →

Shipping & Returns

Shipping

We process orders 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) and ship from our shop in Sydney, Australia. We ship with FedEx, UPS and DHL.

We are happy to offer free international shipping on a variety of orders depending on location and order value.

Free Shipping Regions and Minimum Order Values

For Australia and New Zealand the minimum is $500AUD. For the rest of the world it is approximately €1000EUR. The discount is applied automatically when you reach the minimum cart value at checkout.

Returns

If you're not entirely happy with your purchase, you can return it within 14 days of delivery for a refund. The item must be in its original condition with all original packaging.

  • Returns are accepted for 14 days
  • The customer is responsible for return shipping costs
  • A 15% restocking fee may be applied to change-of-mind returns
  • We do not accept returns on second-hand items for change of mind

Faulty or Damaged Items

You must notify us within 5 business days of receiving your order. Photographic evidence of damage is required. Once approved, Modern Cooking will cover return shipping costs.

Product Care

Cleaning: Clean by hand with warm water. Avoid wetting the handle when possible.

Sharpening: We advise using whetstones to sharpen your knives and a honing rod or steel to maintain the burr between sharpening sessions.

Reactive Steels: Reactive steels like Aogami Super, Apex Ultra or premium reactive German and Swedish steels are susceptible to rust if not properly cared for. Keep the knife dry between uses and when storing for longer periods, wiping the blade with Tsubaki oil or another food-safe oil is a wise choice. A patina can be a beautiful personal feature on your knife and helps to stop rust forming.

Handle Care: For non-stabilised wooden handles, apply Tsubaki oil or another food-safe oil from time to time. Food-safe wax can be applied to both stabilised and non-stabilised wooden handles. Never apply hot wax or oil as you risk warping or damaging the handle.

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