• Martin Huber Cleaver 170mm 1.2519 San Mai with Nickel Inlay & Maple Burl Handle - Profile
  • Martin Huber Cleaver 170mm 1.2519 San Mai with Nickel Inlay & Maple Burl Handle - Handle
  • Martin Huber Cleaver 170mm 1.2519 San Mai with Nickel Inlay & Maple Burl Handle - Profile
  • Martin Huber Cleaver 170mm 1.2519 San Mai with Nickel Inlay & Maple Burl Handle - Blade
  • Martin Huber Cleaver 170mm 1.2519 San Mai with Nickel Inlay & Maple Burl Handle - Profile
  • Martin Huber Cleaver 170mm 1.2519 San Mai with Nickel Inlay & Maple Burl Handle - Choil
  • Martin Huber Cleaver 170mm 1.2519 San Mai with Nickel Inlay & Maple Burl Handle - Handle
  • Martin Huber Cleaver 170mm 1.2519 San Mai with Nickel Inlay & Maple Burl Handle - Handle
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Cleaver 170mm 1.2519 San Mai with Nickel Inlay & Maple Burl Handle

Cleaver 170mm 1.2519 San Mai with Nickel Inlay & Maple Burl Handle

By Martin Huber

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Martin Huber

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A beautiful San Mai cleaver from Martin Huber. This one features stainless cladding and a nickel inlay lightning bolt, with a 1.2519 core cutting edge. 1.2519 is a great performing steel, with extremely good edge retention.

The blade is ground workhorse, but it’s by no means a bone cutter. Very satisfying weight and balance make this blade a great all-purpose cleaver or perhaps a nakiri-cleaver hybrid. The blade has a lovely cutting action on the board and comfortably tears through produce like butter.

The beautiful silvery San Mai cladding is complimented by a forced, black, patina on the cutting edge. Reaching back to the handle, Martin has fitted this one with a striking stabilised maple burl with complimentary black G10, carbon spacer and bolster. The combination is a very contemporary and tasteful package.

Martin’s ergonomic, faceted rokkaku hanmaru or hex-round handle feels super comfortable in the hand and the facetted shoulders of the handle make for a very nimble grip. Another premium piece from Martin Huber that will bring class and style to your kitchen in a very high performance package.

Product Specification
  • Blade Type:
  • Edge Length: 170mm
  • Spine Heel: 3.6mm
  • Spine Mid: 3.4mm
  • Spine Tip (20mm before): 2mm
  • Blade Height: 67.5mm
  • Weight: 309g
  • Cutting Edge Steel:
  • Steel class: Carbon
  • HRC: 63
  • Blade Construction:
  • Blade Finish: Brute de ForgeMatte Polish
  • Grind:
  • Handle Construction:
  • Handle Materials: Maple Burl, Black G10, Carbon
  • Handedness: Ambidextrous

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

Laminated Steel

A category covering knives built from multiple layers of different steels forge-welded together. The hard cutting steel is sandwiched between softer outer layers (cladding) that protect the core, add toughness, and often contribute visual contrast.

The most common laminated constructions in the Modern Cooking catalogue are:

SanMai (三枚) — three layers: hard cutting steel in the centre, softer cladding on both sides. The traditional and most common form.

GoMai (五枚) — five layers: a hard core, two intermediate layers, and two outer layers. Adds visual depth and structural complexity.

KuMai (九枚) — nine layers: similar logic, with more cladding layers for additional pattern and structural variation.

GoMai and KuMai are often chosen not only for the additional layers and visual depth, but also because the intermediate layers can act as a nickel diffusion barrier — limiting carbon migration out of the core into the cladding during forge welding, and protecting the core's intended carbon content through the heat of the forging process.

In all cases the cutting performance is determined by the core steel; the outer layers are cosmetic and structural. The lamination contributes corrosion protection (when a stainless jacket clads a carbon core), reduced reactivity, and the visible boundary between core and cladding that gives the knife its character.

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

Hidden Tang

A construction in which the tang runs into the handle but stays concealed inside it, rather than showing between two scales. A narrower tang — a full-length stick or a shorter projection — is set into a drilled or burned channel in a one-piece handle and secured with adhesive, a friction fit, or a threaded fitting drawn up against the blade. This is the traditional construction of Japanese wa-handles and many European hidden-tang knives.

The design puts the handle material in charge of the look and feel: a single piece of wood, horn, or composite — often with a ferrule or spacers at the front — is shaped into any cross-section the maker wants, from the classic octagonal and D-shaped wa profiles to fully rounded Western forms. With no steel showing along the grip, the handle can be slim and light, and is frequently made to be removed and replaced, with the balance sitting toward the blade.

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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