It’s probably safe to say that most amateur cooks don’t give a second thought to their kitchen knives until they start using them themselves.
Enso has just released their new line of HD Cleavers, designed with VG10 steel, which has been proven time and time again to keep its edge.
In Asian kitchens, the Enso HD Chinese Chef’s Knife has long been an essential utensil.
Despite the similarity in shape to a western cleaver, this blade is lighter and thinner. It is designed to chop, slice, and dice all manner of vegetables.
Also, you can use the broad surface to scoop and transfer chopped ingredients.
You can see our full cleaver rundown here.
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Japan –Made In Seki City
Japan’s Seki City, a city with a rich history and cultural tradition that produces impressive swords and other blades for centuries, is the home to Enso knives. Seki has a long knife-making history.
Knives of Seki quality reflect the wealth of knowledge and devotion to the ancient Seki swordsmiths.
Seki knifemakers blend craft, knowledge, and tradition to produce the highest quality knives so they can be customized to fit a wide variety of needs and lifestyles.
Since 1932, Enso has created professional Japanese chef’s knives that combine today’s technological advances with traditional expertise.
With ever-improving manufacturing technologies, the company continues to provide high-quality kitchen knives for the modern world.
You can find out more about the craftsmanship in our ultimate guide to Japanese knives.
Handle
Stainless steel rivets, bolsters, and end caps highlight the stainless steel handles used on all Enso HD knives. The material used in it is micarta, a hardwearing composite material made from linen, canvas, paper, fiberglass, carbon fiber, or another fabric in a thermosetting plastic.
It feels great in hand and seeing as you will most likely be cutting freshly washed veggies, it didn’t feel like it would slip from my hand when in use.
This design ensures strength, durability, and balance. It features seamless full tang handle construction.
Full tang is extremely important and never more so when you are using such a front heave blade.
Blade
The blades at Enso HD are crafted from 37 layers of stainless steel Damascus, with VG-10 steel cutting cores for unparalleled edge retention.
Hammered or “Sashimi” finishes are available on every blade.
What is a Sashimi finish? Essentially it is the style of cutting edge, and this one is beautifully hammered. Really it is a piece of art.
Edge
An Enso HD knife is hand-ground to approximately 12° cutting angle and is heat-treated to a 61 on the Rockwell scale.
Double bevels ensure the blades work equally well on the right or left-handed users. I couldn’t safely test out its left-handed usage because I am right-handed, but the manufacturer told me that their tests have shown no issue for lefties.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Sharp and Stays Sharp
AS mentioned earlier, the blade is impeccably honed, and the type of steel used ensures that it remains exceptionally sharp.
Clearly, there are some caveats; namely, you have to treat this blade well and don’t go hacking through bones with it.
This cleaver is a thing of beauty, and to keep it looking great and the blade razor-edged, you must treat it with respect.
Wonderful Handle
The handle is so comfortable you will probably spend a fortune on buying vegetables just to cut them up!
But all jokes aside, it is comfortable, ergonomic, and has enough grip that you won’t need to worry about cutting with wet hands.
Cons
Front Heavy
As is the case with all of these types of blades, it can feel front heavy. This is obviously because there is a big chunk of metal at the front.
In my usage, it didn’t bother me, but I can certainly see that the bulk could cause fatigue if used for long periods.
Summary
These HD Cleavers can be comfortably used by right- and left-handed people alike. They are designed to withstand long hours of use and will serve their owners well for many years.
They have also received multiple positive reviews from online culinary professionals who have tried them out, so you can rest assured that they are worth buying if you’re looking for a good kitchen knife set.
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