The comes with a hazy mirror finish. They also have added a sanding line to help food to stick less on the blade. If you look closely, they also have a slightly visible cladding line. The knife comes with an acrylic handle.
Warikomi-Awase
The manufacturer is making their knives with three different steel types. In short, they are reducing manufacturing costs without sacrificing quality. The top part is a softer steel which adds structural integrity. The hard steel core is inserted into soft split steel. The hard steel does not extend fully to the spine. Therefore the core material is around 2cm deep, and as long as you don’t break or chip the knife, the knife can easily last you more than a decade.
Dengjia 9Cr15Mov Core Material
The comes with a core material, and my product sample came with a Rockwell of 58. The most interesting part is how durable the knife core material is. It can withstand some abuse without worrying about brittleness or chipping. However, this knife is not suitable to chop through bones.
Edge durability & sharpened angle + Choil
The knife is sharpened at a 20-degree angle per side. This angle gives the knife extra durability and longer edge retention. The core material is also strong, so you don’t have to worry about chipping.
Edge Retention
With a Rockwell of 58, the knife can hold the edge for around 3 to 4 months with regular honing sessions before needing whetstone maintenance.
Weight and Spine tapering
The weight is around 310grams, and the knife has no distal spine tapering, which is typical for a Chinese Vegetable Cleaver. The thickness across the spine is 2.9mm.
Knife handle
The knife handle is made from acrylic, which is water-resistant and won’t shrink. The handle is very noticeable big and will do great for those with large hand sizes. While the knife handle will be comfortable for small hand sizes, you will need to get used to the handle size. Pinching the knife at the blade is comfortable because of the curved handle design.
Knife balance point
The balance point of this knife is at the front. If you pinch grip at the blade or the handle, the knife will be front-heavy, which you want for a cleaver-style knife.
Blade profile
The blade profile is what you expect from a Chinese cleaver. The blade has a gently curved belly.
Fit and Finish
The fit and finish were almost perfect. There are no protrusions, and the knife is well made. The only noticeable problem I had is that the spine was a bit sharp, and I had to sand it down. Other than that, the fit and finish are great.
Final Conclusion and my Recommendation
The with the material has my recommendation. Combined with a good heat treatment, they managed to keep the knife sharp and very durable. Keep in mind that the handle ergonomics of the are good, but you need to get used to the handle size if you have a small to medium hand size. Dengjia also offers other knives with the same material but other handles, and for those with smaller hand sizes, you may want to look at the other knives. If you go for the other knives with the same material, keep in mind that the knives are not entirely the same in thickness and weight.
I N F O:
Dengjia, also known as Deng, is a manufacturer since 1898. They are still using traditional forging methods but have figured out how to reduce labor costs using 3 different materials to make their Chinese cleavers. TM-9050 is Dengjia’s Chinese Vegetable Cleaver that is durable but still maintains longer edge retention while having a sharp performance. They achieved this by using a 9Cr15Mov core material that they heat treated to 58/59.
🛒S H O P:
Note:
TM-9050 is more catered for people with large hand sizes, and JCD-901 is more suitable for a wider hand size range from small to large.
NA: Dengjia Amazon Store (Official store)
(Worldwide shipping):
N O T E S:
The TM-9050 has multiple versions, there are resellers, but some don’t offer a retail box.
I recommend ordering from the official Dengjia store so that you know that you get a knife directly from Dengjia (They have special discounts at certain events).
For more Dengjia knife reviews click here
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