# Vintage Foster Bros - NOS - Cleaver Group Buy



## Dave Martell

I've got an opportunity to purchase qty.17 - NOS (new old stock) - Foster Bros made cleavers that I'd like to share with you folks. 

I've been a vintage cleaver collector for many years and among the ones I like the most are Foster Bros. as they're quality made users that stand the test of time nicely. I made a post on Foster Bros HERE back in 2014 if you'd like to check it out.

These particular cleavers appear to have been made by Foster Bros under contract for Maturi Bros of Pittsburgh as the blade is only marked with the Maturi Bros name.

Maturi Bros, from what a gather, was a butcher supply company that became well known over the years for their sharpening service. They, like Foster Bros, have gone out of business.


This is the picture I was supplied of the cleavers available....






*I've been assured that all 17 cleavers are in the same condition as shown above.

I offer no assurance of condition. You get what you get. No refunds will be issued. Please understand this clearly - ask if you're unsure what this means.*

The sticker appears to say "110".

Stats from the seller:
Blade Length - 8"

Overall Length - 16"

Handle Material - Rosewood

Steel - Unknown. I don't if these cleavers are carbon or stainless. They're wrapped in what appears to be VCI paper indicating that they're carbon but again I don't know.


This size is the sweet spot for a user meat cleaver. It's neither too big nor small and has a handle that can be used with either one or two hands.


*My offer:*
*$95* - Purchase now and take a chance with me. Crazy sharp Dave sharpening service included! 

*I can only offer the above price until tomorrow - 12/5. If the funds to purchase the whole lot aren't generated by then I will refund everyone and pass on this deal. This isn't my choice - it's the offer I was given.

_Shipping - Not included. Actual shipping costs will be billed when cleaver is ready to go.

_

Should I purchase the lot and have left overs the pricing at that time will be increased to:
$125 - Cleaver
$25 - Sharpening



This is an opportunity for you to purchase a vintage cleaver made by legend of a company that is essentially brand new, never used, made of a perfect size, and for a reasonable price. You are, however, taking a bit of a chance as you're buying like you would off of ebay. If you want to take a chance with me I'd love to hear from you. Please shoot me a PM and I'll get you set up with one of these old beauties. 

Thanks for looking!~
Dave


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## daveb

Why not. I've got a coworker I can reenact "Justified" with if nothing else....


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## Dave Martell

We've got 2 people in so far....just need another 9


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## KCMande

Screw it! I'll take one


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## Barmoley

I’ll take one. Can always hang it on the wall in front of the door to be seen by future boyfriends of my daughters.


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## Dave Martell

KCMande said:


> Screw it! I'll take one





Barmoley said:


> I’ll take one. Can always hang it on the wall in front of the door to be seen by future boyfriends of my daughters.



Thanks gents, you're on the list!

I'll send invoices if I get enough people.


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## McMan

Barmoley said:


> I’ll take one. Can always hang it on the wall in front of the door to be seen by future boyfriends of my daughters.



In that case, buy two!


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## Bill13

I'm in for one, two if needed to close the overall deal.


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## Xenif

If these will go thru chickens then Im down for one [emoji41], was planning to get a new kau kong anyways


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## Dave Martell

Bill13 said:


> I'm in for one, two if needed to close the overall deal.





Xenif said:


> If these will go thru chickens then Im down for one [emoji41], was planning to get a new kau kong anyways



Thanks gents, you're both on the list.


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## Barmoley

McMan said:


> In that case, buy two!


That is an excellent point. Dave let me know if you need me to get two. I want one, but if you need me to I'll take two.


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## Dave Martell

Barmoley said:


> That is an excellent point. Dave let me know if you need me to get two. I want one, but if you need me to I'll take two.



Thanks for the offer but let's wait and see what happens.


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## Dave Martell

We've got 7 so far.


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## jaybett

I'd take one. 

Jay


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## Dave Martell

jaybett said:


> I'd take one.
> 
> Jay



Got ya Jay, thanks!


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## Vils

I'd take one to make us nine.


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## Dave Martell

Vils said:


> I'd take one to make us nine.



Got ya, thanks!


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## Dave Martell

OK folks, we've got enough participation to move forward with this - woohoo! 

I'm going to contact the seller and agree to purchase the lot. I will need to start collecting your payments at this time so I'll start PM's with all who said they're in and we'll get the ball rolling. If you could pay right away that would be great since this is only being held through today. 

Thanks! 
Dave


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## WildBoar

Done


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## Dave Martell

Everyone should either have an invoice in their email inbox or a PM requesting their email address. If not, then I'm missing you somehow, please let me know!


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## Dave Martell

Oh, and if anyone is wishing for me NOT to sharpen their cleaver, to leave it wrapped "as is" (maybe for collector purposes or whatever) please let me know.


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## KellyW

Thanks Dave -


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## larrybard

Paid. Thanks.


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## KellyW

Paid invoice, Thanks Dave


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## Vladimir

delightful cleaver!
hard to keep yourself...


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## Vils

Paid, thanks Dave!


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## pvlmal

if still any available or if a cancellation please put me down for one


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## Dave Martell

pvlmal said:


> if still any available or if a cancellation please put me down for one




PM inbound!


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## Dave Martell

This is going well, only 3 left.


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## jaybett

Paid.

Jay


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## sudsy9977

Am I too late to get one? Put me down for one if I’m not


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## WildBoar

sudsy9977 said:


> Am I too late to get one? Put me down for one if I’m not


I was wondering if something happened to you, as this one is right up your alley.


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## sudsy9977

Dave should know I don’t check the forums everyday. I’m gonna kill him if he didn’t save me one


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## Dave Martell

Hey Ryan, I did in fact think of you, and counted you in BUT I figured you'd say no since you have even more cleavers than I do!


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## Rreidiii

I'll take one!
Dave would you please contact me at [email protected]
Thanks


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## Dave Martell

Rreidiii said:


> I'll take one!
> Dave would you please contact me at [email protected]
> Thanks



Right now the list is full but not everyone has paid. I'll get back to you if someone falls out.

Thanks!
Dave


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## Dave Martell

I'm supposed to be paying for the cleavers today. I'm waiting to hear back with shipping info.


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## Dave Martell

I think that these cleavers would have been made pre-1956 (maybe 1953-1956) and yes they should be carbon.

Foster Bros sold their name in 1957 to Columbia Cutlery who used different packaging and made stainless knives altogether different. I found no record of them making cleavers at all.

Of course all that might not be true but I'm pretty certain it's a fact.


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## Dave Martell

Oh, and if they are carbon then they're either made from 1055 (the most likely candidate) or 1095, the two carbon steels used by Foster Bros.


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## Dave Martell

The cleavers will be packed up for shipment to me on Monday. I should have them mid-late next week. 

Most everyone who requested a cleaver has paid - thank you!

If you still need to pay please do as I have a list of people wanting to get one and hear back from me if there's any available.


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## Dave Martell

The cleavers have been purchased. I'll let you all know when I have them in hand.

Thanks again folks!


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## Dave Martell

Look at what the brown truck just dropped off.....











These are the real deal folks! 

These cleavers are so NOS that the notches on the handles are rough...I've never seen this before! 

I haven't taken them out of the box yet, too excited, had to post a picture.


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## Dave Martell




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## Dave Martell

Now that I've handled them I see that I should have charged more.


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## Dave Martell

They've still got lacquer on the blade!


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## Dave Martell

As you can now likely see these are labeled as #118. What you can't likely see is that the labels are marked with Chatillon Company which dates these pre-1953.

Chatillon purchased interest in Foster Bros in 1904. The trademark "Foster Bros., John Chatillon & Sons" was used up until 1953. These cleavers were made somewhere in that time range.


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## Xenif

These look AWESOME !!! I can't wait till I get it in my hands on it, thanks again for organizing this amazing group buy, we all struck gold!


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## Dave Martell

Xenif said:


> These look AWESOME !!! I can't wait till I get it in my hands on it, thanks again for organizing this amazing group buy, we all struck gold!



I'm glad that you're as excited as I am.


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## Dave Martell

I should have known, things were going too nicely for me, and that my luck (my *bad* luck) would come around. 

The problem - sharpening these things.

I've sharpened more than my fair share of vintage cleavers over the years, lots of them being Foster Bros. so I wasn't concerned. Yes I noticed that these cleavers had wide bevels at the heal but knowing how they're thicker in this section I know that's normal. I generally even the bevel out though as it looks more appealing to the eye. This is where things go awry.

These particular cleavers appear to be very uneven in the forging/grinding of the faces plus the right side is flatter than the left. This means that no matter what I do I'm left with uneven bevels along the length and not matching from side to side. And to make matters worse the heal section of the bevels are ground super high making me have to match that along the length.

I've worked on two of the cleavers so far and can state that these are the worst two cleaver sharpening jobs I've ever done. I chased my tail on both to the extent that I don't want to send them to their owners.

Yeah, this is a BIG problem because if I continue I'm likely to hose them all, or at least make them into something unsightly. This is a very tough thing for me to admit here, something that only 2 hours ago I wouldn't believe I'd be typing,

I'm going to give this some more thought before making a decision. I'm pretty sure however this goes I lose...but what's new? Ugh 




Dave


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## Dave Martell

I think what would help here is some sort of jig to use to help hog off steel precisely. I don't have anything like this, or even a grinder that's adaptable to this type of thing.


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## jaybett

If it helps feel free to experiment on mine. If your having issues sharpening it, where does that leave me?

Jay


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## Dave Martell

This is turning into regrinding the blade more than it is sharpening, but I haven't given up, I just need to figure it out is all.


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## Dave Martell

I just tried another one. I tried all my tricks and then some and still I've got nothing but a mess. This particular one was ground flat on the left side and wavy on both.

That's 3 cleavers screwed up, 3 hrs of labor lost, and $45 in belts down the shitter. 

Friggin disaster this is!


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## pvlmal

?
when they were produced- did the new owners have to sharpen before putting into service?
just wondering what the factory edge is useful for-without regrinding etc?
I cant tell from the pictures- I' m sure you know what is best


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## Dave Martell

They can certainly be used as they are for cleaving, I was hoping to make them sharp too.


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## daveb

Hey Dave, I've had one of those days as well. 

No hurry here, and knife will be mostly be a novelty/ornamental. If it will cut that's a bonus but not a requirement.


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## pvlmal

Dave Martell said:


> They can certainly be used as they are for cleaving, I was hoping to make them sharp too.


hate to see you spend time and money and not be satisfied with altering the cleavers. any update today?
looking forward to (hopefully) getting cleavers for Christmas gifts..
please let me know
thanks


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## Dave Martell

pvlmal said:


> hate to see you spend time and money and not be satisfied with altering the cleavers. any update today?
> looking forward to (hopefully) getting cleavers for Christmas gifts..
> please let me know
> thanks



I've been thinking about this all day today and still have nothing to show for it. I'll get back you guys tomorrow with some answers.


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## Dave Martell

Ok everyone, let's talk....

After much anguish I'm left with little to offer for a solution to this problem I'm having. 

These cleavers are truly a great vintage NOS find yet they're in a poor state with regards to how they were forged and ground when they were made. This isn't something that could have been predicted. In fact all of my prior experience with similar aged cleavers gave me the confidence to offer sharpening included with the offer of purchase, I had no hesitation in doing so.

Now what's needed is to not just sharpen but to correct the poor grind condition. It means to have to re-grind the edge bevels as they won't come up sharp with just a simple pass of a belt or two, plus some of the cleavers also require profile correction as well. This amount of work would be a decent task on a thin chef's knife but being that it's a super thick (hardened) cleaver it's quite the task, something equal to rough grinding several gyutos. The cost in lost labor and belts is more than significant, it's a major problem. For me to do this work is going to require weeks (!) of labor and a great expense in belts which neither I can afford to provide. 




What's the solution then?

Here's the best I can come up with....


*1. I can honor my sharpening offer....but.... *

I'll have to do this over time, a little here and a little there, as I can afford to do the work. I can not say how long it will take to get you your cleaver. This is going to be a long process. 

*Please understand that regardless these cleavers will never have a perfect looking bevel.


*2. You can accept the cleaver "as is".*

I will ship your cleaver to you as it came to me, untouched, unsharpened, etc. 
Because you aren't receiving part of the offer I listed I will pay the shipping costs.



I'm already losing money big time on this group buy_ (currently around a $300 loss) _and it will grow as I go. I'm not asking for you to share in this loss. I'm just trying to do the best I can with a ****** situation. 

Please let me know your thoughts.

Dave


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## Bill13

Dave, what would the additional cost be to get the cleaver in good shape where you would not be losing money? What would that cost be if you were to make a little money? I know the feeling of underbidding a job, it's no fun working for nothing, especially when you really need the money. 

Bill


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## Dave Martell

Bill13 said:


> Dave, what would the additional cost be to get the cleaver in good shape where you would not be losing money? What would that cost be if you were to make a little money? I know the feeling of underbidding a job, it's no fun working for nothing, especially when you really need the money.
> 
> Bill



Hi Bill,
I've thought about that and it's a tough one to know since I haven't yet figured out a way to handle the work that needs to be done. I have to come up with a way to grind the bevels evenly along their length and from side to side. I've never done anything quite like this so it's all an experiment until I nail down the how to aspect.


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## Bill13

Ouch, learning experiences are the worst. What would you say is a best case/worst case range? Or do you know that? I am not looking for a Dave Martell cleaver with perfect lines, just a functional cleaver.


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## HRC_64

Dave how hard (HRC) are the edges on these Foster Bros cleavers?


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## WildBoar

Bill13 said:


> Dave, what would the additional cost be to get the cleaver in good shape where you would not be losing money? What would that cost be if you were to make a little money? I know the feeling of underbidding a job, it's no fun working for nothing, especially when you really need the money.
> 
> Bill


x2


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## Dave Martell

Bill13 said:


> Ouch, learning experiences are the worst. What would you say is a best case/worst case range? Or do you know that? I am not looking for a Dave Martell cleaver with perfect lines, just a functional cleaver.



I start to type and then delete. I'm just not sure what to say.


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## Dave Martell

HRC_64 said:


> Dave how hard (HRC) are the edges on these Foster Bros cleavers?



I don't know.


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## HRC_64

Dave Martell said:


> I don't know.



Are they too hard to use (say) a file on?
I've used files to face hammers up to 58 hrc or so.

Was just wondering what the OG butchers would do 
to get these things going out of the gate?

Not trying to derail the thread, just curious
to see what solutions are out there.


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## Vils

I bought this cleaver as a birthday present to my self from my wife (she approved). If it arrives the next 13th of December I would be happy.


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## Xenif

Dave, I know you are doing your best, and I really appreciate the work, time, effort and money you have put into it. My suggestion is to:
1) of the 17, how many of those customers are OK with getting them as is? Send them those first.
2) of the 17 how many are Ok with the three you have fixed but not perfect. Send those.
3) the remaining customers then should be prepared to wait until you have found a solution.
I, for one, wouldn't mind them as is. If you would like to post the ones you have done that would be nice so people with option 2 has a reference point.
Last thing I need is for you to dig yourself a hole, let us know what we can do to ease your load.
Don't forget to take a deep breath once in a while too.


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## pvlmal

Dave,

do you have any pictures of the existing condition of the Cleavers so we can make an informed condition if we want them "as is"? I am still wondering what the original purchasers would have done with them upon receipt way back when to get them usable-or are they already usable- but not to the sharpness that would make them really special (via your sharpening)? If usable, I'm leaning towards retaining the originality as they will not be used by anyone even close to a pro. 
thank you


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## Dave Martell

The pictures shown *HERE *are a good representation of what the cleavers look like with the factory ground edge. The factory edge will not cut paper but I'm pretty sure will cleave apart bones.

I haven't taken any pictures of the ones that are in work as they don't show what a finished edge would look like, they just show a mess.


So far I've got one person who is willing to wait and that's it.


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## larrybard

I'm definitely willing to wait. Indefinitely. Frankly, I wouldn't have purchased it if it hadn't been accompanied by a promise to sharpen, inasmuch as I would have been incapable of taking on that task even if it had been more straightforward. But, having learned what a challenging task that is, at the very least I would be willing to reimburse for any material costs in connection with sharpening.


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## pvlmal

Dave Martell said:


> The pictures shown *HERE *are a good representation of what the cleavers look like with the factory ground edge. The factory edge will not cut paper but I'm pretty sure will cleave apart bones.
> 
> I haven't taken any pictures of the ones that are in work as they don't show what a finished edge would look like, they just show a mess.
> 
> 
> So far I've got one person who is willing to wait and that's it.


Dave,
please go ahead and ship mine
thanks,
Pat


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## WildBoar

I'm willing to wait. Dog knows I've already made it 52 years without one of these...


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## KCMande

Dave,
What would you prefer?
Shipping me this cleaver as is, or holding on to it for a while.
Honestly I wouldn't even touch it in a professional kitchen for a few months when (which is why I bought it, to use as an actual cleaver), so it will either sit on your shelf or mine.
I am willing to pay a little extra to have you sharpen it if need be, no problem for me there.
I am just curious if you want this thing out of your face and to check a name off your list.
I'm sure I can use this thing to chop some fish and chicken bones, also the occasional pork loin or rib roast.
Let me know, I'm flexible.


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## KellyW

Hi Dave
Thanks for getting in touch.

Sorry about your dilemma 

I am pleased to wait and have it right. I would much rather wait and have your skill put into it. I can also cough up a few extra bucks if necessary. 

As an aside both my wife and I are considering visiting to take your sharpening class. I assume we will be able to do so together? We started discussing it and I went silent... sorry just preoccupied with work and home repairs. I’ll PM to discuss in more detail.

Looking forward to meeting you in person

All the best
Kelly


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## mfishsauce

If anyone doesn't want to wait/wants a refund, I'm willing to buy/take their spot. 

@Dave pm sent!


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## jaybett

Whatever is easiest for you. 

Jay


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## Vils

larrybard said:


> I'm definitely willing to wait. Indefinitely. Frankly, I wouldn't have purchased it if it hadn't been accompanied by a promise to sharpen, inasmuch as I would have been incapable of taking on that task even if it had been more straightforward. But, having learned what a challenging task that is, at the very least I would be willing to reimburse for any material costs in connection with sharpening.


+1
I'm happy with paying all unforseen costs for sharpening these cleavers.


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## Bill13

Dave, I too am willing to wait and will pay what you determine is a fair cost increase to cover labor and materials.


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## Xenif

Dave, if you have found a solution, I'm also willing to wait on it and pay for it. But I don't want this side project to distract you away from what's important, which is to make more knives, make more money, and take care of yourself and your family.


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## Dave Martell

To those of you who offered to pay more for sharpening - thank you - but I don't want this to be part of the discussion. I just want to find a way to work these cleavers and get them to you as soon as possible. I'm not trying to make more money on this sale.


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## larrybard

Dave Martell said:


> To those of you who offered to pay more for sharpening - thank you - but I don't want this to be part of the discussion. I just want to find a way to work these cleavers and get them to you as soon as possible. I'm not trying to make more money on this sale.


Dave,

I, for one, didn't view my offer to reimburse you for at least out of pocket sharpening costs as a means of enabling you to make more profit on the sale, but rather as a means of fairly helping you to avoid unanticipated significant costs (which, especially considering likely time commitments by you, might well result in an overall loss for you).

Larry


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## daveb

What Larry said....

The risk was higher than you calculated. I'm willing to share the "get well".


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## Dave Martell

I didn't mean to imply that any of you generous folks would think poorly of me, I know your intentions. Yet, I did receive a nastygram email from someone, not even involved in this group buy, that accused me of "trying to screw my customers for more cash". After that I figured that I should post something to nip the whole thing in the bud.


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## Dave Martell

Also, I have offers from two members who are willing to purchase cleavers if anyone wants to get out of their purchase. PM me for details.


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## daveb

Dave Martell said:


> Yet, I did receive a nastygram email from someone, not even involved in this group buy, that accused me of "trying to screw my customers for more cash". ...



Ahhh, that must have been Richard.


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## Dave Martell

OK gents, I've done some more work on these cleavers and have a clear idea of what I'm up against. 

The issue is that these cleavers are very poorly forged and ground. This issue means to us that when they're sharpened they show a mess in the form of uneven bevels along their lengths and mis-matched from side to side.

To be clear......the cleavers are made correctly in that they're ground thinner near the tips than at the heal (totally normal for Foster Bros) but that the blades have been forged and ground sloppily so that the bevels are very uneven along their length and not even from side to side....as in they ground more off on one side than the other which isn't something I've seen before.

These problems appear to be something that I can not correct, and in fact, I seem to be only be able to make them worse through my sharpening attempts. 

The handles, on the other hand, are the nicest I've seen.

The current situation is that I have 4 cleavers that are wrecked, I won't pass these along to any of you. Maybe in some distant future I can try to re-furbish/salvage them but this won't be counted on.

The only reasonable thing I can offer now is to send you your cleaver as it came to me, untouched NOS. I'd like to hear from you as to whether or not you'd be willing to take this offer. Please shoot me a PM or post here.

I'm sorry that things didn't work out as planned. 

Dave


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## daveb

You're not in this alone, we all gambled and came up short. Pls hit me with a PP invoice to cover shipping and send it home.


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## Barmoley

I'm good with it the way it is, not on you Dave M.


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## daveb

If you get the responses quickly we might have these in time for Halloween. Just sayin.


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## Xenif

I have no problems with that, I've been itching to get it


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## larrybard

Dave,

I'm willing to honor my original agreement to buy one from you. I'll accept delivery when I see you in about two weeks.

Larry

P.S. In the meantime, inasmuch as it sounds as if there are serious sharpening challenges (to perhaps understate it) even for you, and therefore would certainly be beyond my limited abilities (even after a sharpening lesson from you), if someone else comes out of the woodwork expressing an interest in purchasing one of these cleavers from you it would be fine with me if you reallocated my cleaver to them.


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## WildBoar

I'm good with it as well.


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## Dave Martell

daveb said:


> You're not in this alone, we all gambled and came up short. Pls hit me with a PP invoice to cover shipping and send it home.





Barmoley said:


> I'm good with it the way it is, not on you Dave M.





Xenif said:


> I have no problems with that, I've been itching to get it





WildBoar said:


> I'm good with it as well.





Thanks for being so understanding. I'll get with you guys shortly. 

Dave


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## Dave Martell

larrybard said:


> Dave,
> 
> I'm willing to honor my original agreement to buy one from you. I'll accept delivery when I see you in about two weeks.
> 
> Larry
> 
> 
> P.S. In the meantime, inasmuch as it sounds as if there are serious sharpening challenges (to perhaps understate it) even for you, and therefore would certainly be beyond my limited abilities (even after a sharpening lesson from you), if someone else comes out of the woodwork expressing an interest in purchasing one of these cleavers from you it would be fine with me if you reallocated my cleaver to them.




Not to single you out but you brought up a good point that I should address....

These cleavers are already sharp (enough) to break bone and do their intended jobs and can be sharpened using stones as anyone at home/work would likely do. What troubles I'm having is in that I can't make them look pretty/even beveled/and I make them look worse by trying to do what I wold normally do to these cleavers. So it's not an issue of not being able to sharpen them, it'a an issue of not being to sharpen them at a high (and professional) level. 



No problem though Larry, I understand where you're coming from and if you'd like me to offer your cleaver up to someone else I will do that. Just let me know.

Dave


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## Vils

Xenif said:


> I have no problems with that, I've been itching to get it


Thats how I feel.


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## larrybard

Dave Martell said:


> Not to single you out but you brought up a good point that I should address....
> 
> These cleavers are already sharp (enough) to break bone and do their intended jobs and can be sharpened using stones as anyone at home/work would likely do. What troubles I'm having is in that I can't make them look pretty/even beveled/and I make them look worse by trying to do what I wold normally do to these cleavers. So it's not an issue of not being able to sharpen them, it'a an issue of not being to sharpen them at a high (and professional) level.
> 
> 
> 
> No problem though Larry, I understand where you're coming from and if you'd like me to offer your cleaver up to someone else I will do that. Just let me know.
> 
> Dave


Dave, Thanks for the clarification. Inasmuch as they're already sharp, I'm happy to get mine (without any effort being made to reoffer it to anyone else who might be interested in one). Larry


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## Dave Martell

larrybard said:


> Dave, Thanks for the clarification. Inasmuch as they're already sharp, I'm happy to get mine (without any effort being made to reoffer it to anyone else who might be interested in one). Larry



OK, I'll hold one on the side for you to pick up. Thanks!


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## Namaxy

I would gladly buy anyone’s unwanted cleaver if such a thing exists.


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## Luftmensch

Wow... I remember this thread popping up a year ago and being tempted! I didnt realise the saga continued!

@Dave Martell, I am sure you copped some anger. Finding yourself in these situations can be stressful and awkward. But on the whole, I am quite impressed with how rational the thread has been. It is the better side of KKF. You had a role in that by keeping the channel of communication open. Perhaps you have been in this situation before? You were wise to issue the caveat up front:



Dave Martell said:


> I offer no assurance of condition. You get what you get. No refunds will be issued. Please understand this clearly - ask if you're unsure what this means.



That should have alerted people to the risks. If I have one criticism, it is that you shouldn't have fallen prey to the sunk cost fallacy! You could have followed @Xenif's advice earlier:



Xenif said:


> Dave, I know you are doing your best, and I really appreciate the work, time, effort and money you have put into it. My suggestion is to:
> 1) of the 17, how many of those customers are OK with getting them as is? Send them those first.



But dont take that on the chin too hard! You do good work and are a respected member of the community. People understand you were trying to get the best global outcome out of a bad situation!


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## WildBoar

My knife was delivered a little while ago. Unboxing will need to wait until tonight though.


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## Luftmensch

daveb said:


> If you get the responses quickly we might have these in time for Halloween. Just sayin.





WildBoar said:


> My knife was delivered a little while ago. Unboxing will need to wait until tonight though.



Just in time to scare the kiddies!

Congrats. Enjoy! Let us know how it works for you!


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## Dave Martell

To those of you who received cleavers so far....what'd think of them?


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## WildBoar

Well. y 6 year old really enjoyed checking it out tonight. It took him two hands to lift the beast.

What a monster blade. Looks about 1/4 inch thick until nearing the edge, and then it is ground nicely. It's funny to see how thin it is at the edge in comparison to just an inch or so higher.


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## KellyW

Hi Dave,
I was hoping to clarify that these are still usable as cleavers, correct?
I wen back and looked at the pictures and cannot see at all the anomalies you mention.
They actually look really nice in the pics form earlier.
Are they somewhat sharp as is?
Can they be touched up on a stone at all?

Thanks for clarifying
Kelly


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## daveb

Dave addressed this on post 96. I won't speak for him but mine arrived ready to use and pretty sharp as is. No glamour queen but not ugly or noticeable defects either.


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## Barmoley

Yeah, I think Dave M, made more out of it than it is if you actually want this to be used as a cleaver. Mine was much better than I expected and really if he didn't say there was an issue I wouldn't know or notice. Mine needed to be touched up a little just because it had a burr, but other than that looked like a cleaver the way a cleaver should be. I am not a cleaver expert, so take it for what it is.


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## Dave Martell

KellyW said:


> Hi Dave,
> I was hoping to clarify that these are still usable as cleavers, correct?
> I wen back and looked at the pictures and cannot see at all the anomalies you mention.
> They actually look really nice in the pics form earlier.
> Are they somewhat sharp as is?
> Can they be touched up on a stone at all?
> 
> Thanks for clarifying
> Kelly




Hi Kelly,

From post #96..."These cleavers are already sharp (enough) to break bone and do their intended jobs and can be sharpened using stones as anyone at home/work would likely do. What troubles I'm having is in that I can't make them look pretty/even beveled/and I make them look worse by trying to do what I wold normally do to these cleavers. So it's not an issue of not being able to sharpen them, it'a an issue of not being to sharpen them at a high (and professional) level."


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## KellyW

@daveb - thanks - must have missed that - sorry!
Exactly the info I wanted

I am look forward to its arrival!
Sounds like @Dave Martell as a craftsman is hoping other things live up to his high standards - admirable!!


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## Luftmensch

Dave Martell said:


> what'd think of them?



Folks... Comments don't count unless there are photos  Make the rest of us jealous...


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## Namaxy

Barmoley said:


> Yeah, I think Dave M, made more out of it than it is if you actually want this to be used as a cleaver. Mine was much better than I expected and really if he didn't say there was an issue I wouldn't know or notice. Mine needed to be touched up a little just because it had a burr, but other than that looked like a cleaver the way a cleaver should be. I am not a cleaver expert, so take it for what it is.



I would say this is exactly my experience. I was prepared for much worse, and the cleaver that arrived was far better than I expected. Just as you state, a burr on the edge, but otherwise fine. A beast in fact!


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## Xenif

Let me say this .... Canada post suck .... its been with them for a week now 

I saved the jack o lantern to test it, now the said jackolantern is slimy and gross


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## Barmoley

Xenif said:


> Let me say this .... Canada post suck .... its been with them for a week now
> 
> I saved the jack o lantern to test it, now the said jackolantern is slimy and gross


When you see and hold it you will understand, you could probably take over the whole Canada with one of these.....I kid I kid no offence to Canada, you'd need at least two.....


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