16.5cm Heavy Butcher’s Cleaver
£330
Choose from over 6,000 possible combinations.
Our configurator lets you choose from 18 blade designs, with full control over handle material, shape, spine pattern and accent colour.Â
A heavy butcher’s cleaver built to do the work nothing else in the range can: splitting joints, sectioning ribs, dropping through cartilage, breaking down a primal. Sharp enough for clean slices when sharp is what you want, weighted enough to do real damage when damage is the point. The knife you reach for when the cooking starts before the fire goes on.
Most cleavers rely on a wide grind angle and a dull edge to compensate for poor-quality steel. We disagreed. A blade made from a carefully hardened piece of high-carbon steel can both retain its edge and lend an element of precision previously missing from the cleaving experience. The result is the Classic Cleaver: hefty enough for almost any home butchery task, sharp enough that you can be deliberate with it rather than flailing.
The kitchen version of this blade sits on a wooden handle, which is right for indoor work. The BBQ ’26 cleaver doesn’t. Micarta is the handle material used on heavy outdoor tools for over a century: axe handles, hammer grips, gun stocks, the kit chosen wherever the impact through the handle matters as much as the cut at the edge. A phenolic laminate cured under heat and pressure, denser than wood, kinder to the wrist than steel or hard plastic. For the knife in the BBQ range that gets the most violent treatment, it is the only sensible choice.
The Cleaver is the knife in the BBQ ’26 range that takes the most punishment. Micarta’s shock absorption is one of its quieter virtues, and it earns its keep here. You will feel it less than you would on a denser handle, and the handle will last longer for it.
The Classic Cleaver BBQ ’26 is made from Sandvik (Alleima) 14C28N, a modern Swedish stainless steel, hardened in-house to 60 HRC using a nitrogen atmosphere process. The heat treatment takes the steel from 1080°C to -75°C in a controlled cycle that maximises carbide formation, edge stability, and corrosion resistance.
The blade is concave ground to 0.3mm thickness at 1mm from the edge. This geometry reduces drag through dense produce and improves slicing performance without sacrificing rigidity. Every Savernake knife is sharpened to 15° per side.
CATRA, the global authority on cutlery performance, rank our blades in the top 2.5% of all blades ever assessed for initial sharpness and edge retention, tested to ISO 8442.5.
Washing
Wash by hand and dry immediately. The steel handles dishwashers, but the handle materials don’t, and the blade will dull faster regardless. Ten seconds at the sink is the right habit.
Day-to-day maintenance
A honing steel realigns the edge between sharpenings. Two or three passes per side before heavy use is enough. You don’t need to do this every time – just when the blade starts to feel less certain.
Sharpening
We offer complimentary workshop sharpening once a year for the first three years. After that we sharpen at cost. If you prefer to sharpen at home, our blades are ground to a 15-degree bevel – specify this if you use a third-party service, as most sharpen to 20 or 22 degrees as a default.
Storage
A magnetic strip or knife roll is ideal. Loose in a drawer accelerates dulling and risks chipping the edge. If a drawer is the only option, a blade guard solves both problems.
Handle care
Micarta handles need nothing beyond normal washing. They do not require oiling and are unaffected by moisture. Composite handles need nothing beyond normal washing.
Yourself
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
– Jack London
Each knife has a default handle that is held in stock and available for next working day despatch.
If you’d prefer another of our standard handles, we’ll despatch within 7 working days.
If you design your own knife through the Configurator, we aim for 4 weeks or less to make it from scratch.
All orders are delivered by Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed in specially-designed tubular Savernake packaging.
A signature and age verification will be required on delivery.
We charge a £40 flat rate for delivery worldwide and use UPS.
Lifetime Guarantee
With proper care, our knives are guaranteed for a lifetime of use
Unique Concave Geometry
Our signature blade profile. A cutting edge with only the thinnest sliver of near-parallel steel to follow through.
CATRA Top 2.5% Worldwide
Independently ranked in the top 2.5% of all knives ever assessed for sharpness and edge retention
60 HRC Hardness
Hardened in-house to 60 HRC using a nitrogen atmosphere and cryogenic treatment to -75°C
Individually Crafted
Every knife is made by hand in our Wiltshire workshop, from steel selection through to final edge
