Kraken 8" Hand Forged Cleaver Knife, Serbian Style, Hammer Textured High Carbon Steel, Black Wenge Handle

The Kraken is an 8" cleaver knife for hunters and home butchers who break down their own animals. It is forward weighted, so the blade does the work when you drop it through a joint, and the polished edge is keen enough to take meat cleanly off the bone afterwards. Hammer textured high carbon steel, a black wenge handle and a full tang with steel pins.

In the Processing Shed

The Kraken is happiest on a big job: quartering, splitting joints and portioning a whole loin into steaks. The heavy belly keeps its momentum through the cut, so you are not muscling it. Once the season is over it moves to the grill as a BBQ cleaver. It is a lot of knife for dicing onions, though. If your cooking is mostly weeknight prep, the Rhino 8" cleaver is the friendlier pick. For more blades built for this work, see our butcher knives, our BBQ knives and the full cleaver collection.

A Gift That Gets Used

Hunters are hard to buy for because they already own a pile of gear. What they probably do not own is a hand forged cleaver with a black wenge handle. Give it before opening day or as a Christmas present to the person who fills your freezer every fall. It also works as a groomsmen gift for a wedding party full of outdoorsmen. Returns are accepted within 30 days on unused knives, so there is no risk in guessing.

Every Xcutlery blade is high carbon steel, hand forged one at a time in the Serbian style: thick stock, a lot of hammer work, and the forge finish left on the flats.

Every Kraken starts as a thick bar hammered out by hand in the Serbian style. The polishing stops short of the spine, so the hammer marks stay on the upper flats and you can see every strike. Those dimples break the suction that makes dense meat cling to a smooth blade, which is why a slab of venison falls away instead of sticking. Below the hammer marks the edge is ground and polished clean. It is a hand forged cleaver that shows how it was made.

Why high carbon steel

It takes a very fine edge and comes back quickly on a whetstone. The price of that edge is a little care. This steel is not a rust resistant alloy, so water left on the blade will mark it. Wash it, dry it, wipe on a light coat of oil, and it will be cutting long after the cutting board has given up.

Patina

With use the steel darkens to a grey or blue patina. That is normal for high carbon steel and it helps protect the blade. Red rust is a different thing, and it comes from a knife left wet.

• 8" hand forged blade
• Hammer textured high carbon steel
• Hammer marked flats with a polished edge
• Full tang with steel pins
• Black wenge wood handle
• Built for butchering, game processing and BBQ

Specifications

• Blade: 8", hand forged
• Steel: Hammer textured high carbon steel
• Handle: Black wenge wood
• Finish: Hammer marked flats with a polished edge
• Construction: Full tang with steel pins
• Made for: Butchering, game processing, BBQ

• Kraken 8" hand forged cleaver knife
• Lifetime warranty against defects in materials and craftsmanship

Each blade is forged by hand, so the forge texture, hammer marks and wood grain on yours will be its own.

After a day of processing, wash it by hand in warm water and dry it straight away. Finish with a light coat of food safe oil. No dishwasher, and do not leave it soaking in a bucket.

Every time you use it

• Hand wash it right after use and dry it straight away
• Wipe on a light coat of food safe oil before it goes away
• Cut on wood or plastic boards
• Touch up the edge on a whetstone when it starts to drag

Keep it away from

• The dishwasher, and a sink full of water overnight
• Glass, stone or metal cutting surfaces
• Prying, twisting or throwing

The full routine is in our high carbon steel knife care guide, and the edge work is in how to sharpen a meat cleaver.

Every Xcutlery knife is covered for life against defects in materials and craftsmanship. If a handle works loose from the tang, a pin comes free, or there is a flaw in the steel or the build that came from us, we repair or replace it free of charge.

It does not cover normal wear such as a dull edge, damage from misuse, or rust from the dishwasher or soaking. Slight differences in forge texture, hammer marks and wood grain are part of a handmade knife, not defects.

To make a claim, email sales@xcutlery.com (Australia: sales@xcutlery.com.au) with your order number and photos. Separately, you have 30 days from delivery to return an unused knife. Engraved and custom knives cannot be returned for a change of mind. Full terms are on the warranty page.

Can it handle a whole deer?
It is built for game processing, including quartering and splitting joints. Pair it with a knife from our boning knives for the fine work around the bone.

What does hammer textured mean?
The marks left by the hammer during forging are kept on the upper flats. They look rugged and they help food release from the blade.

Does it come sharp?
Yes, it ships with a polished edge ready for work, and it is covered by a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and craftsmanship.

How do I stop it rusting?
Dry it the moment you finish washing it and keep a thin coat of food safe oil on the blade between uses. Over time high carbon steel darkens into a patina, which is normal and actually helps protect it.

It spends the hunting season quartering and splitting joints, then moves to BBQ duty. For a wider look at which cleaver to buy for bone work, the guide sorts our range by the job.