Mammoth 9.1" Hand Forged Meat Cleaver, Extra Heavy Serbian Style Chopper, High Carbon Steel, Olive Wood Handle

The Mammoth is a 9.1" meat cleaver that weighs about 1500 grams, and you feel every one of them. It is built for the big jobs: separating joints on a whole shoulder, cracking bone for stock, splitting heavy cuts that would stop a lighter blade. High carbon steel, dark forge scale on the flats, a thick spine and an olive wood handle to hang on to.

Big Joints, Big Bones

This is the cleaver you reach for when the job is big. Lift it a few inches and let it drop. At roughly 1500 grams you do not need to swing hard, and you should not. Be honest with yourself, though. That weight gets tiring for everyday prep and it is far too much blade for a tomato. If you want something lighter that still chops, the Rhino 8" cleaver is the easier daily option. More heavy blades live in our butcher knives and cleavers.

A Gift That Gets Used

The Mammoth gets a laugh when it comes out of the box, then it goes straight to work. Give it to the pitmaster who cooks whole hogs, or to a home butcher who has outgrown a lighter cleaver. It is a big statement for Christmas or a milestone birthday, and a fitting retirement gift for someone who spent years behind a meat counter. Browse more ideas in our knife gifts.

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.

In the Serbian style the Mammoth is hammered by hand from a thick bar and kept thick at the spine. That spine is the engine. It sits directly over the edge, so the force of each chop goes straight down into the cut instead of wobbling off to one side. The flats keep their dark, textured forge scale, which also stops the blade binding when it is buried deep in a joint. Only the edge is polished.

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.

• 9.1" hand forged blade, about 1500 g
• High carbon steel
• Thick spine for heavy impact
• Dark forge scale with a polished edge
• Full tang with steel pins
• Olive wood handle

Specifications

• Blade: 9.1", hand forged
• Weight: About 1500 g
• Steel: High carbon steel
• Handle: Olive wood
• Finish: Dark forge scale with a polished edge
• Construction: Full tang with steel pins
• Features: Thick spine for heavy impact

• Mammoth 9.1" hand forged meat cleaver
• 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.

Hand wash it and dry it right away, spine and all. Wipe a light coat of food safe oil over the blade before storing. Never put it in the dishwasher or leave it soaking.

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.

How heavy is it?
About 1500 grams. That weight is the point, since it lets the cleaver crack bone and separate joints with a short, controlled drop.

Does it cut bone?
Yes. It is built to crack bone and split the heaviest cuts. Keep the edge away from frozen meat and stone boards.

Can I use it on brisket?
It will trim a raw brisket fine. For slicing after the cook, a lighter blade like the Kodiak 8" cleaver is the better fit.

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.

Cracking bone for stock and splitting a whole shoulder at the joint is what the Mammoth is for. If you are not sure you need about 1500 grams of cleaver, matching a cleaver to the job will tell you.