The Freestate Braai Cleaver

Built for the board beside the fire.

The Freestate Braai Cleaver is a compact, broad-bladed prep knife made for the part of the braai where the real work happens - portioning meat, chopping onions, slicing tomatoes, preparing braaibroodjies and dealing with the endless small jobs that appear once the fire is going and people start getting hungry.

Its approximately 140 mm AEB-L stainless steel blade gives the knife a strong combination of toughness, corrosion resistance and clean cutting performance. The broad face offers useful knuckle clearance and board control, while the sweeping edge keeps slicing smooth rather than turning the knife into a heavy, awkward chopper.

The blade carries a textured upper section that preserves the handmade character of the piece, contrasted against a cleaner working bevel where the cutting happens. It gives the cleaver the look of a tool that belongs beside a fire and cutting board, not hidden in a drawer.

The Wild Olive handle brings unmistakably South African character to the knife. Warm grain, a comfortable working shape and brass pins balance the modern stainless blade with natural material that will never look exactly the same from one knife to the next.

At approximately 250 mm overall, the Freestate Braai Cleaver sits in a useful middle ground: large enough to feel planted on the board, compact enough to stay quick in the hand, and versatile enough to move between braai, kitchen and camp prep without fuss.

If the braai is where the conversation starts, this is the knife that gets everything ready before the first steak reaches the fire.

Specifications

• Model: The Freestate Braai Cleaver
• Blade steel: AEB-L stainless steel
• Blade length: approximately 140 mm
• Overall length: approximately 250 mm
• Blade profile: Broad braai / prep cleaver
• Handle: Wild Olive
• Pins: Brass
• Edge: Plain edge
• Use: Braai prep, kitchen prep, meat portioning, vegetables, camp cooking and general board work

Care and Protection

• AEB-L is stainless steel, but the blade should still be cleaned and dried after use.
• Avoid prolonged exposure to salt, acidic food residue and moisture.
• Hand wash only. Do not place the knife in a dishwasher or leave it soaking in water.
• A light application of SharpWax can be used on the natural Wild Olive handle for additional moisture protection and care.

Natural variation notice: SharpThings knives are handmade using natural hardwoods. No two pieces are identical - handle grain, colour and character will vary from the images shown. Photos are taken in a lightbox without post-processing to represent the knife accurately, but your piece will be uniquely its own.