I use the clever for chopping onions every time!
I think that's interesting. It may sound stupid, but what technique do you use with it for the onions and tomatoes?
I have 4 chefs knives, including one fancy Japanese one that my mother sold me for a penny (some superstitions just die hard for her)--which is still in the box, but I end up using the one I use (pictured below, even if you can't see it very well) simply because I don't have nearly the space in this kitchen as I've had in the past, so the biggest cutting board that I can practically use is also pictured.
(http://www.atownley.org/images/cooking/saffron_base1/ingredients_2008-01-13_AST.jpg)
I used to use whatever knife was handy for a long time, then, many years ago, I was shown how to properly use the flippin' thing, and I haven't looked back. The Chinese cleaver is on my list to buy as well, but I find that I don't cook much with bone-in meats, so I don't know how much use I'd get out of it.
I did think it was interesting that all of the BIR chefs pictured chopping things in the 2 or 3 videos I've seen from here also have fairly basic knife techniques. I'm actually getting much better here lately since I've started making so many curries which has forced me to practice a bit more regularly.
I also give all our main knives a "proper" sharpening using a Spyderco sharpening kit about once a year, and I use one of those sharpening steels, "blade straighteners", on the main knives any time I'm going to cut more than 3 or 4 times.
If I'm in a hurry (and more often, when we used to have the space), I'll also frequently use one or two knives for different things (meat vs. veg) on different cutting surfaces. To me, even though some of them are nice to look at, I'd consider them essential kitchen kit (along with properly-sized cutting boards to go with them). My mother has a really nice one, but she only has A5-sized cutting boards, so you can't really use it properly. If I was to cook there much, I think I'd have to end up buying some proper kitchen stuff because we cook very differently. I don't think she uses hers all that much. Like my wife, she'll tend to use the smaller, straight-bladed knives for just about everything.
I suppose at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter. The stuff ends up chopped up and in the pot, but for geeks like me, I try to always get better, faster and safer with my cutting techniques every time I do it. Guess that just makes me weird! ;D
Chop, chop! ;D
ast