The cheapo carbon steel cleaver is my favorite knife in my set. I got a block of Victorinox knives as a gift and yeah they work fairly well (you’re right about sharpening being annoying tho), but the $13 cleaver is where it’s at. It’s sharp, it sharpens well and that style of knife is just so useful. I pull out two other knives generally these days, the serrated one for bread and a ceramic one for tomatoes. The rest? Cleaver time, baybee!
Also, mincing things with the cleaver is great. Mincing things with TWO cleavers? Now that’s joy.