Was the cleaver actually dull or just beat up looking? I've noticed a lot of these old blades have a wicked edge that's just hidden under years of patina and wear marks. My expensive chef's knife probably couldn't keep up with that speed either, but I bet it's more about their muscle memory than the tool itself. Did you try asking the vendor about their sharpening routine or did the language barrier keep you from getting the real answer?

That same pattern shows up everywhere, not just in machine shops. People buy the fancy new tool thinking it will do the thinking for them, but it just adds a whole new set of problems to learn. The old way might take longer to move the metal, but the setup is already in your head. New tech is great until it breaks or needs an update, then you're stuck waiting on a phone line instead of making parts. Same thing happens with smart home stuff, people spend a weekend setting up an app just to turn on a light switch. Sometimes the simple tool wins because you already know how to use it, and that knowledge is worth more than any spec sheet.