I recently discovered that a rawhide mallet is excellent for driving the cleaver through hard spots without making a splintered mess. Works good for splitting pumpkins and kindling also. I suppose the butcher would object to the kindling but it works better than a hatchet.
The door handle is a pretty cool design, but I'd put a wooden handle on it before it gets really cold.... that could be really cool when it's -30 outside!