30k+ damage first energy, got myself a heck of a cleaver run! Even post nerf the chef's hat is great, and the belt of knives remains stupidly OP with cleavers.
Heart + cleanse for spike enemies, everything else is dps. Extra cleavers on the kings would be minimal dps and cost life vs spikes, ended up dropping stopwatch for more cleavers later since it is actually nothing compared to belt. Final plan is 4x chef's hat, lots of duct tape, and as many cleavers as I can fit in the remaining space (king, queen, jack doesn't matter as long as they activate others)
Edit: I was being silly, don't have to stack the Chef's Hat as the nerf doesn't remove their damage bonus when they are disabled, only the block. Intentional or mistake?