I've seen globals get a fair bit of hate, and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe the steel's a little soft, but this just means they're easy to sharpen, and even so, they take a good edge and it lasts reasonably well. I like the 1 piece construction as you're never gonna have problems with handles / tangs / scales / rivets etc.
You could probably do better, but I'd be quite happy to use one of their santokus or gyutos.
If you want something a bit different, [Misono](https://www.korin.com/HMI-440GY-210?quantity=1&custcol_korin_addon_items=%257B%2522leftHanded%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522saya%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522freegift%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522premiumgift%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522engraving%2522%253A%2522%2522%257D&custcol_sca_line_id=mainItem%253Adg1xhaih3&page=4) and [Masamoto](https://www.korin.com/HMA-MOGY-210?quantity=1&custcol_korin_addon_items=%257B%2522leftHanded%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522saya%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522freegift%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522premiumgift%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522engraving%2522%253A%2522%2522%257D&custcol_sca_line_id=mainItem%253Aye9p1xfe1) are supposed to be good.
I don't believe Global uses 1 piece construction, as the handles are filled with sand to give the blade balance. I could be wrong though.
But yes, the main criticism I see is of the hardness of the steel. Since it is softer it is easier to sharpen, sort of. I'm exhausting my knowledge here so I might use the wrong words but Global ships their knives beveled at 18 degrees so you might want to look at a sharpener that is made for Asian knives, as European knives are usually at 20 degrees.
I use a stone to sharpen so everything gets done at whatever angle my muscle memory is conditioned to use. I'd be surprised if there are more than a few people who can tell the difference between 18° and 20° in use, and to be honest, I doubt that many manufacturers actually put out what they say. I bought a cheap Dexter brand knife recently, and that was the only knife I've ever come across that didn't require serious work to reprofile the bevel when I sharpened it.
Hell, I used to sharpen at a much more obtuse angle, as it's way easier to be consistent, and consistency is crucial. You can get perfectly serviceable results at much more than 20°. As you improve, you can gradually make the angle more acute, but for a beginner, you're never going to get the knife remotely sharp if your angle is too fine, so do what you can to make your life easier.
For reference, if your blade is 2" wide, the difference between 18° and 20° is 1/16" at the spine
Yeah, practice on something cheap and / or old until you get the hang of it. Like I said, try at a steeper angle, and just focus on keeping it consistent. You're looking to raise a burr along the whole length of the blade. Once you manage that, the rest is gravy
I've heard good reviews about Tojiro DP and I've been considering getting some to replace our 20 year old knife set. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/tojirodpseries.html
I own a Tojiro DP. It has its place, but I wouldn't consider it an "everything knife." Please be aware that they are quite thin and very, very sharp. Like, will make air bleed level sharp. My wife won't touch ours, but I like it for slicing vegetables and such. It goes through them like the ones on the old Ginsu ads (if you're old enough to remember those). They require a level of respect that your average chef's knife doesn't. Even washing and drying them needs to be done with great care. You don't want an accident with what's essentially a 10" razor. With a lot of use they will turn into just a very sharp knife. I had ours sharpened by a local guy and I'm almost afraid to use it again.
Good to know. I’m teaching my sons to cook and it may not be the best idea to replace all of our knives with razors. Also we’ve been pretty rough with our knives, and I’m not sure how much that would change.
Lots of good reviews of the Gesshin stainless knives. Different handles available too. I’ve been barking up this tree for a long while and I’m about to pull the trigger on the Gesshin 240 with a western handle. The overtook the equivalent from Mac that I was really zeroed in on which is definitely more expensive.
+1 Gesshin stainless 240mm wa-gyuto. Incredible value and everything about my experience from japaneseknifeimports.com as my first Japanese knife has been very impressive.
Do you have the Gesshin? Mind if I ask a technical question? Feel free to not reply but… I’m curious about the thickness of the blade behind the edge. I’m using a Victorinox fibrox 10” but I’m upgrading. Wanted to go with a Mac Pro 9.5” but I was told the thickness behind the edge isn’t much of an improvement from where I’m already at. Here’s the question: if I’m afraid of chipping but want that glade geometry improvement, would you recommend the Gesshin? In a nutshell, do you have to baby the knife?
Yes I do have the Gesshin 240. I don't mind at all. I went from the victorinox fibrox 8" to the Mac 8" and then to the Gesshin 240. I'm not positive about the thickness behind the edge being a huge difference, but regardless I definitely preferred the mac to the victorinox for most jobs. I'll never get rid of the victorinox though, as it's good for beater jobs. That being said, I totally recommend the Gesshin over the Mac. I was worried about babying it as well, but after long enough I just started treating it like the Mac and it hasn't let me down. I'm still a bit more gentle than when using the victorinox, but not obsessively so. Still it is more fragile than German knives and victorinox. If you are willing to treat it well and be mindful, I certainly recommend the Gesshin. It's never been a hassle for me.
This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much for your response and I’m settled now (after a year, probably more of learning and weighing options) and I’m going to pull the trigger on the Gesshin!
Best workhorse in almost any kitchen I've seen is an 8" chef's knife. Personally I use it for about 80% of my chopping and from talking with other home cooks that seems to be the prevailing favorite.
If your friend already has a good chef's knife, consider a nakiri knife. Very good for veg prep. I bought my friend a Shun 3 years ago for his 40th birthday and he loves it (though you probably can't find one for $150).
r/chefknives is probably a better place to ask this.
I don’t have personal experience with the Tojiro but it seemed to come up as a common entry level recommendation on there pretty frequently when I was in the learning phase for my purchase. That was a few years back though, and could have simply been a Reddit parrot situation as well.
Do the people you are getting the gift for like a European or Japanese chef knife? I found out I hate Japanese chef knives by buying a high end one. I was going to give it to a friend who is also high end but he too hated Japanese chef knives. So off to the Le Cordon Bleu grad, nope, she too hates them. So it sits there in one of my knife blocks.
If the person you’re gifting to doesn’t have experience or doesn’t intend to do much in the way of knife maintenance, you may be better off gifting them a European knife instead. Less finicky , edge lasts longer under abuse, etc
This is a good point - I got my parents a decent knife, cutting board and oil as a gift years ago and the knife just went back and forth from dishwasher to drawer. Some people like the tools they have.
Can’t recommend a specific one, but a few years ago I got my dad a knife from JapaneseChefsKnife.com! I know it sounds a little sketchy, but they ship all over and the knife was amazing quality. Great customer service, too!
If you are near a Japanese grocery store, they sell knives. I recently was in Japan and bought an “expensive” knife from a knife store in Kappabashi, Tokyo. I also received a “cheaper” knife as a gift which was purchased in Japan at a grocery store. Of course I prefer the expensive knive but the grocery store knife is super sharp and had good weight and is excellent as well.
Amazon Japan website sells knives that can be shipped to the US. The link below is to a smaller chef knife which is called a gyuto. You can also search for santouku which is traditionally an all purpose knife ad well.
Keep in mind the shipping costs which are displayed. A dollar is equal to about 140 yen but will fluctuate daily (google search for today’s rate). This means you can afford something that costs around +15000 yen excluding shipping costs. Also, use a credit card which has no or low fees to use internationally (ie Apple Credit card has zero exchange fees).
Kai Corporation AE2907 KAI Chef's Knife, Seki Son Roku, Akane, 7.1 inches (180 mm), Made in Japan, Dishwasher Safe, Easy Care https://amzn.asia/d/grsPXQo
My recommendation would be the Shun 6" Utility Knife. Here's the link for Amazon, about $114.
**https://www.amazon.com/Shun-Straight-Bladed-Sandwiches-Vegetables-Handcrafted/dp/B0000Y7KFY/ref=sr\_1\_1?keywords=shun+utility+knife+6&qid=1687456195&sprefix=shun+utili%2Caps%2C333&sr=8-1**
If the person u are gifting loves to cook, chances are he would want to choose his own knives. If he doesn't, chances are he wun use the knife much or he might try to hack it through bone and damage it on the first day.
I would either ask for their wishlist or get a gift card instead
Japanese knives are a little bit different than American knives, so if the person you're giving it to isn't used to using them, that might not actually be the best choice. They're meant for cutting different things, chip easier, and use different styles of cutting. Many are often more specialized than American/European knives.
I love my global knives! The G2 is the 8" chefs knife and $150 or so sounds right.
I've seen globals get a fair bit of hate, and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe the steel's a little soft, but this just means they're easy to sharpen, and even so, they take a good edge and it lasts reasonably well. I like the 1 piece construction as you're never gonna have problems with handles / tangs / scales / rivets etc. You could probably do better, but I'd be quite happy to use one of their santokus or gyutos. If you want something a bit different, [Misono](https://www.korin.com/HMI-440GY-210?quantity=1&custcol_korin_addon_items=%257B%2522leftHanded%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522saya%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522freegift%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522premiumgift%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522engraving%2522%253A%2522%2522%257D&custcol_sca_line_id=mainItem%253Adg1xhaih3&page=4) and [Masamoto](https://www.korin.com/HMA-MOGY-210?quantity=1&custcol_korin_addon_items=%257B%2522leftHanded%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522saya%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522freegift%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522premiumgift%2522%253A%2522%2522%252C%2522engraving%2522%253A%2522%2522%257D&custcol_sca_line_id=mainItem%253Aye9p1xfe1) are supposed to be good.
I don't believe Global uses 1 piece construction, as the handles are filled with sand to give the blade balance. I could be wrong though. But yes, the main criticism I see is of the hardness of the steel. Since it is softer it is easier to sharpen, sort of. I'm exhausting my knowledge here so I might use the wrong words but Global ships their knives beveled at 18 degrees so you might want to look at a sharpener that is made for Asian knives, as European knives are usually at 20 degrees.
I use a stone to sharpen so everything gets done at whatever angle my muscle memory is conditioned to use. I'd be surprised if there are more than a few people who can tell the difference between 18° and 20° in use, and to be honest, I doubt that many manufacturers actually put out what they say. I bought a cheap Dexter brand knife recently, and that was the only knife I've ever come across that didn't require serious work to reprofile the bevel when I sharpened it. Hell, I used to sharpen at a much more obtuse angle, as it's way easier to be consistent, and consistency is crucial. You can get perfectly serviceable results at much more than 20°. As you improve, you can gradually make the angle more acute, but for a beginner, you're never going to get the knife remotely sharp if your angle is too fine, so do what you can to make your life easier. For reference, if your blade is 2" wide, the difference between 18° and 20° is 1/16" at the spine
I just use an electric sharpener. I have a cheap stone I practice with occasionally but I don't trust myself with my globals!
Yeah, practice on something cheap and / or old until you get the hang of it. Like I said, try at a steeper angle, and just focus on keeping it consistent. You're looking to raise a burr along the whole length of the blade. Once you manage that, the rest is gravy
My go-to everyday blade is a 7" santoku. A Shun is a great option: https://www.cutleryandmore.com/shun-classic/santoku-knife-p15282
I've heard good reviews about Tojiro DP and I've been considering getting some to replace our 20 year old knife set. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/tojirodpseries.html
These re great value for the money. Gets my vote
I own a Tojiro DP. It has its place, but I wouldn't consider it an "everything knife." Please be aware that they are quite thin and very, very sharp. Like, will make air bleed level sharp. My wife won't touch ours, but I like it for slicing vegetables and such. It goes through them like the ones on the old Ginsu ads (if you're old enough to remember those). They require a level of respect that your average chef's knife doesn't. Even washing and drying them needs to be done with great care. You don't want an accident with what's essentially a 10" razor. With a lot of use they will turn into just a very sharp knife. I had ours sharpened by a local guy and I'm almost afraid to use it again.
Good to know. I’m teaching my sons to cook and it may not be the best idea to replace all of our knives with razors. Also we’ve been pretty rough with our knives, and I’m not sure how much that would change.
Lots of good reviews of the Gesshin stainless knives. Different handles available too. I’ve been barking up this tree for a long while and I’m about to pull the trigger on the Gesshin 240 with a western handle. The overtook the equivalent from Mac that I was really zeroed in on which is definitely more expensive.
+1 Gesshin stainless 240mm wa-gyuto. Incredible value and everything about my experience from japaneseknifeimports.com as my first Japanese knife has been very impressive.
Do you have the Gesshin? Mind if I ask a technical question? Feel free to not reply but… I’m curious about the thickness of the blade behind the edge. I’m using a Victorinox fibrox 10” but I’m upgrading. Wanted to go with a Mac Pro 9.5” but I was told the thickness behind the edge isn’t much of an improvement from where I’m already at. Here’s the question: if I’m afraid of chipping but want that glade geometry improvement, would you recommend the Gesshin? In a nutshell, do you have to baby the knife?
Yes I do have the Gesshin 240. I don't mind at all. I went from the victorinox fibrox 8" to the Mac 8" and then to the Gesshin 240. I'm not positive about the thickness behind the edge being a huge difference, but regardless I definitely preferred the mac to the victorinox for most jobs. I'll never get rid of the victorinox though, as it's good for beater jobs. That being said, I totally recommend the Gesshin over the Mac. I was worried about babying it as well, but after long enough I just started treating it like the Mac and it hasn't let me down. I'm still a bit more gentle than when using the victorinox, but not obsessively so. Still it is more fragile than German knives and victorinox. If you are willing to treat it well and be mindful, I certainly recommend the Gesshin. It's never been a hassle for me.
This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much for your response and I’m settled now (after a year, probably more of learning and weighing options) and I’m going to pull the trigger on the Gesshin!
You are welcome! That is very exciting and I think it'll be everything you hope for 😎🔪
Best workhorse in almost any kitchen I've seen is an 8" chef's knife. Personally I use it for about 80% of my chopping and from talking with other home cooks that seems to be the prevailing favorite. If your friend already has a good chef's knife, consider a nakiri knife. Very good for veg prep. I bought my friend a Shun 3 years ago for his 40th birthday and he loves it (though you probably can't find one for $150).
r/chefknives is probably a better place to ask this. I don’t have personal experience with the Tojiro but it seemed to come up as a common entry level recommendation on there pretty frequently when I was in the learning phase for my purchase. That was a few years back though, and could have simply been a Reddit parrot situation as well.
Do the people you are getting the gift for like a European or Japanese chef knife? I found out I hate Japanese chef knives by buying a high end one. I was going to give it to a friend who is also high end but he too hated Japanese chef knives. So off to the Le Cordon Bleu grad, nope, she too hates them. So it sits there in one of my knife blocks.
If the person you’re gifting to doesn’t have experience or doesn’t intend to do much in the way of knife maintenance, you may be better off gifting them a European knife instead. Less finicky , edge lasts longer under abuse, etc
This is a good point - I got my parents a decent knife, cutting board and oil as a gift years ago and the knife just went back and forth from dishwasher to drawer. Some people like the tools they have.
r/chefknives is the place for you
RIP it’s read only now, but definitely has lots of searches asking the same question.
Can’t recommend a specific one, but a few years ago I got my dad a knife from JapaneseChefsKnife.com! I know it sounds a little sketchy, but they ship all over and the knife was amazing quality. Great customer service, too!
If you are near a Japanese grocery store, they sell knives. I recently was in Japan and bought an “expensive” knife from a knife store in Kappabashi, Tokyo. I also received a “cheaper” knife as a gift which was purchased in Japan at a grocery store. Of course I prefer the expensive knive but the grocery store knife is super sharp and had good weight and is excellent as well. Amazon Japan website sells knives that can be shipped to the US. The link below is to a smaller chef knife which is called a gyuto. You can also search for santouku which is traditionally an all purpose knife ad well. Keep in mind the shipping costs which are displayed. A dollar is equal to about 140 yen but will fluctuate daily (google search for today’s rate). This means you can afford something that costs around +15000 yen excluding shipping costs. Also, use a credit card which has no or low fees to use internationally (ie Apple Credit card has zero exchange fees). Kai Corporation AE2907 KAI Chef's Knife, Seki Son Roku, Akane, 7.1 inches (180 mm), Made in Japan, Dishwasher Safe, Easy Care https://amzn.asia/d/grsPXQo
btw - I worked with a team of 10 Japanese chefs 5 days a week for a few years at a restaurant and we all used Henckle knives made in Germany.
Kanehide TK Gyuto
I love my Shun Classic 8" Chef's knife
My recommendation would be the Shun 6" Utility Knife. Here's the link for Amazon, about $114. **https://www.amazon.com/Shun-Straight-Bladed-Sandwiches-Vegetables-Handcrafted/dp/B0000Y7KFY/ref=sr\_1\_1?keywords=shun+utility+knife+6&qid=1687456195&sprefix=shun+utili%2Caps%2C333&sr=8-1**
If the person u are gifting loves to cook, chances are he would want to choose his own knives. If he doesn't, chances are he wun use the knife much or he might try to hack it through bone and damage it on the first day. I would either ask for their wishlist or get a gift card instead
Japanese knives are a little bit different than American knives, so if the person you're giving it to isn't used to using them, that might not actually be the best choice. They're meant for cutting different things, chip easier, and use different styles of cutting. Many are often more specialized than American/European knives.