Global Knives – Samurai History lives on

The Global knives GS19 fish or poultry knife is quite short and stubby. It looks like the GF23 Chef’s knife but is more pointed because of its length. It can be used for slicing fish and meat as well as for chopping smaller joints and poultry. With an edge that is superbly sharp and a comfortable handle this Global knife combines to make a very popular and versatile knife.

For over one thousand years Japan has been a land where steel crafting and sword-making has been steeped into the national consciousness. Global knives follow this Samurai legacy of excellence in steel craftsmanship.

Komin Yamada first designed the Global knives in 1985. His design brief was to produce a range of knives that were to be innovatory in design and to utilise the very best elements of high technology and materials. The Global Knives range had to meet the high standards of both chefs and keen amateur cooks.

The result is the wide range of well-balanced knives available today. A distinguishing feature of Global knives is the edge and the way in which it is sharpened. The edge is ground straight, not bevelled like the majority of western-style knives. This results in a sharper edge that holds its sharpness for an extended period of time.

Global knives have a great balanced feel, this is helped by the hollow handled knives being weighted internally to improve the handling. With no tang and a seamless method of construction, Global knives are sleek in appearance and also very hygienic in use with no dirt traps.

Global knives use the finest quality high carbon conten steel in their construction. Yoshikin, the manufacturers of Global knives actually have their own mix of steel which is named Cromova 18. This specail stel provides an adge hard enough to last but at the same time to allow Global knives to be reasonably easy to sharpen. The cRO in the name of the steel stands for chromium and the 18 is the % of chromium used in the steel mix. This high percentage of chromium aids stain resistance, although the owner should take care to keep knives clean and dry. Molybdenum and vanadium are also used in the steel mix for Global knives, these provide the hardness required for superb edge retaining properties.

Knife Care

We recommend that Global knives are hand washed in hot water with normal washing-up liquid. Never use a dishwaher: the harsh chemicals may damage the steel and there is always the danger of blade edges knocking against other items in the dishwasher and becoming damaged. Always hand dry the knives immediately after washing.

Store your Global knives in a knife block or on a magnetic rack or in a purpose-made knife roll. The purpose is to keep individual Global knives from knocking against each other and becoming damaged. A good selection of these are available on our website.

In use, always cut on a wooden or plastic board, not glass, marble or stone. Do not use Global knives to cut through bones or frozen food. Always use a Global knife in a stricly vertical axis: do not twist or move the knife from side to side whilst cutting. The knife may break. When in use, cut with a slicing motion (even when chopping!) this will ease the strain on the global Knife’s edge.

Sharpening Global knives

Global knives have razor-sharp edges and the Crommova 18 steel from which they are made means that they will keep that sharpness longer than almost any other knife. Even Global Knivesl, however, will require sharpening from time to time. When you judge the time has come to sharpen your Global knives, there are available a variety of methods one may use. Global knives recommend that the ideal way to keep the best edge is by use of a whetstone for main sharpening sessions, with interim sharpening with a ceramic or diamond steel or a pull-through sharpener.

Whetstones

Whetstones for Global knives come in a variety of types. There are stone ones and also ceramic. The ceramic whetstones are harder than stone so therefore last longer and will sharpen knives quicker. A medium grade grit is usually the best to use, but if your global knife is very blunt or has nicks in the blade, then a coarser grade may be better to use.

Soak the stone in water prior to use for the amount of time given in the instructions. Move the blade up and down the stone maintaining an angle of 10-15 degrees – this is more eassily achieved if you use the minosharp sharpening guide rails – work on until the whole length of the blade has been sharpened (both side for global knives that have a double sharpened edge). The edge should have no burrs left and feel sharp. During sharpening a certain amount of residue will be produced, this is good and will aid and lubricate the sharpening process. When you judge sharpening to be complete, wash your Global knife in hot water and dry on a towel or soft cloth.

As suggested earlie, in between whetstone sharpening sessions it is a good idea to perform an interim sharpening using a Global ceramic or diamond steel. Use in the same way that you would use atraditional sharpening steel but remeber to try to maintain an angle of 10 – 15 degrees whilst sharpening. The diamond is harder than the ceramic so will sharpen your Global Knives quicker. It is also less brittle.

Some people do not get on well with sharpening steels, if this is the case you may want to consider using one of the pull-through sharpeners for your interim sharpening sessions. These consist of two ceramic wheels set at the correct angle for sharpening Global knives. The wheels sit in a litle trough of water which lubricates the sharpening process. All that is required is to pull the knife therough, backwards and forwards enough time to effect the sharpening process. The Minosharp and the Minosharp plus are both available on our website under Global Accessories and Sharpeners.

For Further information use this Link to the Global website