6/22    Is Global a decent knife? I've been looking for a good knife for a
        while: http://csua.org/u/7ux
        \_ Tac-11 is a pretty good knife.  Heh. -- ilyas
        \_ I can't believe someone erased my post about the only knife a
           man needs.  You people are cold and vicious.
        \_ Believe it or not, I'm using Miracle Blade II right now ... They
           are really sharp, really cheap and can go into the dishwasher....
           Yes, this is heresy, but try it out (cheap!):
           http://www.alltvstuff.com/mb1.html -eric
           \_ While I haven't used that particular knife, it looks like any
              other cheap stamped blade.  These types of knives start out very
              sharp, but don't hold their edge well.  The blade is also too
              flexible.  You end up with a wobbly dull knife with a ragged
              blade; not very safe.  Any knife can go through the dishwasher,
              but the reason good knives say not to is because they will bang
              into other things and get dull faster.
              \_ Globals are not all stamped.  Its the alloy they use
                 that lets it keep its edge.
                 \_ I never said ANY Globals were stamped.  I said it looks
                    like all the "Chef Tony" knives are stamped.
                    \_ some global knives are stamped, that's why they have
                       a separate forged series that is heavier
           \_ Along those lines, how about someone telling us the scoop on
              Ron Popeil's latest infomercial set:
                http://www.popeilfamilystore.com/6star.html
              I've seen that infomercial a couple times now (well bits of it,
              there's something hypnotic about that guy) and it had me ready
              to buy, but I always figure these things are scams.
              \_ It's an $870 value!  Yours today for only $39.99!
        \_ Wusthof!  Wusthof Classic is the STANDARD!
           OK, now that I've gotten that out of the way:  I've only used Global
           a little, but the ergonomic design seems quite good.  As a new knife
           it was very nice.  The big difference about Global is that their
           steel has a lot of vanadium in it.  This makes the blades harder
           (and presumably more brittle).  These knives are also honed to a
           sharper angle than most good knives.  This makes them seem sharper.
           The reason most knives are honed to a wider angle is that a wider
           wedge holds its edge longer.  Global knives, because of their
           harder alloy, can get away with the sharper honing.  This extra
           hardness and sharpness comes at a price.  These knives are very
           hard for most people to resharpen with a stone or steel.  When the
           knives eventually need resharpening, you will probably have to take
           them to a professional.
           \_ Wusthof/Solingen is totally overpriced.  They're good knives,
              but you can get equally good ones for half the money.  Want a
              tip?  Ask a chef.  The knives are often their most prized
              possessions.  -John
              \_ Agreed.  -Wusthof guy
              \_ I've known two chefs and both used Wustof knives. I use
                 them myself. I would consider Henckels. What knives are
                 equally good for 50% of the cost?
                 \_ Do you guys sharpen them yourself with a sharpening
                    stone, or have it done professionally?  And how often?
                    \_ With a steel every few months, or right before a big
                       cutting job.  The steel corrects minor dulling of the
                       blade.  A professional uses a grinder and actually
                       grinds off metal to create a new edge.   You should hone
                       reasonably often and take it to a grinder only rarely.
                       \_ do you mean truing it on a steel?  I took the knife
                          skills class at Sur La Table (very useful, btw), and
                          the chef suggested to true briefly every time you use.
                          I've heard that you can use a sharpening stone instead
                          of having it ground, but that you should do one or the
                          other yearly if you use the knife often.  I've had my
                          Henckels for a few years and never done this, and was
                          thinking I probably should, but wasn't sure which
                          option to take (tempted to try the stone, but don't
                          want to mess them up)
                 \_ There are some forged Sabatier knives that are 80% as good
                    for 30% of the cost.
        \_ They're fairly light, which might be good or bad depending
           on how you plan on using them.
           \_ Will they still be usable if I stab a guy in the head with them?
              \_ yes, you can still cut thru an aluminum can with it
                 \_ o.O  The guy's head can cut thru an aluminum can?  Whoa.
        \_ I _love_ my global knives.  I have owned and used Wusthof, Henkel,
           and Chicago Cutlery previously.  Global kicks their butts.  Global
           is fairly light, very sharp (I hear they have a special edge on
           them).  They are an excellent value, imho.  --chris
           \_ Just curious how one owns knives "previously"? They should
              last a lifetime. I bought my Wustof knives and I will never
              buy another knife again because there is no need. If they do
              break (possible, but unlikely) you can get them replaced
              for free. How have you gone through so many knives?!
              \_ One per skull?  I don't think they're designed to penetrate
                 solid bone like that and the replacement policy won't cover
                 fraud or felonious use of device.
                 \_ That actually brings up a good point -- once you've got
                    the knife firmly lodged in a guy's skull, what's the best
                    way to get it back out?  Twisting or pulling?  Or do you
                    rock it out?  Which way do you rock?
                    \_ You brace your foot against his neck/shoulder and pull
                       back with both hands if the knife handle is large enough
                       or just one hand with smaller knives.
           \_  There are other companies also using the same alloy as
               Global without the contemporary one piece look.
           \_ I really like Global, but they're pretty light and some people
              like a knife that feels more solid when they hold it. - mikeym
        \_ I bought a block set of Henckel's Professional S.  They look nice
           and work great.  They've also held their edge well for a few years
           without needing sharpening (fairly light use).  Individually,
           any good knife is pricey; in a set they're not too bad.  The best
           piece of advice I've heard is: the best knife is the one you use.
           One that feels good in someone else's hand won't necessarily feel
           good in yours.  Beyond that, Wusthoff, Henckels, and Global are
           all good bets.
           \_ Based on advice from the knife skills class and the book
              "kitchen confidential", I found that I only needed a very small
              subset of the "full block."  Specifically, a good chef's knife,
              a good paring knife (I got two, a long and a short), and a
              z-offset serrated knife.  The latter is *great* for cutting
              lots of misc items (tomato, bread, ...), more practical than
              a normal bread knife.  Oh, and a truing steel, of course.
              \_ My block came with: 6" extra-tall chef's, 8" chef's,
                 long slicer, paring, steel, 6 steak knives, block, bread
                 knife, "utility" (short serrated), and a 6" slicer.
                 I used every single one routinely except the utility.
                 I could certainly get by w/ fewer, but I like having them.
                 --dbushong