Global 8-Inch Chef's Knife – Lightweight Japanese Stainless Steel, Razor-Sharp Edge, Made in Japan, G-2

If you're reading this review, clearly you're in the market for a professional grade chef's knife. You've probably also considered offerings by Shun, Wusthof, and Henckels. Truth is, you really can't go wrong with the German knives. Nor can you go wrong with one of the Shun Elite knives. But that doesn't cut it (no pun intended), does it? You want the best. Quite frankly, I believe the Global G2 fits the bill.To be considered a 'good' knife it should:-Be correctly balanced- Have a full tang (or something similar). NOT bonded.- Have metal that can be sharpened to the point where it shaves arm-hair.- Retain its edge assuming regular knife-steel use.- Not stain (only applies to stainless steel knives)The Global G-2 easily exceeds these standards. It's a 'good' knife. But it really offers quite a bit more. Unlike the traditional French or German knives, it doesn't rely on weight to chop things. You'll notice it's a REALLY light knife when picking it up. Now, professional chefs who haven't used one might think this is a drawback. Interestingly, it isn't. Since the grind profile of the blade is relatively narrow, the entire knife becomes an agile cutting machine.The ergonomics are another key benefit of the Global G-2. You can really bring your hand up to the blade and comfortably chop for a while without any discomfort. You'd think the metal handle would get really slippery, but unless your hand is covered in bacon grease (which is bad technique) you won't have any issues. You do have to use proper knife skills to get the most out of this knife, but you might as well learn for your finger's sake.Interestingly, the G-2 is stamped and not forged. Now, this is VERY different than your run of the mill stamped knife. They use the stamping technique in order to make the knife much lighter. There's a forged version (the GF-33) but it's heavier and has a solid handle. I have actually grown to prefer the weight of the G-2. After a TON of vegetable chopping, the light weight of the G-2 is a godsend.The steel is not obnoxiously hard (HRC) unlike some other japanese knives, so any decent steel will do wonders on it.In conclusion, this is hands down the best general Chef's knife I have ever owned. It is a nice improvement on the heavy German designs at a competitive price.

A fantastic knife, cost, quality, comfort, and sharper than any expensive German knife I've purchased. It's an extension of the hand as it should be. This is an excellently crafted knife that I look forward to many years of happy use.

Good weight and comfortable to hold and use.

I just purchased a set of four knives quite similar to each other as an experiment. (My older 8" knife was uninspiring.) All of them were 8". Two are made in Taiwan. Two in Japan. The other Japanese manufactured one I purchased was a MAC hollow edge. They were all received within a few days ago and I used them all for prepping vegetables, today.This 'Global' knife is head-and-shoulders sharper than all three of the others. (Which themselves are sharper than my older 8".) And I don't mean by just a little. It's night and day compared to the other three I just received. I almost cannot feel the Global blade as it slices through the red onions, bell peppers, and so on, today. If I had to guess (I do), the other brand new knives are about 4-6 times more 'draggy' as I slice. And they are already pretty sharp.I tested the Global last. Not for any reason than chance, in my case. But when I started using it, I was completely taken aback. I could tell I was actually cutting. It was like cutting through air, almost. It's scary sharp. I mean that. SCARY sharp. Don't let anyone near the darned thing!I then tried the knife on this product:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006J32A0It's a rawhide chew for dogs that is made from thick, rolled up rawhide and dried and very hard. The knife was able to breeze through the hide. I was able to quickly turn a heavy rollup into a bunch of long slices. Seriously, I didn't need to push hard at all. Just sliced through the dried rawhide with far more ease than I like to consider. So it's sharper than any cooking knife I've encountered before.This is my first time trying Global. And I've no idea if I will be able to maintain the edge over time with a two-sided stone. But out of the box it is way way too easy when cutting. So much so that I'm keeping it locked away, for now. (I have children and grandchildren living with me.)I'm not a cook. But I've been in training at home, since we largely shifted away from processed foods to where I'm spending a few hours each day prepping the mise en place before cooking or otherwise making a fresh, cold dish.The reason, these last two years, for prepping and cooking from scratch and buying as little processed food as possible (oils and vinegars, for example) is because my daughter suffers from grand mal seizures. There are other reasons, but we've also identified a specific chemical that is commonly used in food today -- propylene glycol, aka 1,2 propanediol, aka propane-1,2-diol, which isn't natural at all and yet is allowed to be listed under "natural flavors" by the FDA rule changes in the summer of 1982, despite that it has to be made in vats and isn't found in nature. (1-3, propanediol is found in nature, so don't be confused.) This was patented in 1982 by Coca Cola for drinks (first applied to apple juice) and other uses and is now a growing industry for processed foods. Unfortunately, it also causes immediate (same day) seizures in my daughter. So by eliminating the sources of this chemical we've greatly reduced the seizure events (gone from as much as 2 or 3 per day to only a few per year, now -- it's a shocking change.)I'm enjoying, very much, learning how to cook again. And a good knife helps a lot. But these Global knives are nothing to play with. Be careful with them. I'd be saying that for my other knives -- the other Japanese MAC knife, for example, and the Mercer Taiwanese ones. But they don't even compare. The Global is just plain scary dangerous. Works very nice. But frightens me far more than the others (which are already scary enough), as well.I'll be trying out their other products where I find what they offer matches something I do a lot of. But I'll also be buying a case of some kind to keep these devices out of the hands of those who may forget just how dangerous they are.I'm darned happy with this knife. But scared, too. I will be using it with the utmost care.

I cook two or three meals everyday. This knife is sharp, lightweight and balanced. Love it!

Great knife! Recommend by Anthony Bourdain and I agree! Very good quality and great price (I got it on sale).

First off, this is a beautiful knife. I had my name engraved on it, which adds to the beauty. It’s also extremely sharp. I find myself being more cautious with this knife than the other 15 or so knives in my collection.It’s my first Global knife. The thin spine and lack of a true bolster makes this knife good for only the limited kitchen projects. In other words, I don’t see myself using this if I’m working on a recipe or kitchen project that requires lots of repetitive chopping. Beyond that, I continue to use it just about every day for something in the kitchen. I have no regrets about buying it.

Best knife I have ever used!