Chefs Knives

babs007

Hi

Just wondering if anyone knows much about chefs knives. Want to buy them as a present and was recommended Global. I wanted to get a set of some sort. Also saw a block with the brand name Henckels. There doesnt seem to be many sets without spending alot of money.

Or maybe he only needs a couple pf knives. Hes not a pro yet!

Am I crazy spening 400 euro on them? They will last forever I suppose and hes worth it! And if it means getting yummy recipes.

Can someone guide me or tell me what to do!

Thanks

babs007

This is the global set if anyone knows anything about them

http://www.nisbets.ie/products/productdetail.asp?productCode=S090&BrandGroupCode=&BrandGroupName=&ShopByBrand=

And Henckels....

http://www.kitchencomplements.ie/kc/Main/Product.asp?iProductID=410

The Sweeper

Hey - there are a bunch of threads on knives on this board if you flick back a few pages. Same stuff always comes up. I'm an obsessive supporter of Global myself.

I find the Global G series nicely weighted and they keep their edge well. Don't put them in the dishwasher, and when you wash them in the sink, don't leave them to drain - they *are* prone to specks of rust if you leave them sitting when wet.

I also hear good things about Henckels, but I like a mid-weight knife.

Beware of people selling fake Global knives. Nisbets are probably fine, but most of what's on EBay is fake.

babs007

Thanks for that... - I see other posts now! Should have looked first!!

Would you buy a set or just a couple of knives. He has really only started to get into his cooking. I just think a couple of knives that are not in a set look a bit dismal even though they are expensive!

I dont think he would know the difference between a chopping knife and a paring knife. I wouldnt either! So a set or no?

padi89

I personally use Henckels knives the professional S series.I like the way they feel in my hand ,nice weight and balance and easy to sharpen.I tried Globals but i wasnt too gone on the handle and weight.Its really a matter of personal choice both are good.400 euro is not alot to spend on a set, you will have them for life if you look after them.
I bought one of these sharpeners a few months ago and its amazing gives my knives an incredible razorsharp edge,well worth it,simple to use.Can be got on ebay.
http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77

The Sweeper

The absolute basics from global would be a cook's knife and a vegetable knife (the blunt-ended chopper). I love those and find them indispensible. Second line to those in my personal favourites list are the breadknife (oddly) and the carving knife for roasts. The paring knife - I don't use it. I have a heavy-duty unbranded peeler that I acquired on my travels that I use for all paring.

I also want a Global santoku (which I don't have yet) and a fork for roast carving (also don't have one). I have a set I bought at Christmas in Australia (which between the exchange rate and the half price sale were disgracefully cheap).

If I were you, I'd buy your mate one or two knives. The collection of kitchen items you love is half the fun.

padi89

babs007 wrote:

Would you buy a set or just a couple of knives. He has really only started to get into his cooking. I just think a couple of knives that are not in a set look a bit dismal even though they are expensive!

I dont think he would know the difference between a chopping knife and a paring knife. I wouldnt either! So a set or no?

Going on what you set i would recommend just getting a couple, like a Chefs knife and a paring knife , im pretty sure these can be bought as a set from global or Henckels and pick up a block too for storage.A chefs knife is very versatile , i use mine 90% of the time, if its too big for the task just pull out the paring knife, the rest get light use.
Your friend can always add new knives to the set depending on what they require and of course you can mix and match brands.

Minder

If you are going for the Global selection, tap up any friends in Oz or the USA to bring them back for you. No problem if carried in the hold luggage. The difference in price is huge.

I bought some Global from an online seller in America, had them shipped to my cuz in NY and they brought them over on a visit. Well worth the wait.

Jambo

babs007 ,

If yuor near a tkmaxx they normally have global knife sets last time I seen them there they had sets that notmally retail for €350+ for €100

Mr Magnolia

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

Hey - there are a bunch of threads on knives on this board if you flick back a few pages.

Here's one anyway. I ended up sticking with the Victorinox, though they Wusthof got a lot of votes

The Hill Billy

Jambo wrote:

babs007 ,

If yuor near a tkmaxx they normally have global knife sets last time I seen them there they had sets that notmally retail for €350+ for €100

I'll second that.

TBH - I really only use one knife in the kitchen & that's a chinese cleaver. If your friend is dextrous enough & doesn't mind losing the odd millimeter or two of fingertip (if chopping while tipsy ) - they are the best thing since sliced bread.

(I do have a bread knife & carving knife too.)

rockbeer

There are other fantastic Japanese knives than Global, and some are much less expensive.

I've bought from http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/products.html before and found them really helpful and fantastic value. The Tojiro DP series are generally reckoned to be the best value for money. I've two of them - they are fantastic knives, and a whole lot cheaper than Globals.

bonkey

babs007 wrote:

Am I crazy spening 400 euro on them? They will last forever I suppose and hes worth it! And if it means getting yummy recipes.

Can someone guide me or tell me what to do!

Get him any of the following :

- A carving set

- A Chef's knife (aka Cuisine Knife), preferably around 8" (as opposed to 7" or 9") and a parer (typically about 2.5" to 3" in length)

- A Chef's knife and a sharpening steel (or other sharpening widget)

- A Chef's, a paring, and a Universal (typically about 5.5" to 6.5" long, not wide-bladed like a chef's.)

Let your mate decide after that if he wants to build that set, or go for a different set, or not bother with sets at all, but go for individual knives that suit him.

If he chooses option 2 (different set) then you can feel good about having started him on the path to using good blades, without feeling jipped that he's ditched a full set of perfectly good knives that you spent a fortune on

bonkey

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

I also want a Global santoku (which I don't have yet)

Funnily, the Santoku is high on my list of knives to get too.

I was surprised but happy to see it in the range I prefer (Goldhamster / Solicut First Class Edition). Well, happy, in the "ouch, this is going to hurt my bankbalance" sort of way.

Bloody expensive.

MicraBoy

I was gifted a Global Chef's Knife from Brown Thomas last night. It is 24cm and a beauty.

I was a bit stumped though because for the same price I could get a 20cm "Cooks Knife" and a vegetable Knife as described by MAJD. What's the point and or difference between the Chef's knife and Cook's Knife? Is it just personal preference?

I'm tempted to buy the vegetable knife myself anyway.

To the OP: I noticed Global do gift sets with two or threes knives so that might be an option (from the brochure inside the box they werent in BT). The general consensus from threads here is to stick to one or two knives and get them sharpened professionally or buy a whetstone.

rockbeer

MicraBoy wrote:

... or buy a whetstone.

Yeah, some kind of sharpening system is a must if you want to keep your knives in good order. I like my japanese waterstones. Whatever you use, it's well worth spending some time learning how to use it on some old knives, then your decent ones will never be blunt.

For everything you need to know (and more) about knife maintenance take a look at this.

Minder

I have used one of these and always found them to be an excellent way to maintain the sharp edge on my globad knives.

The minosharp sharpener will not sharpen a blunt knife, but used about once a week on both the course and fine wheels guarantees a good edge.

The wheels sit in a waterbath and are offset so that the blade has to run across both sides of the wheel as it is drawn across the sharpener. About 15 passes on both wheels is enough.

Buy the big one. I found that the spindles kept breaking on the small one.

bonkey

rockbeer wrote:

For everything you need to know (and more) about knife maintenance take a look at this.

Thats a class article. Good stuff.

pob1

I just did a stupid thing and did an impulse buy of a global knife set off ebay:
After find this and the below articles I feel like kicking myself , its like the saying goes :
If it's too good to be true ....

http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160141844433&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=006

As you can see no paypal protection either which I have only just noticed.
And on this link i've just found seems to be the exact same fake set !

http://www.globalknives.uk.com/counterfeit.htm

Is there anywhere in dublin I can bring these to verify their autenticity?

The Sweeper

They're not authentic. Global don't sell knives in rolls. And the whole Global/eBay thing is a guarantee of a fake.

I've no idea how good the fakes are in terms of just plain old kitchen knives, e.g. whether or not they'll keep an edge.

pob1

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

They're not authentic. Global don't sell knives in rolls. And the whole Global/eBay thing is a guarantee of a fake.

I've no idea how good the fakes are in terms of just plain old kitchen knives, e.g. whether or not they'll keep an edge.

Thanks for the reply Minesajackdaniels , your info came in very handy when I emailed the seller.

The girl I bought the knives off said she got them off ebay 2-3 years ago and just sent me some photos can anyone verify from the picture below.

From other articles about counterfeit global knives it says a major pointer is black paint instead of staining inside the dots on the handles but I cant tell myself.

Could anyone who has a genuine global knife take a look at the picture and tell me.

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/5416/dsc00525cl6.jpg

RGDS - Paul

The Sweeper

Um, okay - things to watch for:

My first reaction was that the top knife is the wrong shape for a G-series cook's knife, but mine is the G-2 model and yours appears to be the G-17 cook's knife.

Here's the link from the Yoshikin (the people who make Global Knives) site on what your top knife is supposed to look like:

http://www.yoshikin.co.jp/w/products/global/g-17.html

The first thing I think I can see as different - do your knives have the tiny R in a circle tradmark to the right of the L in Global?

Plus - there are weights and measures in Yoshikin's website. Your G-17 Cook's Knife should weigh 284g and be 40.5cm long. Weigh it and measure it!

Your bottom knife looks like a roast slicer. (Incidentally I could never find a set on sale with a cook's knife and a roast slicer, and had to buy my roast slicer separately).

Your roast slicer doesn't look like it has its G reference to the left of the circled Yoshikin logo on the blade. Additionally it should weigh 160g and be 25cms long.

http://www.yoshikin.co.jp/w/products/global/g-8.html

I hope this helps you to get somewhere with your seller.

Finally, here's the link to the FAQ page on Yoshikin's own site:

http://www.yoshikin.co.jp/w/faq/index.html

You're specifically looking for:

Q. What should I do to avoid buying fake YOSHIKIN goods?

We recommend you to purchase YOSHIKIN products at officially recognized retailers. Please enquire with the Tokyo Sales Office to find out a sole distributor in your area. In addition, we assert that almost all products pretending to be authentic YOSHIKIN products on the eBay (especially eBay UK) website are fake. "GLOBAL Chef" and "GLOBAL Professional" products are not YOSHIKIN products. YOSHIKIN does not sell a combination of knives and knife roll as a set.

pob1

Thanks a million for all your help

Armed with all this info I just have to wait for them to arrive and then do my investigations.

Cheers
Paul