While renovating my meager kitchen, I recently splurged, spending over $330 on two Shun Elite knives. They were hand made Japanese knives--sexy and sleek, beautiful to look at it--and very sharp with a gleaming edge. They caught your eye with a dazzling patterned blade.
A friend, inspired by my kitchen equipment renovation, went out and bought Global knives, preferring them for his high-tech shiny stainless kitchen. He asked me over for a cutlery show-down with my new Shun Elites. I was ready to rub his Globals into the dust with my Shun Elites!
After an entire afternoon of chopping and comparing, we both came to the same overwhelming conclusion--the Globals were sharper and easier to use. It's not that they are sharper per say, but if you examine them closely, the Global's edges are slightly concave, and are burred and rough, while the Shun Elites are polished to a gleaming and shiny finish, and taper to a much more straight point. My friend and I both felt that the Global's burred concave edges allowed the Globals to sorta gripe and slice/slid through everything from carrots to meat with more ease than the Shun's polished and acute edge. Because of this ease, we can also logically foresee the Global's staying sharper longer as well, despite the higher rockwell rating of the Shun's high tech SG-2 powder steel. However, who knows...?
We even tried shaving hair off of our arms, and the Globals won this test with ease. They are incredibly balanced and just seem to bounce in your hands.
This "Spear" 4" paring knife in particuar has a funky "ergonomic" handle that many have critizized, but I LOVE it! I fits my large manly man hands WONDERFULLY and makes this knife everything I have wanted in a small paring style knife. I can see where if you had smaller hands, this might not be the right choice for you--you might want to check out Global's Western style paring knife, which feels like the same ol' Henckels or Wusthoff to me--MUCH prefer the more comfortable and molded feel of this much more modern design...!
I loved my Shun Elites--they were sexy and beautiful. But the Globals were obviously designed by and for chefs--they are much easier and nicer to use, and as I said, they just effortlessly (read rip) through any food with no effort at all; I was very impressed--so much so that I returned my Shun Elites and exchanged them for a complete set of Globals, which are less than half the cost of the Elites--and I got twice as many knives (never have had a good bread or boning knife before!)
I highly recommend that if you are searching for truly sharp (as in Hello, Mr. Winter Squash!), easy to use kitchen cutlery, that feels like an extension of your hand and arm, that you check out Globals--the Shun Elites possibly as well. They are both wonderful knives, but I genuinely have to say I see why Globals are so popular with professional Chefs--they are awesome knives--maybe not as sexy and hand crafted as the Shun's, but they more than make up for that with an incredible ergonomic ease and free flowing sharpness that makes them a joy to use.
I bought this knife after it was recommended in the book Kitchen Confidential. The knife is razor sharp, well balanced and it's very comfortable in the hand. Also, I accidently nicked myself with it -I was shocked both by my own stupidity and how flawlessly the cut healed because the knife was so sharp!
Buy Global GS-7 - 4 inch, 10cm Paring Spear Knife Now
we already owned the 7-inch santoku knife, purchased locally from a kitchen retailer, and loved it. we were a little hesitant at first since we've only ever had cheaper knives, but as soon as we felt it in our hands and tried the knife we were sold. still, the 7-inch is a little big for small jobs, so we decided to get this 4-inch paring knife. i coupled a gift certificate with an amazon.com kitchen coupon promotion and was able to get the 4-inch paring knife and the 8-inch bread knife for a very good price. this should pretty much complete our knife set-from my experience these three knives are versatile enough for almost any job.
the 4-inch paring knife, specifically, is great for smaller jobs where the santoku would be awkward. it's balanced perfectly, stays sharp, and since it's a single piece it cleans easily and you don't have to worry about the handle breaking.
all in all, great knife, and highly recommended.
Read Best Reviews of Global GS-7 - 4 inch, 10cm Paring Spear Knife Here
I ordered this knife after being disappointed by the western style paring knife by Global. I sent it back because it was dull and I didn't like the way it felt in my hand it just felt too small or like it was gonna slip out of my hand so I spent a few more bucks and got this paring knife by Global... I love it. It came very sharp in fact I cut myself twice the first time I used it...I'm not complaining though it is what I wanted. I love the design and the way it fits in my hand I have small hands and I just hold it close to the top and hook my finger back behind the blade. This is by far my favorite knife in the kitchen I cut up fruit and vegetables everyday and I will wash this knife several times rather than reach for another. It is very sharp though so if you want a dull stick don't order this :) if you want something sharp you will love it. Not to mention it looks wicked cool.
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I muddled along for years with a collection of mismatched and mostly blunt kitchen knives before I found Global knives. They are very, very good. They hold an edge beautifully, are well balanced and with the solid handle and blade construction are hygienic and a breeze to clean. Incredible value being in the medium price range. I have a good collection of these now and expect to get many years of service out of them. I bought the Mina sharpener device too. Works perfectly.
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I'm kind of surprised that this set carries the Wusthof name. For the price I paid I wasn't expecting much, but figured if it was a Wusthof set it had to be decent. I have a couple other lower-end Wusthof knives and these knives are several notches below my other Wusthof's. The blades seem to be sharp but the handles are really flimsy and made out of rough plastic. There isn't much "heft" to these knives at all and they don't balance well in my opinion. I have a feeling that the blades will stay sharp for a long time because these knives won't be getting much use in my kitchen.
