Global8 1/2 inch Forged Heavyweight Chef's Knife - Japanese Stainless Steel, Razor-Sharp Edge, Made in Japan, GF-33

I first fell in love with this knife somewhere around 2001. I was a line cook and the line supervisor had this knife. I bought one as soon as I could get the funds together. I used that GF-33 through countless parties and daily mise en place. Throughout the hundreds of thousands, maybe a million slices, chops, brunoise, minces etc. and puncturing open the occasional stubborn lid it has been never let me down. I used my beloved GF-33 for about 18 years and throughout those years it had been sharpened down to a knuckle banger.I retired it by giving it to a cook that loved borrowing it and I bought a different knife by a different maker because it was a great deal.The replacement knife was good but it wasn’t my buttery smooth GF-33 so here I am writing a review for my new GF-33. My new knife is just as good as my old one. Beautiful in form and function. Perfectly balanced and heavy but not too heavy. The steel is excellent. Excellent edge retention but not so hard that you can’t sharpen it on your own. Is it my only knife? The only one I use? No, but there isn’t a better knife than my beloved GF-33.

I've been a professional chef for almost a decade now, and I've tried dozens of high-end and mid-priced knives including Shun, Calphalon, Henckels, Wusthof, Furi, and plenty of others. This is the best. Hands down. I had previously purchased the G-2 chef's knife and really loved it, but it just wasn't quite beefy enough to take down things like sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or cleanly cut through a chicken spine. The extra blade thickness (and weight) at the hilt is a huge advantage for tasks like shredding cabbage for slaw or finely chopping herbs. That being said, the knife is balanced so well it feels like a part of your arm, and is sharper than some of the ceramics out there. the steel is harder than all but the most expensive german lines, but it flexes more than the folded japanese knives. The result? The Global cuts smooth as buttah, stays sharp longer than a Pro-S Henckels, but doesn't chip or crack like a Shun. It's also just a really beautiful and elegantly designed piece of steel. Showroom-quality, as they say. The one real caveat is that you really need a ceramic honer to keep the blade in top form. Standard chrome or diamond steels just don't hold up. I recommend the Wusthof Ceramic Honing Rod. 5 years in, and it hasn't lost a bit of its grit.

This knife is large, heavy and extremely sharp. Just not your everyday go to kitchen knife. A sharp knife will cut you. A really sharp knife will cut you to the bone. This one will amputate if you are not careful with it. It really comes scary sharp. If large heavy and extra sharp is what you need, this is the knife for you. If you want a general purpose chef knife you can get something more than adequate for less.

Bought this item and it arrived in one day which was very impressive considering I live in British Columbia. The knife looked great and was extremely sharp out of the box, but within just a couple uses I thought I could feel the blade getting duller. Telling myself it must be in my head as there were so many good reviews and other people telling me what a great product this was, I put it out of my mind. The next day I bought some dense rye bread and thought I would try cutting it with my new Global knife - even though I knew it was not a bread knife, I figured it would be fine... It did cut through the bread, however after about 6 slices I really noticed how dull the blade was...I could not believe it! Now after a few more uses on nothing harder than a carrot, it is as dull as a bread knife...I can literally slide it across my palm with no fear of cutting myself. I would like to know what the return policy is.

This is a great knife for large, heavy objects and heavy duty chopping. I love the look, feel, and function of the Global knives. There's a definite difference between the GF heavyweight knives and the lighter weight ones. This is a big, heavy knife.Be careful, it comes from the factory extremely sharp! Cut right through the sponge the first time I washed it!The water sharpener does a good job keeping it sharp. Not quite factory sharp, but good enough for my purposes.

I bought this knife for my father for Father's day. He can't stop talking about it. I haven't personally used it. But my father cooks a lot and also is a butcher for part of the year. He knows his knives and this is one of his favorites.

Never forgot reading Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential paragraph on Chef's knives. He basically said that butcher's blocks full of knives are a complete waste. You need only two knives, a good quality ($100+) dollar chef's knife (as long as you can comfortable handle), and a small paring knife. He recommended Global, as do I. I am no Chef, but I have to agree with him entirely. I have used this knife for nearly every kitchen task for years and wouldn't recommend anything else, except for maybe a custom piece from Seki City that would likely cost way more than anyone other than a professional chef would pay. This does the job just fine. You notice the difference between this version (professional) than the regular knife. You can feel the quality in the steel. Highly recommend. You don't need an entire block taking up space in your kitchen. Get this and a Global paring knife and you're set.

I own a lot of global knives and most of the blades are not wide enough to keep your knuckles from almost touching the cutting board. This knife is more like your standard size chef's knife. It's heavier than the standard global knife but not a big deal and I actually like it