Customer Reviews

Global GS-5 - 5 1/2 inch, 14cm Vegetable Knife

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have 10 Global knives covering a wide range. I bought each individually over the course of several years and put quite a bit of thought into each purchase to ensure that it met a need and that the Global knife was the best designed knife of its kind (usually the case which is why I own more Global knives than other kinds). Despite my broad range of choice I find myself pulling the 5.5" vegetable knife off the wall more than all others. I'm a sharpening fanatic and this knife is unbelievable - I can effortlessly dry shave hair off my arm (it will grow back). I believe it's my most frequent choice because the size is just right for almost any chopping job - vegtables, fruit, meats, breads (you don't need a bread knife if your regular knife is insanely sharp), sandwiches and even some cheeses. The fact that the knife is blunt nosed initially did not attract me to it but the broad side of the knife is usefull for picking up food or spreading and makes the knive a bit less intimidating. The knife is ultra light in weight and the triangular handle, a unique design to Global knives, fits so well in your hand that I wonder why Global is the only company to make such a handle. I personally have not experienced the slipping problem that another reviewer has. The handle has a notch just before the blade so you finger is not even close to the cutting edge - it is a very safe design. I have other knives that are "nicer" in some respects but I don't use them as much and if I had to give away all my knives but one this would be the one I would keep.

I loved my 8 inch Global chef knife so much I ordered this veggie knife. Oh wow, this thing is perfectly balanced and because of it's smaller size it is just about perfect for most veggies. It also fits in your hand extremely well. If you are going to cut up a potato, it is hard to beat the chef's knife. However, for cutting up a tomato, carrot, etc. this thing is the best tool I have ever used. Just wonderful!

The look is atypical, but the cut is stunning. Before purchasing this knife, I read lots of reviews and looked at lots of knives, but I kept coming back to Global. I've never used a knife this sharp. When I got it home, I diced an overly ripe tomato - something I could not have done before without creating a messy puree - and was instantly gratified for my decision to buy this knife.

I will add more Global knives to my kitchen.

This knife has made me eat more vegetables, just because it's so much fun to chop carrots. I was a little concerned with the handle at first, but it's very comfortable, and isn't slick at all, even in soapy water. I also worried that maybe I should have gotten the bigger version of this knife. Again, my fears were unfounded, as this was the perfect size for vegetable preparation. You can't really describe the feeling of using the best tool for the job... but if you've ever had that feeling, you already know how you'll feel using a Global. When I slice carrots for snacks, they come out as perfect, translucent discs. Any vegetable I've cut has been a joy.

I got this knife because chef's knives are too wide at the back and wedge the cuts and santoku knives with their ultra thin edges should be saved for softer foods. For cutting squash,carrots and other hard foods this knife is perfect. Great balance, amazingly sharp, cleans easily, and worth every penny.

I never forgot that he mentioned this knife brand as a more affordable alternative in Kitchen Confidential. It's still pretty expensive for me but it is the sharpest knife I own and now I can slice ginger thinly so soup making has been a much better experience for me. I like that is is one piece of metal. It's not slippery when wet. I've sliced frozen fish and meat as well as veggies and scallions. This was a positive experience although I still feel like a traitor to frugality for buying it. I really enjoy this knife although I've gotten some pretty bad cuts. I was finally compelled to buy this after success with the recipes in Fuzzy Dunlop's Sichuan cookbook. This price wasn't quite as high as other styles and it was less than ten dollars more than the next smaller size so I thought this one would be good value. It IS so good that it motivated me to buy more cutting boards. This knife IS the only one I reach for and it has made food prep and the cooking experience much easier, less stressful.

It's high time to replace my Wusthof set and I no longer live near retailers where I can test-drive these knives prior to purchase; so I decided to order both this knife and an equivalent style from the Shun Ken Onion line to gauge their sharpness, ease of use and their feel in my hand before committing to buy several from either line sight unseen. Well, I haven't unwrapped the Shun yet, but this Global had its debut today with some thick, tough broccoli stalks and I was very impressed. This was a completely different experience from holding (or should I say forcefully grasping) a Wusthof.

I first had to adjust my expectations, and then my actual grip. The metal handle has a substantial (and surprising) amount of traction and I didn't find it at all slippery. It felt well balanced in my hand and I didn't need to apply a lot of pressure in order to control it. In fact, the gentler the grasp I engaged with it, the smoother and more effective was its action. My grip was firm but light, and the formidable blade slid through the tough broccoli as if it were butter. My previous knives required heavy sawing motions and considerable pressure on my part even when the blades were freshly honed and sharpened; which was very fatiguing and frustrating, and made a tiring, time-consuming chore of an otherwise simple task. The lethal blade on this beast is almost frighteningly sharp and effective, but I felt no imminent slippage or danger while holding it; all of its slicing power stayed centered upon the vegetable and safely away from my hand. I should mention that I'm a 5'8" woman with a medium-large-sized hand.

I highly recommend this knife if you do a lot of chopping and need a knife that makes fewer demands on your upper body strength; spend a great deal of time at your computer keyboard and experience any wrist fatigue; or just want to make your prep time in the kitchen a breeze and a pleasure.

The Ken Onion will have its day shortly and I'm eager to try it; but in the meantime, this Global is my new partner in vegetable carnage.

Cuts like a Samurai blade quality, and doesn't need to steel as frequent as the Henckels/ Wusthof knives. It has excellent weight for a medium sized hand. However, the handles get quite slippery when wet, so keep your hands clean and dry while using this knife for safety. Also, if you plan on saving money on getting a cheaper steel, DON'T, because this Global blade is much harder than the Henckels/Wusthof blades; a qood quality Diamond coated or ceramic steel is a must, or if you really like the steel design, get the Global steel which can cost quite a bit. Overall, this is a good quality knife with proper care and attention needed, just like a Samurai would do to get use to his sword.

Until 2 years ago, I used German knives, but even though I steeled with every use, they seemed to dull too quickly. When introduced to the Global line, the first thing that struck me was how well they held a razor sharp edge. Add to that excellent balance and outstanding design and you have top stock!

I've 8 in my collection now and my previous work horse 10" chefs knife has been relegated to cutting pizza!

The only other piece that rates a bit higher is my KASUMI DAMASCUS Japanese SANTOKU Chefs Knife... that is my all time favorite piece.

In summary, this global vegetable knife serves us well everyday. It is simply a pleasure to use, doing its job well while never stressing your grip.

Just a warning, this review will contain some graphical descriptions of injuries. Definitely not for the squeamish people.

The knife may have some additional desires, but overall, it's the best set you can sink your teeth into, and of course, blow a few hundreds on. I paid a total of $90 at Bed Bath and Beyond, but worth every penny. Here's why:

Looks and Feel:
To most people, a knife is just a knife. To those who actually use knives on a daily basis, a knife is a blade designed for specific tasks, and not any knife will act as a universal knife for all tasks. The full one-piece blade-to-handle is the exact type of knife that one should look into. A knife with an attached wooden or plastic handle will cause stickiness, deterioration, and sanitary issues later down the road. I know first hand, since I have a drawer full of knife types. The way the knives are made, the handle actually balance with the blade when you place the middle finger into the groove, and start cutting. The proper cutting technique is placing the middle finger in the groove (the bolster), while the thumb and index fingers' tips are place on each side body of the knife for stability during quick action chopping. The balance is slightly off if you just attempt to balance the knives on your index finger just being curious. When you cut, take a notice of your fingers, palm, and wrist strains. Too much pressure on your thumb and middle finger, the handle is too heavy. Too much focus on your palm's heel, the blade is too heavy. Either will cause a bit of a wrist strain after 5 minutes of cutting.

But these knives are perfectly balanced, and eliminating the strains. The handle is excellent in so many way. The dimples actually created slight suction if you wet your hand with warm water, while maintaining the handle clean from oily and meat fluids. Once there's an oily film on the handle, no knife's handle will maintain the proper grip.

The blade:
5.5-inch blade is perfect for cutting small fruits, small veggies, and of course, great for people with small hands. The women in the house love to use this blade to cut pretty much everything. When it comes to cutting partially frozen meat, they switch up to the 7-inch santoku. Once again, be very cautious of this blade. It may be small, but the damages it can cause is as bad as the 7-inch. Same amount of fingers, a few more people, and a few left and right palms to boost. It's not we were being careless, but we applied too much pressure during the cutting, or the people who have never use these knives before underestimate their sharpness. For me, my habit for cutting too fast in meal preparation is my downfall. It claimed my left middle finger's nail and meaty tip, cut through my ring finger's blood vessel, my wife's middle and index finger's blood vessels, my friend's middle finger's tip, my wife's mom pinky finger's blood vessel. Let's just say that the knife made its mark on our bones. That's how sharp the blade is right out of the box. The 5.5-inch is excellent when it comes to making fancy decorations with large veggies during food preps. Fish filleting is nothing of a wonderful thing when it comes to this blade. Forget those serrated flexible knife for filleting. This blade out do those knives 10-to-1. Forget the so-called "flexible blade". Tilt the blade about 3 degrees above the middle spinal column of the fish, and you'll get your halves of the fishes. Level your knife out, and you'll get even thinner slices of fish fillets. Why invest in a separate fillet knife?

For the remaining meat on the whole turkey, chicken, whole spiral ham with the bone, and any meat that is still on the body/bone of an animal, this knife will take it all off, even in the hard to reach area of the turkey's and chicken's body cavities.

The durability and sharpness:
The knives are truly durable in all ways, but the cutting edges are not. You can drop it, toss, bang it, and pound it to the wood or plastic surface as you can all you want, the knives don't get any dent, bent, or ding. But, the cutting edge, honed at 15 degree, will get damaged if you slam it into bones, hard ceramic surfaces, metal, or any thing hard. I don't think any fine cutlery can stand up to such an abuse. Gentle sliding from front of the blade to the back will cut through pretty much everything, without requiring brute force to chop off your foods. Right out of the box, if you take care of of your blades properly during your days of food prepping, the blades will continue to have the sharpness up to 6 months. You'll notice a decrease of sharpness after the 6 months. If you're continuously cutting through frozen foods, especially meat, you'll notice the sharpness will start to decrease after two months of usages. The sharp edge of the knife will have misalignment, and the uniform edge will now have small imperfect warps. This is where a sharpening steel comes into play. Get a good steel like The Ultimate Edge Model 10NSS Stainless-Steel Handle Diamond Sharpening Steel (600 grit) or the cheaper The Ultimate Edge Model 10W Gourmet 10-Inch Oval Diamond Sharpening Steel (1800 grit people!). After a few sessions with frozen foods, use the steel to realign and sharpen the blade back up. Try to use it after every session, and you'll continue to keep the blades extremely sharp. Otherwise, if you keep neglecting to maintain your blades, you will have to purchase a honing-resharpening device, like the MinoSharp Plus or the whetstones (rough 320 grit and fine 1000 grit).

Cleaning:
The cleaning is extremely easy, after much usages. My knives with the plastic and wooden handles get so dirty and filled with food particles along the handles' edges that I have to toss them away. There's no way to clean them off without destroying the knives. Over time, around a year, the food particles and the oils forms an amber-resin like stain around the handles, disallowing any stain removal agent to get rid of them. The Global's one piece blades remove that issue. The cleaning only requires warm to hot water, and a soapy sponge. How easy is that? I have this set for over year now, and no stain what so ever. If there's caramel or sticky substance on it, run it under hot water for 30 seconds, then clean the entire knife with a hot soapy sponge, and it becomes like new again. Can't even find a bad thing to say about this. Small opinions here and there, but this is the first set of knives I could not find any bad to say.