Global

Global knives were first imported to the United States by Sointu USA in 1989. Sointu was the original importer and exclusive US distributor for 23 years.

Global knives are manufactured by Yoshikin in Niigata, Japan. They were designed in 1985 by Komin Yamada. When Komin Yamada was commissioned for the job his mandate was to develop a range of knives that was truly new and revolutionary, using the best materials available and the latest manufacturing techniques.

GLOBAL CLASSIC KNIFE RANGE

CLASSIC KNIFE FEATURES
The two most innovative features of Global knives are their edge and the way they are balanced. The most important feature of any knife is its edge, and the Global edge is truly its signature. The majority of the Global knives are sharpened or ground on both sides of the blade like western style knives. However, their edges are ground straight to a point rather than beveled resulting in a dramatically sharper knife which stays sharper longer. The edge is so large and prominent that it is easily seen with the naked eye and extends a quarter inch or more up from the tip of the knife.



To balance their knives, Global uses a hollow handle which is then filled with just the right amount of sand to create the correct balance. Global uses this method rather than using a full tang and a bolster to balance their knives for two reasons. First, it is a far more precise than using a tang and a bolster. Second, Asian knives typically do not have bolsters, since they only serve as a hindrance to cutting and sharpening.

Other unique features of Global knives are their smooth contours and seamless, all stainless steel construction which eliminates food and dirt traps offering the ultimate in safety and hygiene.

CLASSIC KNIFE CONSTRUCTION
Global knives are made from the finest high carbon stainless steel available for producing professional quality kitchen knives. Yoshikin uses its own proprietary stainless steel which it calls CROMOVA 18 Stainless Steel. This steel is hard enough for Global knives to keep their edge for a long time, but soft enough so that it is not too difficult to sharpen the knives. The CRO in CROMOVA 18 stands for chromium and the 18 is the percentage of chromium in the steel. This high percentage of chromium contributes to Global's good stain resistance. The MO and VA in CROMOVA 18 stand for molybdenum and vanadium. These two elements give a knife good edge retention. Care should be taken to keep your Global knives stain and rust free. To learn how to care for your Global knives, please go to Product Care.

It is often asked why Global knives stay sharp so long without sharpening. The combination of the elements molybdenum and vanadium is one reason, but also refer back to our earlier diagram of the straight edge vs. the beveled edge. Now take a piece of paper and gradually push it up, slowly covering the tips of the two edge types, simulating the knives getting dull after use. Even as the Global straight edge gets dull it is still much thinner, and, therefore, much sharper than the knife with the beveled edge.

CLASSIC KNIFE SERIES
There are four series of Global classic knives. They are G, GS, GF and GSF. For all practical purposes, the only difference among the series is that the G and GS knives are lighter in weight than the GF and GSF knives. The lighter weight knives are more characteristically Japanese and Global is best known for its lighter weight knives. One should decide for him or herself which knives best suit him or her.