Sharpening knives

The cheap manual knife sharpeners are good for cheap knives because they scrap away the metal and are very good at sharpening. However, the knife will be knackered after a while.
For that reason, you don't want to use expensive knives on them.

I've read that the Knife Wizard electric sharpeners are very good, although quite expensive.
 
DO NOT use decent knives on the sharpening pull-through block things. I have one that I only use for my fillet knife and both the sharpener and knife stay in my fishing bag. Hardly my best knives.

Get a proper whetstone or sharpening steel.
 
Definitely get yourself a good quality steel and learn how to use it, and make sure only you use it on the knives. This will maintain the edge, to a point. Eventually they will blunt though and they will have to be reground. I'm quite handy, but I've never managed to do a good job with a whetstone. I've also tried a stone sharpener that was ok, but just delayed having to do the job properly. There are a number of firms locally who will come round and regrind your knives for you - typically they look after all the local butchers etc.

Don't expect your knives to last forever though. I personally think this is a myth, even with expensive knives, because once you get the thicker part of the metal it becomes very difficult to maintain a decent cutting edge. After 12 years of duty, I've just replaced my old set with some new Sabatiers.
 
Hi,

Speaking from vast experience with kitchen knives, Globals are somewhat unique in sharpening.

Global steel (Japanese steel in general) has a high amount of Carbon in the metal. Depending on whether your knives are fully forged (have a bolster between handle and blade) or "sheet"/ without a bolster, your knife will be two separate pieces of metal.

Contrary to the above poster, if you look after your knives they will last forever, my Dad has a set of Gustav knives when they were Emile Ern and he has had them for almost 40 years.

For Global knives you will be unable to sharpen them using a conventional steel. Do not buy one it is a waste of your money.

The best way to sharpen any Japanese knife is on a whetstone, that is how they were sharpened in the manufacturing process. If you insist on using a Steel then you must either get a ceramic or diamond steel.

Traditional steels are often made of Carbon steel, which is softer than the metal found in your globals, your globals will simply dull the steel since it is harder (Rockwell 63~).

Using a steel you must be very delicate, whenever you see a butcher brandishing his steel strong and loudly it is purely for show, the intention of a steel is to keep the blade straight instead of peeling metal.

Also, never leave your Globals wet or in the dishwasher, the Carbon will rust and the handle will split into two pieces (I have seen this countless times), this is not covered under the warranty either.

Hope this helps.
 
Also, the Knife Wizard mentioned by the above poster is good, I have one at work.
I believe they are owned by the knife company I.O Shen. However they retail at around £200.
 
Globals are relatively soft for high end knifes, so you can sharpen them.

Even the higher rated knifes can be honned with a steel. Just need the right one. The henckles steel for example is 66
 
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Glaucus said:
Globals are relatively soft for high end knifes, so you can sharpen them.
Click to expand...

Hardness of the knife does not affect whether it can or cannot be sharpened, it simply determines how hard a sharpener you must use.

i.e. Soft knives may sharpen on a conventional steel, harder knives will need a ceramic or diamond steel.

Also Globals are not "soft" knives, a soft knife would be a French Sabatier or Victorinox.
 
Minosharp are a very good choice, they are more or less the same company as Global.

You can clean the ceramic wheels with a toothbrush if you see them become grey from peeled metal.

You can use a steel however it is not ideal, Japanese knives are not designed with European sharpening methods in mind.

But the Minosharp is a great choice, you simply have to put a small amount of water with the wheels and gently pull it through, although the instructions tell you to "saw" both ways, do not do this. Either stroke towards yourself or away, only one direction.

edit: You can also buy spare wheels should they become dull.
 
They are ok, those Minisharp sharpeners, but they don't last long. I got about three to four uses out of mine (on my main 3 knives) before the stones broke in the middle. After the second set I threw it in the bin. I was quite gentle with it, it's just not a very durable piece of kit.
 
<pedant> Careful referring to Global type knives as Japanes knives - traditional Japanese knives are very different and require a completely different sharpening technique </pedant>

With regards to steels, I don't see a problem using a steel on Japanese style western knives as long as it's just used as a touch up - but you don't want anything too harsh that might modify the edge. For any kind of real sharpening you definitely want to use a whetstone!
 
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