Sharpening Global knives

[wankelmodig]

I sharpened a set of Global knives belonging to a friend of mine the other day.
He told me that they, for some reason he didn't remember, should be treated differently than other knives (he takes no particular interest in all of this however).
I pretended that I knew what was up and sharpened them to the best of my ability on a couple of cheap waterstones. They got sharp (-ish) in my completely noob estimation, but afterwards I've been thinking that perhaps the Global alloy is prone to carbide tear-out or some such thing.

Do anyone have an opinion on this? As an extension of this, do you guys research the steel before sharpening it, or do you simply try out things and see what works?

[jmcnelly85]

In terms of treating globals differently from other knives, I don’t think they’re that much different than any other sub 60 hrc stainless. They can be stubborn early in the progression but come off a green brick in great shape, typically don’t hold an edge for all that long, but respond to traditional honing rods. Regarding researching steel before sharpening, some knives and steels respond better to some stones or progressions better than others; however, a generalized coarse-medium-fine progression typically covers all bases regardless of the knife or steel. Experimentation and first hand experience goes further than generalized ideas about certain steels doing certain things. Handmade knives and variations from treatment procedures will make just as much, if not more, of a difference in how a steel acts compared to whether or not the steel is this kind vs that kind. Carbide tear out usually comes into play with knives with incredibly high vanadium content where common abrasives struggle to cut. There is a chance the cheap stones are a culprit for irregularities; however, carbide tear out is a separate issue.

Long story short, keep sharpening and experimenting, it’s an incredibly rewarding thing and astonishingly deep rabbit hole. If this is something you are interested in, you’ll be amazed what can happen with quality waterstones.

[Carter]

I remember that when I got my first Global's 20yrs ago....think they are referring to the sharpening angle being different than traditional western/European knives....I purchased two of the little blade clips that set the proper angle on the stone. I have not sharpened them in a long time, but don't remember anything really different regarding the stones...they got pretty damn sharp compared to some of the western blades, but they won't take an edge like most of the knives sold by CKTG.

[wankelmodig]

Thanks for the answers. I think that I have been misled by the marketing and assumed that Global is the greatest knife since the invention of bread and butter. They do have a very nice modernistic design and the flair of a gift purchased at the airport. In terms of steel quality, could you recommend any reasonably priced, run of the mill, japanese knife brand suitable for exploration?

[kwakster]

What Global calls Chromova is AUS6 stainless with a good heat treatment.
It may not have the higher hardness or the wear resistance of certain modern powder steels, but give it a nice convex toothy edge that falls in the 20 to 25 degrees inclusive range, treat the knife well, and you might be surprised about how it holds that edge.

[jmcnelly85]

Putting a separate thread in the knife rec area will get loads more answers after filling out the short questionnaire. There’s plenty of knowledgeable folks who take great pride matching the right knife to the right user. Without knowing more, I’d suggest factor the knife budget to include a good stone or two.

[ken123]

I wouldn't be concerned with carbide fallout on a Global. I also would not be too concerned with acute angles either and would follow Kwakster's suggestions. There are many blades finer here on cktg to choose from and many stones as well.

---
Ken

[btbyrd]

Globals are apparently liable to form wire edges that can be difficult to remove. Floppy burrs, sticky steel. I can say with confidence that the steel isn't fun to sharpen by any means. I have heard rumors that there are some professional sharpeners who will no longer sharpen Globals owing to certain difficulties in burr removal. For years, I only owned and sharpened Globals. I hated sharpening them. I hated using stones. When I got my first blades in blue and white steel, I suddenly realized what "taking an edge" meant and that sharpening could be a joy. With all that said, I don't think they're *that* difficult to sharpen, and agree that the "special sharpening" instructions that the OP's friend mentioned were probably to do with the angle of the grind rather than any peculiarities of the alloy used.

[arthurfowler]

I owned a fair few Globals when they first came to the UK over 20 years ago. In fact I only got rid of them 4 or 5 years ago when I started collecting J knives. I was a chef at the time and as jmc said they always responded well to honing until they would eventually need thinning. I didn’t know about thinning then but I realise now that it was the case. The only other comment is that the steel was labelled differently on the earlier knives.