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Global Santoku Knife Review – G46 Classic 18cm (7 inches)

The Global Santoku knife is made in Japan, and they are using their stainless steel called CROMOVA 18. The entire blade is from stainless steel construction. To prevent the knife from becoming slippery during use, they have added dimples that they sprayed black. 

Knife Rockwell Hardness and Core Material

The steel from the Global Santoku comes pre-stamped on a Rockwell of 56 that they heat treated to a Rockwell of 58. The edge retention should be around four-month due to the convex edge and lighter straighter blade. After that, a whetstone touch-up is needed. 

Global Santoku
Global Santoku

Global Santoku Classic Blade profile

The Global has a Hybrid Santoku profile and is suitable for a forward chopping or cutting motion. But still keeps a slight curve so that you can rock on things like herbs.

Global Santoku Blade Profile
Global Santoku Blade Profile

Knife balance point

The knife balance point is at the bolster, which makes the knife slightly back-heavy to accommodate western cuisine. Because of the balance point and the slightly curved handle behind the blade. The pinch grip is my recommended gripping style. If you pinch grip at the blade then the knife will become back heavy. A fingertip grip will make the knife front heavy.

Global Santoku Balance Point
Global Santoku Balance Point

Knife handle

The knife handle is welded to the blade. To balance the knife correctly, they added sand to the handle. The entire blade is from stainless steel, and the added dimples prevent the knife from becoming slippery.

Global Classic Handle
Global Classic Handle

Weight, Spine taper, and finish

The knife weight of 175 grams is considered a Japanese fusion knife in terms of weight. The spine has a distal taper which means that the thickness at the bolster will become narrower towards the front. It will help with the forward and rocking motion because the food wedges better. The overall knife finish could have been better because Global partially polished the spine for small to medium hand sizes.

Global Santoku Classic Weight
Global Santoku Classic Weight

Durability

Compared to the VG-Max from the Shun, the Global knife is a lot more durable and can handle heavier tasks than a Shun. The Shun, however, has longer edge retention than the global. Despite having a very thin blade, there is no noticeable flex during use. The Global Santoku knife also has enough knuckle clearance, so no problems there. 

CROMOVA 18 Stainless Steel
CROMOVA 18 Stainless Steel

Home Cooks

The Global Santoku knife is ideal for the home cook that wants a Japanese knife that is more durable than most Japanese-made knives. You can rest assured that you won’t chip the knife during use and that the Global will handle most tasks without any problems. Since the blade is thin, it is not suitable for heavy-duty work like going through chicken bones. The knife is ideal for vegetables, and boneless meat, and is still suitable to fillet a fish.

Distal Spine Taper
Distal Spine Taper

Professional Cooks

A Santoku, in general, is not recommended for professional cooks but is ideal for home cooks that like the forward chopping style over the rocking motion of the chef’s knife. The main reason is the length which is mostly too short for professional use. But only you can decide if it will suit your prep work or not at the restaurant. 

Knuckle Clearance
Knuckle Clearance

Larger hand sizes?

If you have medium to large hands, then this knife is not suitable for you. Since the handle is so small it can cause discomfort if you use the knife for a more extended period. If your hand size is between medium to large, then I highly recommend you test the Global Classic series at a store. You may want to look at the ”Ni series” from Global since that is more suitable for medium to large hand sizes. 

I have a large hand size
I have a large hand size

My Conclusion & Recommendation

The Global Classic series is more suitable for people with small to medium hands. If you have larger hands, you need to look at the Global Ni series, which has a longer and bigger handle. The Ni series is for larger hands while keeping the same similarities as their Classic series. The spine polish is exactly polished for pinch grippers. It means that the front part of the spine is sharp, and the heel is sharp too and not polished at all.

The Global ''Ni'' series would be a better fit for my hand size
The Global ”Ni” series would be a better fit for my hand size

🛒S H O P:

Amazon NA:
Official Amazon Global store page
Amazon EU:
Official Amazon Global store page

Amazon NA:
Global Santoku Classic with hollows
Amazon EU:
Global Santoku Classic

Amazon NA:
Besides the Ni series the Ukon series Global Classic
Amazon EU:
Global Santoku with Hollows

Small to medium hand sizes Global Ni:
Longer handle and thicker but very similar to the Classic series Global SAI: Hammer finish, Cladding heavier with a fixed thumb rest.

Global UKON:
Bigger, longer handle, thicker blade, thumb rest.

Global Classic G46 specifications:
Weight: 175g
Handle: Stainless steel
Rivets: no
Handle length: 125mm
Blade length: 180mm
Blade width: 47mm
Thickness: 2.1mm
(measurements might be off by 0.1mm)
Material: Cromova 18
HRC: 58

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ChefPanko

Hi, I'm ChefPanko, I have worked for multiple restaurants and have decided to share my experience with you guys. I will share recipes and techniques that I have learned, taken, and improved from the French, Japanese restaurants that I have worked for. I will also explore other cuisines with you guys.

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