Sharpening Global knives w/ a sharpmaker

M

Mindz_I

Joined
Nov 6, 2002
Messages
435
I recently purchased a global chef's knife and after some brief scout around for a steel I was informed that global knives are not to be sharpened with a steel, but rather a Ceramic sharpener.

With that in mind I was wondering if the tri-angle sharpmaker would be suitable and if anyone has any experience using this with Global knives.

I already own the 204 so I don't need any convincing as to what a great bit of gear it is for frequent sharpening, however I would like to confirm it's entirely suitable for my purposes, given the rather steep edge on global knives.

Thanks for any help
 
Well, keep in mind that a steel isn't sharpening by removing materials, it's straightening any rolled or mis-aligned sections of the edge. So, really, a steel and a ceramic sharpener are doing two different things. Anyone know why they shouldn't use a steel on these knives? Perhaps fear of chipping the edge?

That having been said, I have used only my 204 on my Kershaw Shun series kitchen knives and it keeps them plenty sharp.
 
I have used my Sharpmaker on my Global knives with no problems. I have also steeled my knives with no problems either.
 
I sharpen my Global with a DMT and ceramic sticks (a home-made sharpmaker), and I maintain the edge with a smooth (butcher) steel. Works great.
 
My brother has a global knives and from what I understand isn't the edge is a convex one.
 
I use an Al Mar 8" Chef Knife made of VG-2 steel sandwiched between another, softer steel (420?) and whenever I use a regular steel the edge chips like crazy. I have found that the Sharpmaker works well for touching up the edge instead of a steel. I have also used the Sharpmaker on my Sous Chef's Global 8" with good effect, his knife was well used though so I am unsure how the Sharpmaker would affect the factory edge.

Global knives are finished with a Convex edge so treat accordingly. However, anyone I've ever met in the industry that owned and used a Global didn't know that and sharpened it on a stone like a regular knife to no ill-effect.
 
Thanks guys.

The sharpening guide on the knives reccomends a 10 - 15 degree angle of sharpening.

Am I right in thinking that the 30 angle is appropriate to this (as opposed to the 40) as it's effectively 2 x 15 degrees from the vertical?

Cheers :)
 
spoonrobot said:
Global knives are finished with a Convex edge so treat accordingly. However, anyone I've ever met in the industry that owned and used a Global didn't know that and sharpened it on a stone like a regular knife to no ill-effect.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I had no idea.

In fact, my Global was not particularly sharp when I got it, so I went ahead and reprofiled it. As mentioned above, I maintain the edge with a smooth butcher's steel and that works very well: the knife stays shaving sharp for months on end (with daily use) with only touchups on the steel.
 
spinynorman said:
Thanks. I had no idea.

In fact, my Global was not particularly sharp when I got it, so I went ahead and reprofiled it. As mentioned above, I maintain the edge with a smooth butcher's steel and that works very well: the knife stays shaving sharp for months on end (with daily use) with only touchups on the steel.
Click to expand...

And that is quite a feat considering the steel is only AUS6

(Can't reveal the source who told me this, but it is one of the leading figures in the knife industry)
 
The main reason your not supposed to use a steel on global knives is the factory edge is quite narrow and when combined with its above average hardness you run the risk of a lot of shipped edges.
 
Today I just sharpened my father's Global 4" Paring knife with the Sharpmaker. I got excellent results and it was very easy to do.
 
kwackster said:
And that is quite a feat considering the steel is only AUS6

(Can't reveal the source who told me this, but it is one of the leading figures in the knife industry)
Click to expand...

I believe that Global uses AUS-118 instead of AUS-6. So they were close. :) The "Cromova 18" stainless steel that Global uses has a Chromium content of 18%, which corresponds with AUS-118:

AUS-118
(%)
C: 0.9-0.95
Cr: 17-18
Mn: 0.5
Mo: 1.3-1.5
P: 0.04
Si: 0.5
S: 0.03
V: 0.1-0.25

The higher-grade Global knives with a convex edge respond very well to 30 degrees inclusive on the Sharpmaker. The cheaper forged line have thicker edges and are a bear to reprofile and sharpen. I just sharpened my G4 after using it for a solid year without any sharpening or maintenance whatsoever... it's ridiculously sharp now!
 
symphonyincminor said:
I believe that Global uses AUS-118 instead of AUS-6. So they were close. :) The "Cromova 18" stainless steel that Global uses has a Chromium content of 18%, which corresponds with AUS-118:

AUS-118
(%)
C: 0.9-0.95
Cr: 17-18
Mn: 0.5
Mo: 1.3-1.5
P: 0.04
Si: 0.5
S: 0.03
V: 0.1-0.25

The higher-grade Global knives with a convex edge respond very well to 30 degrees inclusive on the Sharpmaker. The cheaper forged line have thicker edges and are a bear to reprofile and sharpen. I just sharpened my G4 after using it for a solid year without any sharpening or maintenance whatsoever... it's ridiculously sharp now!
Click to expand...

i was also under the impression that they were made from AUS-118, but the knowledgeable person told me otherwise.
Anyway, you can keep convex sharpened Globals very sharp using a Spyderco Sharpmaker or a Lansky.
 
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