Hi!

I'm looking for a set of Globus Knives as a Christmas gift for my husband, but I don't know where to buy them in Zurich.

I asked in Jelmoli but they told me they don't have a "kitchen stuff" area anymore

Thanks in advance for your help!

Do you mean Global knives?



If so there's a place in Lausanne that has them and they have a mailorder site in English.
http://www.coutelleriedupetitchene.ch

Have you tried Riethmüller on Bahnhofstrasse? They have a a lot of kitchen knives.

Thanks!

Yes, sorry, I ment Global. I'm afraid I was too sleepy when I sent the post :P

I have been using Global knives professionally and personally for 15 years. They look great and are very slick, and they are great, but there is also a serious downside.

These are essentially sushi knives and are very expensive. If you buy Globals you really need to know how to sharpen knives as they lose their edge very quickly. You need a special porcelain steel to sharpen them (don't drop the steel or the knife, both are likely to shatter). Also, don't machine wash them.

I would not recommend these knives for home use. They start off as amazing knives but soon end up as sharp as a blunt spoon, which completely defeats the purpose of razor sharp japanese knives, unless you learn how to care for them.

Some of their knives are resistant to use, such as the serrated knives or the bread knife. Their utility knives are better if you're intent on buying Globals.

If you want fancy, get Globals.

If you want useful, get a Victorinox chefs knife with a wooden handle.

I don't like them personally. I have Wusthof and they seem to have the best balance of those I've tried. However it's a personal thing.

http://www.wusthof.com/

According to their home page they do
http://www.jelmoli.ch/haushalt_wohne...ischkultur.asp

Edit: sorry - looks like you're right! what a shame, they used to have really good stuff

I also don't like the feel of the Global knives, but accept that it's a personal choice. I'm a Henckels man, and very content with them.

Whatever knives you decide to invest in, please keep them sharp. There's no bigger waste of money than buying quality knives and then letting them go dull. Drives me crazy when I'm cooking in someone else's kitchen.

I keep mine razor-sharp all the time -- and am quick to point that out to anyone who happens to be using them in my kitchen. I don't want an extra finger-tip in the soup!

I doubt if Global knife can be found in any Local shop

Victorinox stake knifes (in pack of 6) are quite good BTW.

Accidents happen on blunt knives, not sharp ones

There must be different grades if Victorinox cooks knives as the ones I have seen are as bendy as hell and look and feel like pound chop bargains.

Have you used them and why do you recommend?

This is a serious question as we need a new knife as I can't seem to keep the edge on our fifteen year old knife any more.

There are different grades. There is the pound store variety and then there is the Chef's range.

I have used (professionally) all manner of knives and the knives that keeps coming up top are Victorinox Chef's knives.

The Victorinox knives are properly durable. They keep their edge longer and are also easier to sharpen than knives like Globals. You can use a simple Diamond Steel for this with superb results.

The ergonomics of the knives are also superior, the wooden handle feels very good and solid in the hand. With knives like Globals you tend to hold the knife further up the handle with the bottom of your index finger on the top of the blade, this gives you a callus.

The Victorinox knives don't force one to do this.

To sum up, Vicorinox Chef's Knives:

Are well balanced
Have superior ergonomics
Keep their edge
Easy to sharpen and require less sharpening
Are hardy and durable
Are not the fashion victims of knives
Are a classic
Don't cost you an arm and a leg

These are actually the only knives I actually recommend using.

Thanks for the info. We'll gve one a try!

(sorry for hijacking the OP's thread).

For those who want a last minute Christmas present and maybe save a bit as well: I have seen that the Globus Outlet in Dietlikon has currently some Zwilling cooking knives (the high quality series) for half price. Those are great knives, my mother uses them for decades (as a cooking teacher). Maybe not as extremely sharp as a high end sushi knife, but extremely durable and best steel.

They are very good, but the best balanced ones I have tried were those:
http://www.porsche-design.com/europe...kitchenknives/

(at a cooking school, I am not crazy enough to buy those myself)

I have a mix of Wusthof and Zwilling. I do have foodie friends who love their Global knives too. It's a matter of personal preference . . . I find the Global handles difficult.

As for knife care, you don't need to do that just for Global knives. When you get your first serious knife, make sure you have a good way of sharpening it.

I would dearly like a knife from here though:

http://www.japaneseknifecompany.com/

You can go and try out different knives there and the guy in the shop will advise you based on your skills and style.

Why not be sporty and use a Spork?






Ergodynamic and Disposable too?
I prefer my Wustofs personally. I don't like the feel of Globals, although they often seem to make decent conversational pieces. I don't know how much, or the style your husband is cooking, but, for any kind of work over 15 minutes, the Wustof's rock and slide nicely along a cutting board, are extremely strong and should last almost forever(I'll see you in forever to confirm this...) F Dick makes some good knives, Victorinox is basic duty knives. For the most part nothing I would show off in my kitchen. The other knives I have the most of are Sabatier from Thiers. They are legendary good knives, most constructed by hand, in the french mountain town of Thiers. And normaly I think they offer free shipping over 100 euros. They are some of the best knives outside of Soligen.

I often hear this quoted ("a good quality kitchen knife will last a lifetime") and I'm wondering whether I have the wrong timeframe in mind or whether I am oversharpening my knives.

I have a cook's knife that I use daily, and probably sharpen about once a week (or as it requires). I use one of the Henckels pull-through sharpeners, and probably give the knife three or four passes:



The design of sharpener means that the blade has worn unevenly, with more of the blade remaining near the hilt than along the rest of the blade.

The knife is at least ten years old, but I estimate that it will need to be replaced in the next few years.

Yes, 10 years of daily use is still a good investment -- but is this a reasonable lifespan for something that gets such heavy use, or am I shortening my knives lifespans by sharpening them too frequently / incorrectly?

There is no way a knife can last a lifetime if it's used every day.

One other thing, a knife should be used as it is intended to be used, this means not cutting cardboard boxes, cables, fences, firewood etc. Kitchen knives should be used for cutting food.

I used to get a good laugh out of the infomercials that sold knife sets, I never realised you could cut through a fence or beer cans with kitchen knives.

How often should you hone the blade with a stone, as opposed to using a steel for removing roll-over? (I'm not sure of techincal terms).