A quality bread knife probably is a must in the kitchen, granted that you eat sliced bread ;) Therefore, I had to have one So, here it is. 8.75 inch long serrated bread knife from Global Knives. Overall I have no complaints regarding Global knives qualify. Just like the others this one is a quality production knife. Not much to comment on it too. It is a bread knife, rather narrow specialization.
Blade
- Almost 9 inch(8.75 precisely) long blade is more than suffice for all sorts of bread, at least I haven't encountered one that wouldn't be defeated with G-9, so that I would have to resort to 20" Ang-Khola. Sharpening job is excellent as usual with Global knives, and this knife was no exception. I am rather skeptical about shaving hair off my arm with a serrated knife, but other cutting and fingernail tests proved it to be real sharp. Because it is a bread knife there is no pointy point. It is rounded, so you don't poke yourself or something else with it.Actually, on the sad side I'd have to note that latest globals I got (2008) had pretty poor edge on them. if it was jsut one knife I'd just ignoe it, but I got 4 different knives together this april and 3 of them had ratherdull edge for Japanese kitchen knife, one had decent edge, but I was expecting better based on my past experience with Globals.
Steel
- The steel is the CHROMOVA 18 used by Global for all their knives as far as I am concerned. I've already commented regarding this steel in Global GF-33 Forged Chef's knife review and in Fallkniven White Whale review, thus there is no point in repeating all that in here. Follow the link to see the info regarding CHROMOVA 18.Handle
- G-9 Handle is slightly different that that of chef's knife. But more similar to it than to 4.5" utility knife handle. Other than geometry the handle style is typical Global Knives style. Silver with black dots. Same comments regarding GF-33 Forged Chef's Knife Handle apply here. Positive grip, comfy. Somehow GF-33 handle feels more solid in hand, but may be it's just me. Anyway, no complaints, only positive impressions. Obviously the same advantage of having no blade/handle juncture and no handle slabs to break or fall of applies to G-9 as well. Solid piece of metal.Usage
- Because of its specialization (Bread Knife) and because I have lots of other knives, G-9 was used almost exclusively for what it's been intended for - bread slicing. I can't say I have ever used this knife for longer than 15 minutes in a row, and those 10 minutes were during some parties, otherwise I wouldn't need to slice that much bread for myself. Therefore I can't comment much on prolonged use, but base on my experience with other Global knives I am sure it will be a good one. Occasionally I've used this knife for slicing tomatoes, which was rather testing than anything else. G-9 did pretty good. I know lots of folks out there use serrated knives (bread or not) as a primary or the only cutting tool in the kitchen. I disagree on that one, but in the end it's up to you. Serrations do have their place and their advantage in terms of cutting, but most of the time folks are using them because they cut better when dull compared to dull straight blades. Such is the nature of serrations. Although to be precise that is not cutting anymore, rather tearing the medium apart.Maintenance for this knife is minimal. Sharpening is required around once in 6-8 weeks. That is with my use and with my "demands" for the knives to be sharp. yes, serrated knives can and should be sharpened. There's nothing extraordinary about it, and if you have the right tool, you can do it easily. It is well worth to spend 5 minutes sharpening bread knife. For one it will cut better and you won't be chasing crumbs all over the place, second it is safer to use when sharp. For sharpening serrated knives the easiest thing is to pick up a Spyderco Sharpmaker. It has detailed instructions on how to sharpen serrated knives, and it is pretty simple once you get the idea. Although I myself use DMT serrations sharpener for last few years.
Update
- Currently, as of summer 2008 I still use this knife, however by now I've come to firm conclusion that Global knives are way too soft for my kitchen knives. To be precise for my use style. So, the upgrade is in order and I'll be replacing G-9 with something consiiderably harder.
- Specs:
- Blade - 8.75"
- OAL - 13.25"
- Steel - CHROMOVA 18 56-58 HRC.
Last updated - 06/24/08