Global
While most other knife makers are watching and mimicking each other, Global stands by its unique design. They were the first to introduce razor-sharp, light-weight Chef's knives to Western kitchens nearly twenty years ago.In doing so, they've gained something of a cult following. Couple that with design features you won't find on many other knives and you've got a love-it-or-hate-it affair. If you've been using traditional Henckels or Wusthof knives, you're in for a real treat with these Globals.
The Santoku has got all the features that define a Global knife. It is very lightweight and the handle features no bolster for 'balance'. Instead, the handle is filled with sand that moves around as you cut, giving you a balance that adjusts itself on the fly.
The handle is dimpled stainless steel, somewhat of a rarity in mainstream kitchen knives. The blade is made of a high-carbon, molybdenum/vanadium alloy that allows it to be thin and razor sharp out of the box. It features a granton-edge — those little dimples in the blade help keep food from sticking to it. The blade profile is a slim taper — often incorrectly referred to as a 'hollow ground'. This also is a contrast to a traditional 'double bevel' or 'V-edge'.