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Compare Japanese Knives: Global G-Series vs. Shun Classic
 GLOBAL Knives and Block (Photo Credits: GLOBAL)
From the legendary samurai swords to the handcrafted kitchen knives of today, the sophisticated craftsmanship of Japanese blades is admired worldwide. Extremely sharp edges and exquisite aesthetics set Japanese knives apart from most other types of kitchen knives on the market today.
Nowadays, the most popular two Japanese knife makers are no doubt Global and Shun, which employ highly skilled specialists who can create hand made knives in the great tradition of ancient Japanese sword smiths. The legacy of the ancient sword smiths serves as an inspiration to the artisans in the Global and Shun knife factories where old tradition of blade-making excellence is combined with the newest technologies as well as the most advanced materials. Every knife that comes out of these factories is really a functional work of art, and there is no doubt that these knife sets make the perfect wedding gifts! Today, only certain brands of German forged knives made by respected companies such as Wusthof or Henckels can be compared with regards to quality, functionality, durability and aesthetics with these Japanese knives (those interested in more information on German made forged knives can visit Comparing the German Wüsthof and Henckels Forged Knives). This article will describe and compare the Global G-Series and Shun Classic Japanese knife lines which have been the most popular high-end Japanese knives among Amazon customers who have written raving reviews assigning them ratings that are always above 4 stars (out of 5 stars!).
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SHUN Classic Knives
SHUN CLASSIC KNIVES (Photo Credits: SHUN)
Inspired by the blade-making traditions of ancient Japan, today’s highly skilled Shun artisans produce blades of exceptional quality and incredible sharpness, each requiring at least 100 hand crafted steps to complete. In Japanese, “Shun” is the exact time of the year when any particular food is at its best. Inspired by that, Shun Cutlery takes its name from this Japanese culinary tradition of preparing and eating foods when they are at their best, making fine kitchen knives that are also always at the peak of their perfection. Here are the major elements that contribute into turning these knives into exquisite functional works of art:
- High-performance VG10 and VG-MAX stainless steels which besides carbon, contain cobalt for strength and hardness, vanadium for superior edge retention, and chromium for wear and corrosion resistance. These steels require minimal care to prevent corrosion, and blades made of them can be sharpened to have very sharp edges which can be preserved for a long time. Note also that resharpening these blades is quite easy.
- Kasumi traditional knife making which consists of covering an extremely hard core of high-carbon steel such as VG10 or VG-MAX with additional layers of other type of "softer" steel (or steels). This type of knife building is quite similar to how samurai swords were traditionally made and imparts to the knife an extremely sharp edge and ease of sharpening. In addition, the exterior steel can have a beautiful misty appearance, hence the term Kasumi, meaning "mist" in Japanese. Damascus cladding, also used on Shun Classic knives, is a type of Kasumi that involves layering different types of metal alloys together, then forging them into a single piece. This creates attractive rippling patterns on the blade. The number of layers varies, many Shun knives having up to 32 layers of metal on each side of a VG-MAX core.
- Laser based composite blade technology used to join together different types of steels: Lasers are used to cut complex interlocking blade components from two different types of steels, which are then permanently joined into a single blade through a metallurgical process known as brazing which uses a braze alloy to join the two steel parts together.
- Pakkawood handles made of genuine hardwood impregnated with resin. The resin makes the handle to become moisture resistant, and imparts to it s strength and durability. Pakkawood is known to be used in high-end products that will undergo repetitive hard use in humid environments. This, makes it ideal for kitchen cutlery handles. Pakkawood provides all the advantages of wood, including a beautiful look and feel, without the disadvantages of untreated wood which can be harmed by humidity.
- 16° cutting angle on each side of the blade as opposed to European-style blades that are generally sharpened to 22° on each side. A thinner edge cuts more easily by putting less stress on the edge requiring fewer strokes to do the job. Thinner edges are also easier to control, making cutting smoother and, therefore, once again relieving stress on the edge.
Six of the most useful and most popular Shun Classic knives are shown below. If interested, please click these images for price and additional product information. Additional Shun knife sets can be found in the Amazon products section, further down in the article.
- High-performance VG10 and VG-MAX stainless steels which besides carbon, contain cobalt for strength and hardness, vanadium for superior edge retention, and chromium for wear and corrosion resistance. These steels require minimal care to prevent corrosion, and blades made of them can be sharpened to have very sharp edges which can be preserved for a long time. Note also that resharpening these blades is quite easy.
- Kasumi traditional knife making which consists of covering an extremely hard core of high-carbon steel such as VG10 or VG-MAX with additional layers of other type of "softer" steel (or steels). This type of knife building is quite similar to how samurai swords were traditionally made and imparts to the knife an extremely sharp edge and ease of sharpening. In addition, the exterior steel can have a beautiful misty appearance, hence the term Kasumi, meaning "mist" in Japanese. Damascus cladding, also used on Shun Classic knives, is a type of Kasumi that involves layering different types of metal alloys together, then forging them into a single piece. This creates attractive rippling patterns on the blade. The number of layers varies, many Shun knives having up to 32 layers of metal on each side of a VG-MAX core.
- Laser based composite blade technology used to join together different types of steels: Lasers are used to cut complex interlocking blade components from two different types of steels, which are then permanently joined into a single blade through a metallurgical process known as brazing which uses a braze alloy to join the two steel parts together.
- Pakkawood handles made of genuine hardwood impregnated with resin. The resin makes the handle to become moisture resistant, and imparts to it s strength and durability. Pakkawood is known to be used in high-end products that will undergo repetitive hard use in humid environments. This, makes it ideal for kitchen cutlery handles. Pakkawood provides all the advantages of wood, including a beautiful look and feel, without the disadvantages of untreated wood which can be harmed by humidity.
- 16° cutting angle on each side of the blade as opposed to European-style blades that are generally sharpened to 22° on each side. A thinner edge cuts more easily by putting less stress on the edge requiring fewer strokes to do the job. Thinner edges are also easier to control, making cutting smoother and, therefore, once again relieving stress on the edge.
Six of the most useful and most popular Shun Classic knives are shown below. If interested, please click these images for price and additional product information. Additional Shun knife sets can be found in the Amazon products section, further down in the article.
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Photo Credits: SHUN
GLOBAL G-Series Knives
GLOBAL G SERIES KNIVES & BLOCK (Photo Credits: GLOBAL)
Global knives use the best materials as well as the most recent design concepts to fashion knives that appeal to professional and amateur chefs alike by being comfortable and easy to handle, and by meeting their most demanding requirements.
Here are some of the factors that contribute into the making of these excellent knives:
- They are made of some of the finest high carbon stainless steel available, the CROMOVA 18 which is Global's own proprietary stainless steel, hard enough for the knives to maintain their edge for a very long time, but at the same time soft enough so that resharpening is quite easy. The "CRO" in CROMOVA 18 stands for chromium while the "18" indicates the percentage of chromium used in the steel which contributes to the good stain and corrosion resistance found on these knives. The "MO" and "VA" in CROMOVA 18 stand for molybdenum and vanadium which provide the knife with good edge retention.
- The majority of the Global knives are sharpened or ground on both sides of the blade with edges that are ground steeply to a sharp angle of 17°. This results in a dramatically sharper knife which also stays sharp for much longer.
- Global knives have smooth contours and seamless all stainless steel construction which eliminates food and dirt traps, offering the ultimate in safety and hygiene (handles are made of stainless steel and are an extension of the blade).
- The stainless steel handles are hollow and filled with just the right amount of sand to create the correct balance as opposed to most other high end knives that use a full tang and a bolster for balancing. Like the traditional Samurai swords, each Global knife is carefully weighted to ensure perfect balance in the hand.
Six of the most useful and most popular Global G-Series knives are shown below. If interested, please click these images for price and additional product information. Additional Global G-Series knives and knife sets can be found in the Amazon products section, further down in the article.
Here are some of the factors that contribute into the making of these excellent knives:
- They are made of some of the finest high carbon stainless steel available, the CROMOVA 18 which is Global's own proprietary stainless steel, hard enough for the knives to maintain their edge for a very long time, but at the same time soft enough so that resharpening is quite easy. The "CRO" in CROMOVA 18 stands for chromium while the "18" indicates the percentage of chromium used in the steel which contributes to the good stain and corrosion resistance found on these knives. The "MO" and "VA" in CROMOVA 18 stand for molybdenum and vanadium which provide the knife with good edge retention.
- The majority of the Global knives are sharpened or ground on both sides of the blade with edges that are ground steeply to a sharp angle of 17°. This results in a dramatically sharper knife which also stays sharp for much longer.
- Global knives have smooth contours and seamless all stainless steel construction which eliminates food and dirt traps, offering the ultimate in safety and hygiene (handles are made of stainless steel and are an extension of the blade).
- The stainless steel handles are hollow and filled with just the right amount of sand to create the correct balance as opposed to most other high end knives that use a full tang and a bolster for balancing. Like the traditional Samurai swords, each Global knife is carefully weighted to ensure perfect balance in the hand.
Six of the most useful and most popular Global G-Series knives are shown below. If interested, please click these images for price and additional product information. Additional Global G-Series knives and knife sets can be found in the Amazon products section, further down in the article.
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So which to buy? Global G or Shun Classic?
Global and Shun both make exquisite knives that are no less than functional works of art! Though they use different techniques, they are both made of very high quality steel (or steels and other alloys as described above). Their knives are very hard and sturdy, with edges that are extremely sharp, yet ductile enough to be resharpened easily when needed. These knives have an ergonomic design that makes them very easy to use, and they can handle with minimum effort the most demanding cutting situations. However, Global and Shun knives are by no means identical. They present some important differences:
- Global G knives are made of seamless stainless steel. There is no wooden handle or bolster. The hollow steel handle is an extension of the blade and is filled with just the right amount of sand to create the correct balance. On the other hand, Shun Classic knives have Pakkawood handles made of genuine hardwood impregnated with resin. Both methods have their advantages: The seamless and all stainless steel construction of Global G knives eliminates food and dirt traps offering the ultimate in safety and hygiene. On the other hand, Pakkawood provides all the advantages of wood, including a beautiful look and feel, without the disadvantages of untreated wood which can be harmed by humidity.
- Shun Classic knives are made by overlaying various layers of steels and alloys over a high carbon steel core (Kasumi method) and by using their composite blade technology to join different knife sections together. These steels are enriched with cobalt for strength and hardness, with vanadium for superior edge retention, and with chromium for wear and corrosion resistance. This type of knife building imparts to the knife an extremely sharp edge and ease of sharpening. In addition, the layering of various steels and alloys creates very attractive patterns on the blade. On the other hand, Global G knives are made mostly of a particular high carbon steel, the CROMOVA 18 enriched with chromium for wear and corrosion resistance and with a molybdenum-vanadium combination that provides good edge retention.
- The cutting angle of Shun Classic knives is 16° degrees, while that of Global G knives is 17°. The thinner the edge, the easier the knife cuts, as it puts less stress on the edge and it is easier to control.
GLOBAL G-Series and SHUN Classic Knife Sets on Amazon
GLOBAL G-Series Knife Sets
You will find below a selection of GLOBAL G-Series knife sets.
Please click the Amazon US link image below for the Global knife set of your choice to see exact price information or to purchase.
Please Note: For non-US customers, when you click the links below, you will be provided with the Amazon links for your country (such as Canada or UK), if the product is available in your country.
Please click the Amazon US link image below for the Global knife set of your choice to see exact price information or to purchase.
Please Note: For non-US customers, when you click the links below, you will be provided with the Amazon links for your country (such as Canada or UK), if the product is available in your country.
Global G-Series
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Global G-Series
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Global G-Series
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Global G-Series
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Global G-Series
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If you have not found the Global knife set you are looking for among the above offerings, you can view all the Global knives and knife sets available on Amazon by clicking below:
All GLOBAL G-Series Knives and Knife Sets on Amazon
Shun Knife Sets
You will find below a selection of SHUN knife sets.
Please click the Amazon US link image below for the SHUN knife set of your choice to see exact price information or to purchase.
Please Note: For non-US customers, when you click the links below, you will be provided with the Amazon links for your country (such as Canada or UK), if the product is available in your country.
Please click the Amazon US link image below for the SHUN knife set of your choice to see exact price information or to purchase.
Please Note: For non-US customers, when you click the links below, you will be provided with the Amazon links for your country (such as Canada or UK), if the product is available in your country.
Shun 5-Piece
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Shun 5-Piece
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Shun 6-Piece
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Shun 7-Piece
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Shun 9-Piece
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If you have not found the Shun knife set you are looking for among the above offerings, you can view all the Shun knives and knife sets available on Amazon by clicking below:
All SHUN CLASSIC Knives and Knife Sets on Amazon
Have you not found yet what you were looking for?
Global Amazon Search
If you have not found what you are looking for among the above offerings, you can still search for it or for ANY OTHER PRODUCT you may need by clicking below and searching for what you need on Amazon.com:
