We have these.
We own Global knives purchased in the late 80s/early 90s. These are a very different beast to the fragile versions produced over the last 15 years. They are known to break and Iāve heard of delamination issues.
YMMV.
Thanks chaps - just what i need as a starting point.
The Mrs likes the look of the flint and flame ones.
Will have to be patient we want to hold them before forking out decent money and they aint going to happen any time soon. 
I bought a set of the Tsuki ones recommended further up the thread. Japanese steel made in China. Very good reviews. I havenāt tried them yet.
1 Like
Weāve got Global knives - Iāve got big hands & I find them comfortable to use. They take a good edge.
Whatever you choose, if you donāt already have them, get some some Japanese water stones to keep them sharp.
2 Likes
we love our Tsuki santoku
Also like our Dick boning knife
Fnarr fnarr.
5 Likes
Everybody who has tried them, loves a bit of Dick.
2 Likes
I wasnāt aware of those intelligences Ozzyā¦Our daily Globals are around the same circa as yours btw
Sounds like a blade Dr Lecter would have in his knife drawer
Interesting. My Globals are from around 2000 and have been great. Donāt realise have changed them.
WTF are you going on aboutā¦
Still making more sense than you. 
1 Like
All my evidence is anecdotal but a couple of people I know have dropped their knives and suffered clean breaks at the heal/bolster.
One had the knife split down the middle while sharpening. Like a delamination.
These all occurred to latter day purchases on my recommendation.
Sounds like they have sheared at the TIG weld joint between the blade and the two handle sections
Similar anecdotes around the interwebs
Still aspiring myself, I came around a shop in SaarbrĆ¼cken, Germany.
She is from Japan, trained sushi chef and she runs her shop for Japanese cooking gear.
She has a FAQ in German, that you could translate in your browser:
Here is a selection as an example of what she has to start browsing, sheās not the cheapest on the net, but a brick and mortar shop with an internet presence:
Please be aware that the top knives are not rust free. Hope this helps a bit in making a decision.
BTW, forgot to say, I have a Zwilling by J.A. Henckels 5 knives set, from the now out of production Twin Select series.
Not really bad, OK-ish, but not so much value for money, would not buy again or recommend.
A cheaper version is just as good.
add me to that, didnāt drop it but had two of them snap while cutting. Both of them broke right between the bolster and tang.
I got mine as presents around 2012 and the only global Iāve got left is a little GS-1 that I bought years prior.
Would never buy global again.
Knife sets suck - youāre paying for a bunch of knives which in reality youāll rarely use. Weāve got a barely adequate 6 knife set, of which the dimpled santoku is my knife of choice 99% of the time - thereās a carver in there which I use once a year because I feel I should, a couple of parers which get used for opening parcels and chopping lumps off cheese/salami when I donāt want to mess-up the santoku, thereās an Average Knife ('scuse the technical jargon), which is average and I never touch, and a bread knife which opens bread rolls when I make a bacon butty a couple of times a month. I like a straight blade with a near-straight edge, so anything with much of a curve never sees the light of day. Metal handles suck BTW, hard.
If everything but the santoku vanished, Iād barely even notice.
Harts have a ton of knife offers on, all a bit Usual Suspects and no idea if the prices are competitive, but summat might suit. Iād want to get me paws on stuff if I was laying-out Ā£500 mind.
1 Like