Premium 8-Inch Global G-2 Chef Knife with Custom Engraving - Japanese Stainless Steel Kitchen Knife for Professional Chefs & Home Cooking - Perfect for Slicing, Dicing & Meat Preparation

If you're reading this review, clearly you're in the market for a professional grade chef's knife. You've probably also considered offerings by Shun, Wusthof, and Henckels. Truth is, you really can't go wrong with the German knives. Nor can you go wrong with one of the Shun Elite knives. But that doesn't cut it (no pun intended), does it? You want the best. Quite frankly, I believe the Global G2 fits the bill.To be considered a 'good' knife it should:-Be correctly balanced- Have a full tang (or something similar). NOT bonded.- Have metal that can be sharpened to the point where it shaves arm-hair.- Retain its edge assuming regular knife-steel use.- Not stain (only applies to stainless steel knives)The Global G-2 easily exceeds these standards. It's a 'good' knife. But it really offers quite a bit more. Unlike the traditional French or German knives, it doesn't rely on weight to chop things. You'll notice it's a REALLY light knife when picking it up. Now, professional chefs who haven't used one might think this is a drawback. Interestingly, it isn't. Since the grind profile of the blade is relatively narrow, the entire knife becomes an agile cutting machine.The ergonomics are another key benefit of the Global G-2. You can really bring your hand up to the blade and comfortably chop for a while without any discomfort. You'd think the metal handle would get really slippery, but unless your hand is covered in bacon grease (which is bad technique) you won't have any issues. You do have to use proper knife skills to get the most out of this knife, but you might as well learn for your finger's sake.Interestingly, the G-2 is stamped and not forged. Now, this is VERY different than your run of the mill stamped knife. They use the stamping technique in order to make the knife much lighter. There's a forged version (the GF-33) but it's heavier and has a solid handle. I have actually grown to prefer the weight of the G-2. After a TON of vegetable chopping, the light weight of the G-2 is a godsend.The steel is not obnoxiously hard (HRC) unlike some other japanese knives, so any decent steel will do wonders on it.In conclusion, this is hands down the best general Chef's knife I have ever owned. It is a nice improvement on the heavy German designs at a competitive price.