Global

1. Choice magazine

Australia's Choice magazine is similar to ConsumerReports.org in the U.S. Thirteen chef's knives, including the 20 cm Global G-2, are tested by men and women. The knives are also lab tested for sharpness. The article includes a list of pros and cons for each knife.

Review: Kitchen Knives Review and Compare, Editors of Choice magazine, Jan. 30, 2008

2. Cooking for Engineers

This website explains its testing methodology in exacting detail, but testing is conducted only by one person. In this evaluation of 11 chef's knives, the Global 20 cm cook's knife performs best, but Michael Chu finds the Mac Professional Mighty Chef more comfortable.

Review: Chef's Knives Rated, Michael Chu, Nov. 19, 2005

3. ConsumerReports.org

Testers at ConsumerReports.org evaluate more than 50 knife sets, including the Global G-237 3-piece set. Each set is evaluated on cutting performance, handle comfort and balance. Nine sets are recommended.

Review: Forged Knives Make the Cut, Editors of ConsumerReports.org, June 2009

4. Cook's Illustrated Magazine

We didn't find many tests of serrated knives, but this one from Cook's Illustrated rates 12 knives, including the Global 10-inch bread knife. Knives are tested on bread, tomatoes, sandwiches, cake and sticky dough. The testers prefer knives that are slightly flexible. They also like blades that are 10 inches to 12 inches, with serrations of moderate length and uniform spacing.

Review: Serrated Knives, Editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine, March 1, 2008

5. About.com

Brett Moore, About.com's guide to gourmet food, recommends the Global 8-inch chef's knife for its light weight and its "extremely sharp and perfectly balanced" blade. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

Review: Top 7 Chef's Knives, Brett Moore

6. Fine Cooking

This guide to knife buying lists four favorites among Japanese-style knives but doesn't detail testing. Driscoll says the Global's "lack of bolster, sharply angled heel, and thin handle felt precarious to even some of its strongest advocates."

Review: How to Choose a Chef's Knife, Maryellen Driscoll

7. Amazon.com

About 100 owner reviews give the Global 8-inch chef's knife a high average score, with only a few negative reviews. A couple of reviews say the knife broke when it was dropped on the floor, and two others say it is hard to sharpen.

Review: Global G-2 8-Inch 20cm Cook's Knife, Contributors to Amazon.com

8. New York Magazine

The Global 7-inch hollow ground santoku falls in the middle of the pack in Chef Masayoshi "Masa" Takayama's ratings of 10 santoku knives. Takayama says it has a good curve, but its blade is thick and its handle heavy, making it "clumsy and hard to sharpen."

Review: The Subtle Knife, Gillian Duffy, May 14, 2006

9. Food & Wine Magazine

Testers at Food & Wine look at more than 100 Japanese-style knives, test 30 of them and narrow their recommendations to four, including the Global G-2. However, there's no comparison among the winners and little information about each knife's performance.

Review: The Knives You Need Now, Emily Kaiser Thelin and Emily McKenna, July 2009