Where to get my Globals sharpened? South FL

Hello All-

I have a set of Globals that I use for everyday cooking. I use them on a end grain Jon boos block.

I get that most of you sharpen your own knives, but I already have too many expensive hobbies (sailboats, photography, wine, watches) so I just want to take my knives to someone that will know how to sharpen them well. I really haven't found anything in my area, and I was hoping someone may know of someone local to me.

I would really only want to send them away as a last resort, as I am going to have a tough time doing much in my kitchen without my knives, and I like to eat.

I should also add that I steel the knives pretty regularly, with an oval shaped steel. It's not ceramic.

So thoughts? Also include what you think this should cost, ballpark figures work for me.

Thanks!!

Well, where do you live?
I know a really good sharpened who does a knife for $10...and he's actually very GOOD! I think it depends on where you are, because $10 is pretty cheap.

I don't doubt there's someone near you who can do it, but: if you have trouble finding anyone, are completely against sending your knives away, and you don't want to invest the time to learn sharpening yourself... buy a Chef's Choice electric sharpener, read the manual, and only use it when you must. It's really not as bad as everyone says it is.

Vertigo said:

I don't doubt there's someone near you who can do it, but: if you have trouble finding anyone, are completely against sending your knives away, and you don't want to invest the time to learn sharpening yourself... buy a Chef's Choice electric sharpener, read the manual, and only use it when you must. It's really not as bad as everyone says it is.

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Agree, with one stipulation - make sure you get the model for Asian knives, like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FKV96Y/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

id suggest something else, not a stone but not the Chefs Choice
global MAKES this, so im pretty sure itd do well
http://www.cutleryandmore.com/global/minosharp-iii-ceramic-water-stone-sharpener-p120703
and the Fiskars sharpener is really great, really cheap too. i was astounded by it. shaves arm hair, easily.
http://www.cutleryandmore.com/mac/rollsharp-ceramic-knife-sharpener-p19912

You should get two stones: a 500 or 1k stone and a 6-8k stone for $100-$200. You'll be set for life unless you end up being a junkie. The Chef's Choice for asian knives works well but you should not use the coarse slot unless the others don't work. With regard to your steel, the grooves need to be fine. It should feel just slightly rough to the touch. Otherwise, you are mangling your edge (which might be good if you like microserrations). I'd probably send them to Dave Martell for sharpening if you really want someone else to do it but this is expensive. I'd get an extra knife to tide you over while you're waiting, too.

First off, thanks for all the input.

As to where I live, I am in boca raton.

My steel is just a little rough to the touch, when I bought it I stressed I didnt want anything too aggressive.

I think I would prefer just taking my knives to someone local so they can sharpen them for me. Around $10 a piece works for me, I would just want confirmation that the guy is good. I really enjoy using my Globals and I plan to have and use them for some time to come.

Thanks again.

I find it quite risky to send them to some local. Powertools most sharpeners use with softer knives ruin your Globals in seconds.

Oniram said:

First off, thanks for all the input.

As to where I live, I am in boca raton.

My steel is just a little rough to the touch, when I bought it I stressed I didnt want anything too aggressive.

I think I would prefer just taking my knives to someone local so they can sharpen them for me. Around $10 a piece works for me, I would just want confirmation that the guy is good. I really enjoy using my Globals and I plan to have and use them for some time to come.

Thanks again.

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I would be very reluctant to trust a local sharpener with your set of Globals. Please reconsider learning to sharpen them yourself.

I once acquired a chef's kit from a pawn shop. The knives had been sharpened by a local service using a belt sander. They were not pretty. It took a lot of grinding to make the edges usable.

Ok, so I looked at Dave Martells site, and saw what he charges for sharpening. I guess I would be looking at $25 a knife for sharpening plus shipping to and from. I would guess all of that for all of my knives (12", 8" chef, 5" kitchen, 4" veg, and paring) would be $125 just for sharpening, and then another $25 for shipping to and from. So I am looking at $150 total.

After looking over the site, and spending some time at links that have been posted, I am reconsidering learning how to sharpen myself. I don't want my knives ruined, and if I spend $150 to send them away, I will have nice pro sharpened knives with zero gained knowledge, and I will just start in on making them dull again. But if I spend the money to sharpen myself, at least I will have learned something, and I can keep my knives sharp at all times. So I guess its way cheaper in the long run to just get started learning.

I have two new questions:

1) My knives were never sharpened when I bought them, I didn't realize they weren't all that sharp. So, if I decide to get some whetstones and sharpen myself do I have to do anything different to start out with because they have only been steeled by me, and came factory sharp?

2) tk59 recommended that I get two stones for $100-$200, I would be ok with spending within that range if I got everything I needed to get started. So, what would you guys recommend? I will also be needing a stone holder, and I think some guides would not be a bad thing either, and of course a good book so I can hopefully learn and prevent myself from making a mess of my knives. (An edge in the kitchen, I saw that was recommended as a good book)


Thanks again to all for the great information.

You have made a wise decision. Almost any sharpening is better than none, I really isn't rocket surgery, and people have been doing it successfully for some time now!

The Globals arrive with a very convexed edge, almost without any bevel. You may respect this edge which is not easy, or just ignore it and build a conventional V-edge. You would need a J400-500 stone to build the edge and thin behind it, and a 1000-1200 and 3000 for edge refinement and deburring.

Lefty said:

Well, where do you live?
I know a really good sharpened who does a knife for $10...and he's actually very GOOD! I think it depends on where you are, because $10 is pretty cheap.

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lefty, who does them in TO for 10 dollars? I could use someone when I want to be lazy or to recomend to some other people?

I think you're from TO

I say spend no more than a hundred dollars on stones and whatnots. Don't over do it. I told myself this a million times, and bought very little. Now I think I over did it.

Keep in mind, if you want to enrich yourself to this part of cooking/life(edge care), learning to sharpen is great! Pro services are mostly for people who don't want to/can't do it themselves(which is almost everyone), but don't forget: You can learn to sharpen, then send them off to Dave and, since you will know what you are looking at, really appreciate and learn from his work!

I would recommend a Suehiro Rika holder and tray, although it is not necessary. You can just use a wet towel or a silicone mat. I would also recommend a flattening plate (DMTXXC or Atoma 140), although it is not necessary either. You can flatten a stone a number of different ways. For stones, the cheap and decent way to go is King 1/6k. Personally, I like the convenience of not having to soak my stones and then waiting for them to dry out (or the alternative of having a tub of water sitting in your house ad infinitum). I would suggest a Gesshin 1k and if you want your edges refined a bit more, spring for Gesshin 5k. The longtime value pack is a pair of soakers: Bester 1.2k and a Suehiro Rika 5k. These are also nice stones.

One more thing: don't let anyone talk you into getting a stone because it is "fast." You probably aren't going to be sharpening all that much and you are going to need practice.

Hi and welcome. I wouldnt worry about soaking time or drying for that matter, as home cook (assumeing you are) you dont need to sharpen that often and you can always do other stuff while waiting for your stones to get ready for use. tk59 has some solid advice there i agree.

One thing I find with globals is that they can be a pain to deburr. I'd go for a 1k/6k king stone and dave's strop kit. Dave used to sell a clip on guide that could help with holding the knife at the right angle while your learning

If you lived a bit closer, I'm in palm city, I'd happily do them for you for free. I maintain most of my co-workers edges for them aswell as my own.

If you fly me to Boca Raton, I will sharpen them for free.

if you want to go the ultra cheap way get a king 1k, they sell them for about 30 dllrs and they are pretty good. You can flatten on sand paper since the stone is not very abrasive resistant or just do the nasty thing and flatten on the sidewalk... I am guilty of doing it before and it works... to some extent.

:happy2:You can always take them to sur la table. they do them for free.:happy2:

King #800 + sandpaper (P#120) for flattening. De-burr on cork. Strop on newspaper.