Global Classic 6.25″ Flexible Boning Knife Review

I haven’t had a boning knife in some time. That has caused me problems. A flexible boning knife makes deboning and trimming meat much easier.

Several things stopped me from getting one sooner.

First, I won’t buy an inferior knife. A cheap knife doesn’t hold an edge well, makes the work more difficult and can be dangerous. She Who Must Be Obeyed has come home with a cheap knife a couple of times. I do my best to keep them sharp for her, but I mostly refuse to use them. That being said, a food knife is expensive.

Second, I am frugal (She Who Must Be Obeyed says cheap), I have good quality chef and paring knives that I got by with. Did I really need a good boning knife?

Third, She Who Must Be Obeyed said I couldn’t get a new toy unless I got rid of an old one.

For the first problem, it would take care of itself if I decided to buy a knife. I just couldn’t buy an inferior product.

For the second problem, I do a lot of meat, poultry and fish trimming. I need a boning knife.

For the third problem, I picked up She Who Must Be Obeyed’s favourite cheap knife and said I would get rid of that. The swelling is going down, but it was decided I could buy a new knife.

I did a lot of research. Some knives were simply crazy expensive (see problem two). However, I kept seeing complimentary reviews for the Global Classic 6.25″ Flexible Boning Knife. Online reviews are of questionable value but people I trusted were giving them kudos.

I went to their site and was immediately concerned. I am an old-fashioned kind of guy. Their knives had integral steel handles and unusual shapes. I went on to research other knives.

As I did more research, the Global knife kept on having what I wanted at a high but fair value price point if it met up to what was promised.

When the knife showed up, I was sceptical. I am used to wooden handles. However, I did a paper sharpness test and it sailed right through. The edge was razor sharp.

The handle is different than I’m used to but gave me a good positive grip. There is a tab at the top of the blade to prevent your fingers slipping down. It is even safer in grip than my old wood handled knives.

I tested it right away. I took the bone out of a pork shoulder roast. The blade wasn’t as flexible as I expected but it formed to the bone nicely. The grip was perfect. Despite the heavy cutting, the blade did not try and turn in my hand and the balance was perfect. I went through the thick pork easily.

It worked great on a heavy boning job.

How would it work on a delicate job? I made a batch of my Fancy Shmancy Salmon. This recipe calls for a knife to cut between the bones on the belly of a salmon. Then, you need to remove the skin from one of the belly portions.

The thin sharp blade slid right under the bones and had enough flex to put the skin on the cutting surface and slide the knife over it.

After the tests here are the pros and cons of the knife.

Cons:

• It is expensive. Not the most expensive but it is expensive.
• It is high quality stainless steel which is harder to sharpen.
• It is expensive.
• It isn’t as flexible as some boning knives, but it worked well for me.
• It is expensive.

Pros:

• It is sharp. I mean really sharp! You want to make sure you aren’t cutting towards your fingers. There was little force required and you won’t have to saw through meat.
• The handle gives a great grip and is well balanced. I had no problem with gripping the knife comfortably.
• I have come to like the funny bump at the top of the blade. It protects your fingers.
• While quality stainless steel is harder to sharpen, it holds an edge longer and can be brought back to an extremely sharp edge.

The Verdict:

First, I was paid nothing for this review. I bought this knife just like you would.

This is a high-quality knife. You can buy cheap knives, but you will regret it. This is a fine precision tool. It will last me for the rest of my lifetime and make my work easier.

Although it was expensive, this knife is worth it.

The Old Fat Guy