Product Description Enjoy a fresh slice of french bread cut by this bread knife from Global. It is made from a single piece of high quality CROMOVA 18 stainless steel and has a serrated edge to make cutting foods with crusts effortless. The ice hardened edge can hold a sharper edge for a longer time so you can slice bread and melons for a delicious lunch. It has an ergonomic handle with a dimple pattern making it comfortable and slip resistant, useful for repetitive slicing. The knife’s perfect weight is achieved through the hollow handle that is filled with sand for ideal balance. This knife can become very useful in your kitchen because it can slice through anything from soft breads to melons. 8-1/2" L Amazon.com High tech from tip to handle, Global knives from Japan created a sensation when they burst onto the world's culinary stage as an alternative to traditional European-style cutlery. Blades are made of hard molybdenum/vanadium stainless steel and "face-ground" with a long taper rather than a short bevel so edges remain sharp longer than even the best high-carbon stainless-steel knives. Edges also are ground at a more acute angle than traditional European-style knives and arrive from the factory razor-sharp. Although Global also makes a "heavyweight" line for cooks who prefer hefty knives, its original knives--of which this 8-3/4-inch bread knife, with a scalloped edge for slicing crusty loaves, is an example--have thinner blades and are lighter than traditional European-style knives. Global also dispensed with bolsters on its original knives to reduce weight. Balance is achieved by injecting a precise amount of sand for a particular blade style into a hollow handle. To ensure balance is continuous, the sand flows inside the handle as a blade is maneuvered. A finger notch between blade and handle provides safety. Stainless-steel handles are Global's most striking feature. They're molded to fit the hand and dimpled to resist slipping. Smaller around than many European-style handles, they're easy for small-handed cooks to grasp and seamless for sanitation. Global recommends using a ceramic sharpener or a diamond steel instead of a metal sharpening steel for its knives, supplemented by a synthetic whetstone, a ceramic whetstone, or a Shinkansen sharpener. Global also makes a Sharpening Guide Rail so blades can be honed on a whetstone at the proper angle. Global knives should be hand washed to protect edges. They carry a lifetime warranty against defects and breakage. --Fred Brack