about
This BBQ knife project expanded GLOBAL’s design language into the world of outdoor cooking, translating the brand’s precision-led Japanese knife heritage into tools built for fire, smoke and open-air food preparation.
The design approach focused on creating knives that felt credible in a BBQ setting without sacrificing the refinement expected of GLOBAL. Proportions, blade profiles and handle details were developed to support confident cutting, carving and preparation, while maintaining the clean stainless-steel identity, balance and product discipline associated with the brand.
Rather than treating BBQ as a novelty category, the project positioned the knives as serious cooking tools for a more expressive environment. The result is a design-led BBQ knife range that bridges professional kitchen performance with outdoor cooking culture — robust in use, refined in appearance and unmistakably GLOBAL.
credits
Concept Development
mike chan
Design for Manufacture
studio chan
The design challenge was to create a knife that felt visually striking enough for BBQ culture, but refined enough to sit within a Japanese-inspired knife range. BBQ tools often lean into ruggedness, weight and aggression, while Japanese knives are usually associated with precision, restraint and balance.
The opportunity was to bring those worlds together.
The blade height was increased to give the knife more presence, knuckle clearance and confidence when working with larger ingredients. The edge profile was given a more generous curve to support a natural rocking motion, making the knife feel less like a heavy cleaver and more like a versatile prep tool. The tip was kept more refined and Gyuto-like, so the knife retained precision and did not become visually or functionally blunt.
The result was a blade that could perform across multiple cooking moments: slicing, chopping, portioning, preparing BBQ ingredients and making larger cuts feel easier. It was designed to look like a statement piece, but every exaggerated feature had a functional reason behind it.
